Last night on RAW, Rey Mysterio chose the stipulation for his match with Seth Rollins at “the Horror Show at Extreme Rules.” Mysterio earned the right to do so after he and Kevin Owens defeated Buddy Murphy and Rollins in tag action. Mysterio chose an “Eye for an Eye Match” which has led many to wonder what the actual rules are for such a match.
According to WWE.com, an “Eye for an Eye Match” can only end after one competitor has extracted the eyeball of the other.
“Mysterio teamed with Kevin Owens to defeat Rollins & Murphy for the right to choose the gory stipulation where a winner can only determined by extracting the opponent’s eye,” reads a listing for the match on WWE.com.
“Can Mysterio achieve the ruthless justice he craves, or will Rollins finish the barbaric attack that set this match in motion? Don’t miss The Horror Show at Extreme Rules, streaming on the award-winning WWE Network, Sunday, July 19, at 7 ET/4 PT!”
Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins – Eye For An Eye Match – Extreme Rules
The updated lineup for “The Horror Show at Extreme Rules” is as follows:
Eye For An Eye Match Rey Mysterio vs Seth Rollins
WWE Championship Drew McIntyre (c) vs Dolph Ziggler
RAW Women’s Championship Asuka (c) vs Sasha Banks
Smackdown Women’s Championship Bayley (c) vs Nikki Cross
Wyatt Swamp Fight (Non-Title) Bray Wyatt vs Braun Strowman
United States Championship MVP (c) vs Apollo Crews
Chris Hemsworth says he is going to have to put on more size than ever when he plays the role of Hulk Hogan. Hemsworth has been tapped to play the title role of the film which will be directed by Todd Phillips. He recently spoke to Comicbook.com about how he actually will have to put on more size to play Hogan than he did to play Thor.
“This movie is going to be a really fun project,” he said. “As you can imagine, the preparation for the role will be insanely physical. I will have to put on more size than I ever have before, even more than I put on for Thor. There is the accent as well as the physicality and the attitude.”
Hemsworth also noted that he will have to research the world of pro-wrestling for the world. It sounds as though he’s looking forward to that.
“I will also have to do a deep dive into the rabbit hole of the wrestling world, which I’m really looking forward to doing,” Hemsworth added.
Chris Hemsworth On Playing Hulk Hogan
Hemsworth noted to ScreenRant in April that he hasn’t seen a script yet for the film. Despite this, he still expressed excitement over the project.
“Look, I haven’t read a script yet. I know it’s being written now and worked on. I know very little about that. It’s sort of in the process now,” Hemsworth said. “I’m just fascinated by that world, and I think they’re pretty keen to show a side of the world that people haven’t seen before. I’m as intrigued as you are.”
Former WWE and WCW head writer Vince Russo recently discussed the #SpeakingOut movement and in particular the ‘Bra and Panties’ matches that he frequently gets marked with creating. As well as this, Russo would discuss how he would approach female talent backstage for the companies he worked for, particularly TNA.
Vince Russo on TNA Locker Room
“Back in the day when I was happily married and I had three children?” Russo began on The Brand. “I kind of realized…once I understood what the wrestling business was? I always had my back up.”
Russo would elaborate further, saying “I didn’t know in 20 years that they were going to be calling people out. And sh*t I didn’t know that, but I always had my back because I had a freaking family. I had a wife and I had children. I was not going to get in anything that would have got me in any kind of trouble.”
“And I remember so many times when I would have to go in the woman’s locker room. At TNA the women had a trailer, and bro? I’d have to find them during the day to do pre-tapes and all that sh*t bro. I always was so cautious. And just so careful and so respectful of them. I say this all the time bro, when I worked with these beautiful, beautiful women bro? I felt like they were more like daughters than attractive women. That’s how I looked at them. You’ve got to be really, really careful in everything that you do. So that’s why.”
Rebecca Quinn is better known to wrestling fans as Becky Lynch. She recently spoke to SI.com about the origins of her ring name.
“When I was coming up with my name in WWE, I came up with a bunch of mad Irish names that I thought were cool,” Lynch said. Her character originally played up more of her Irish heritage in NXT. She later transitioned to a steam-punk inspired gimmick before adopting “the Man” persona.
“They wanted a name associated with my own name, like Rebecca,” said Lynch. “So I became Becky, and two of the names that came back to me were Becky Lynch and something like Madeleine. I was like, ‘I didn’t even submit that, I don’t know how it got in there.’ It made me think of that TV show Madeleine. Anyway, I said no to that, and the other name that came back was Robin Daly. I actually did like that, but I thought it would be better to have a part of my own name in there, so Becky Lynch it was.”
Lynch announced in May that her and Seth Rollins are expecting their first child. She has been gone from WWE since.
Sasha Banks recently commented online that she believes her team with Bayley is better than Harlem Heat was. Booker T then addressed Sasha’s comments on his YouTube channel and show.
“She didn’t say that, tell me she didn’t just say that,” Booker started. “My thing is this, I put her over! I put Bayley over too, right? Sometimes that’s very hard to do but I managed to do it because I’m the bigger man.”
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) July 5, 2020
Booker continued to address Sasha’s claim that her team with Bayley is better than Harlem Heat was.
“Sasha, Bayley, great tag-team but as far as those two being anywhere near as great as the Hall of Fame tag-team, 10x world tag team champions – set the record – along with the greatest manager in the history of the game, Sister Sherri Martel,” Booker continued. He then broke out a picture of him and his brother Stevie Ray in a match from Germany.
“That’s real right there. As far as Sasha Banks & Bayley goes, as far as those two in tag-team wrestling goes and what Harlem Heat brought to the game and still sprinkling out there all over the world right now. People still singing the name on a yearly basis as far as Harlem Heat goes.”
“As far as Sasha and Bayley go, I’m going to leave it at that.”
Former WOH champion Kelly Klein recently levied some allegations against Ring of Honor online. In particular, Klein took issue with ROH’s “investigation” into the acitivity of members of the promotion’s roster. She posted a series of Tweets recently which also referenced allegations against Jay Lethal.
“MULTIPLE women brought complaints & evidence of sexual misconduct/harassment by Jay Lethal. ROH ignored/covered it up. They only take action when convenient,” Klein Tweeted. “They are hoping to use another “investigation” to wait everyone out until we ‘forget.'”
They are hoping to use another “investigation” to wait everyone out until we “forget.”
Thank you, @ringofhonor for all of the truly wonderful things you do and have done.
Now please address the bad behavior. Do better. Right now you continue to CHOOSE not to.#SpeakingOut
In fact, qualities that make it hard to accept that a “favorite” could do something horrible are the things they use to gain access to victims & escape accountability.
They don’t usually wear a sign or broadcast their bad intentions.
After being mentioned by Klein in the above Tweets, Jay Lethal issued a statement on Twitter.
“It has always been my choice to use silence to keep my dignity, refrain from publicly attacking people I’m not fond of, and relying on who I have been as a person to speak for itself. I’ve also never wanted to use MY platform to boost or give attention to any negativity. I do however know and realize that some people will sadly take my silence to mean something else. “
The #speakingout movement has given me hope that the industry that I’ve chosen to give my life to will become a better place. I’ve wanted to stand in support of all those brave enough to share their painful stories. Unfortunately, I was afraid to due to the lies that are being said about me. I have never and would never sexually harass, sexually assault, rape or force myself on anyone. I would never use my status to deny anyone opportunities. Even now, it pains me to know that defending myself might somehow tarnish an important movement and cast doubt on real, troubling experiences.”
Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson will be returning to Impact Wrestling soon. Their deals will allow them to work dates for New Japan Pro Wrestling.
The Good Brothers were let go from WWE in April. They had been with the company since 2016. The release came shortly after Gallows & Anderson participated in the Boneyard Match at WrestleMania. At the time, they were aligned with AJ Styles as part of the OC faction. Styles was shocked and devastated by the situation. He revealed to fans that he felt guilty that he could not ‘protect’ his friends’ jobs.
Gallows and Anderson were instantly among the hottest free agents in the world. Fans questioned if they would return to Impact, New Japan or perhaps even join All Elite Wrestling.
In recent weeks, it has become clear that Impact is their next destination. Impact, company executives and the guys themselves have teased together again. Reports from prominent wrestling journalists have corroborated the news.
Karl Anderson provided the latest Impact tease on Monday night. He posted the following photo of Doc Gallows on Instagram. As seen below, Gallows is looking pretty jacked in a vintage Impact sleeveless t-shirt.
Roman Reigns’ win over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 created a lot of buzz but the company did not utilise the heat the Big Dog had gained in any significant way and Ric Flair believes that the promotion dropped the ball with Reigns after the event.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently had an interview with Metro.co.uk where he talked about the match between the two WWE stars after it has become a topic of discussion again with the airing of The Last Ride documentary.
Flair explained that the win was the hottest tag anybody has ever gotten in the history of the business and if he was in the position, he would have ridden on that heat forever:
“All I thought about was, “God dang, Roman just got the hottest tag in the history of the business!” To me, when Mark hauled up his stuff, put it in the middle of the ring and walked out. The next day, on Raw, Roman couldn’t talk!
I thought to myself, man, I’ve been in a lot in my life but if I’d had that hot tag brother, I could’ve rode that forever.” said Ric Flair, “I don’t know what happened! But that was the hottest tag in the history of the business! That’s made the thing with Brock beating him pale, in terms of emotion!’
The 16 time world champion later also complimented the match saying that two wrestling veterans had a hell of a match and people focused too much on the botches.
Undertaker suffered a loss at the hands of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 and many believe that this match was more significant than the ending of the streak because Taker left his gear in the ring after the bout, with the intention to end his career.
Their non compete clause and then the coronavirus pandemic stopped The Ascension from kicking off their post-WWE careers, but the former champions are now getting ready to make their mark with a new name.
The former WWE stars recently had an interview with WrestleZone where they talked about things like their time in the company, what they were planning before the lockdown and more.
During the interview Viktor revealed that they were originally going to use the name FKA which is an acronym for ‘formerly known as’ as their name but Konnor then revealed a different name which was suggested to them recently:
“The Awakening. It’s like it’s the next step up from The Ascension, It’s still got that connection so the fans can understand it and it’s something that Vik and I think is badass regardless.”
Konnor also explained how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their plans revealing that they were actually going to return to TV but those plans were halted. Though he did not reveal which promotion the duo was going to join.
The Ascension wrestled their final WWE match in April 2019. The two were released from the company in December that year after 8 months of inactivity and their non compete clause with the promotion expired in February 2020.
The July 6th edition of WWE RAW aired from the Performance Center in Orlando. Randy Orton, Andrade, Angel Garza battled The Viking Raiders and Big Show. Rey Mysterio teamed up with Kevin Owens to face Seth Rollins and Murphy. RAW Women’s Champion Asuka battled SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley in a non-title match.
WWE RAW Results (7/6)
Drew McIntyre def. Heath Slater
Kairi Sane def. Sasha Banks via DQ
Rey Mysterio & Kevin Owens def. Seth Rollins & Murphy
MVP & Lashley def. Cedric Alexander & Ricochet
Randy Orton, Andrade, Angel Garza def. Big Show & Viking Raiders
Billie Kay def. Ruby Riott
Asuka def. Bayley
Here are 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Ziggler Brought Heath Slater Back To Play Mind Games With McIntyre
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre kicked off this week’s show. McIntyre hyped up his match against Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules: Horror Show. Drew asked Ziggler to come down to the ring to announce the stipulation for the title match.
Ziggler came to the entrance ramp and stated that his stipulation will be a secret and he will not announce it before Extreme Rules. Ziggler was about to bring up McIntyre being fired but Drew interrupted. McIntyre said he is proud of his comeback story and noted that he beat Brock Lesnar & Big Show at WrestleMania.
Dolph added that there are other people that Drew didn’t say thank you to and brought out Heath Slater. Heath came to the ring wearing a “free agent” shirt and told McIntyre that they have a lot of history together.
Slater told McIntyre that he wasn’t the chosen one back then but he is now. Heath said he cried when McIntyre defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Slater told McIntyre that he called him every day after he got released and wondered why Drew didn’t do the same for him.
Heath said that the last time he spoke to McIntyre was on The Bump and Drew claimed he was going to petition for a match. Slater stated that he was here to get what McIntyre owes him and smacked Drew in the face. McIntyre accepted the challenge as RAW went to a break. When RAW returned, McIntyre immediately leveled Heath Slater with a Claymore for a quick victory.
After the match, Dolph Ziggler got in Heath’s face and started taunting him. Ziggler shoved Slater to the canvas and started beating him down. McIntyre ran down to the ring but Ziggler retreated. McIntyre helped Slater up and shared a hug with him in the ring. McIntyre and Slater did the 3MB pose to end the segment.
Opinion: Heath Slater delivered an excellent promo tonight and I thought this segment at least added a little intrigue to the WWE Championship match at Extreme Rules. Ziggler versus McIntyre is still a tough sell for me. I’m sure it will be a good match but its a difficult one to get invested in.
Women’s Tag Team Champions Bayley and Sasha Banks cut a promo on their upcoming matches tonight on RAW and at Extreme Rules. Bayley vowed to defeat Nikki Cross and Sasha Banks vowed to defeat Asuka at Extreme Rules.
RAW Women’s Champion Asuka interrupted and came to the entrance ramp. Asuka said that neither of them were ready for her. Bayley claimed Sasha Banks will humiliate her at Extreme Rules. Bayley said Sasha Banks is ready to fight anyone tonight and Kairi Sane made her way to the ring.
Match Recap: Sane controlled the action early and hit Banks with a flurry of shots to the midsection. Kairi locked in the Octopus submission in the middle of the ring. Sasha escaped but Sane rolled her up for a two count. Sasha slammed Kairi to the canvas for a one count.
Asuka shoved Bayley to the floor outside the ring and Banks went to check on her. Kairi leveled Sasha with a Dropkick through the ropes as RAW went to a commercial break. When RAW returned, Sasha Banks was back in control and sent Kairi to the corner.
Banks went for Double Knees but Sane avoided it and connected with a kick to Sasha’s back. Kairi climbed to the top rope and hit a forearm to the face for a two count. Sane followed it up with two Blockbusters and then the Interceptor Spear. Banks hit the Meteora for a near fall.
Kairi locked in a Boston Crab in the middle of the ring but Bayley got into the ring and broke it up. After the match ended in a DQ, Bayley and Banks beat Asuka down outside the ring. Kairi climbed to the top and took out Bayley and Banks with the Insane Elbow.
Rollins & Mysterio Will Have An Eye For An Eye Match At Extreme Rules
Aleister Black was attacked backstage and was found with a Rey Mysterio mask on his head. Kevin Owens marched down to the ring and welcomed everyone to the KO Show. Owens threw the chairs out of the ring and introduced Seth Rollins as a giant piece of trash.
Rollins came to the ring with Murphy and Seth thanked Kevin for having him on the show. Seth wondered how Owens’ fractured ankle is healing up and Kevin claimed that it feels better than Rollins’ ego does lately. Owens noted that they battled at WrestleMania and that formed a bond between them. Kevin gave Seth a KO Mania shirt and said he was wearing one of those shirts when he defeated Rollins at WrestleMania.
Seth told Kevin that he doesn’t give a damn about him or his show. Rollins added that he was just out here to address the now medically cleared Rey Mysterio and challenged him to a match at Extreme Rules. Rollins then turned his attention back to Owens and claimed Kevin needs him more than he thinks. Seth suggested that Owens join him in the fight for the greater good. Rey Mysterio and Dominik interrupted and Rey said that Owens isn’t going to fall for Seth’s BS. Mysterio accepted Rollins’ challenge and said that Seth’s destiny will be in his hands.
Rollins noted that they were supposed to compete in a tag team match but Aleister was attacked. Seth suggested that Dominik replace Aleister so he can take one of his eyes as well. Owens told Rollins that he will never fight by Seth’s side and said he wanted to be Rey’s partner tonight. Kevin suggested that the winning team will pick the stipulation for the match between Mysterio and Rollins at Extreme Rules.
Match Recap: Mysterio and Owens started off in control and isolated Murphy in the ring. Owens connected with an Atomic Drop and followed it up with a Clothesline for a two count. Seth tagged and Owens immediately greeted him with a Clothesline as well. Owens hit Rollins with a Senton and Seth rolled out of the ring. Kevin chased after him and bounced his face off the apron a couple times before the action returned to the ring.
Mysterio tagged in and Rollins scampered to the corner to tag in Murphy. Rey hit him with a Hurrcanrana and set up for the 619 but Murphy rolled to the outside. Rollins distracted Rey and Murphy capitalized with a boot to the face. Dominik then distracted Murphy as Rollins leveled Owens off the apron. Seth grabbed Dominik and raked his eye as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Rollins was in control and was targeting Owens’ ankle with his attack. Owens battled back and leveled Rollins with a Superkick. Murphy and Mysterio tagged in and Rey connected with a Dropkick. Rey hit Murphy with a Hurricanrana into the ring post and set up for a 619. Rollins rushed in the ring and Rey hung him up on the ropes. Seth got out of the ring and grabbed Dominik. Aleister Black marched down the entrance ramp and Rollins dared him to attack. Black didn’t so the match didn’t end in a DQ. Dominik raked Murphy’s eyes and Rey followed it up with a 619. Mysterio then hit a Frog Splash off the top rope for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Rey grabbed a microphone and said he has a perfect stipulation for their match at Extreme Rules. Mysterio said it will be an “Eye for an Eye” match and that he is willing to pull Rollins’ eye out at Extreme Rules.
Opinion: I have absolutely no idea what an eye for an eye match is but I am intrigued. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this storyline and I cannot wait to see how this feud culminates at Extreme Rules.
MVP came down to the ring with Bobby Lashley and referred to himself as the greatest United States Champion of all time. MVP claimed that he will defeat Apollo Crews at Extreme Rules and become US Champion for the third time.
MVP then revealed the new United States Championship before Lashley grabbed a microphone. Bobby suggested that they put the new title around MVP’s waist as the crowd booed. Ricochet and Cedric Alexander interrupted and complimented the new look of the US Title.
Alexander told MVP that you have to earn titles in WWE. Ricochet added that they hurt Apollo and they are here for a revenge. MVP and Lashley then battled Ricochet and Alexander in a tag team match. Lashley and MVP wound up picking up the win.
Big Show & Viking Raiders teamed up to face Randy Orton, Angel Garza, and Andrade tonight on RAW.
Match Recap: Big Show, Ivar, and Erik took turns beating the hell out of Angel Garza for the first few minutes of the match. Finally, Garza escaped to the corner and Andrade tagged in. Ivar slammed Andrade to the canvas and then Erik slammed Ivar on top of Andrade. Big Show then slammed Erik on top of Andrade. Garza and Andrade started arguing and Orton told Angel to get out of the ring. Randy then grabbed Garza by the throat and held him up against the plexiglass. Orton told Garza that he needs to get his head out of his ass as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Randy Orton tagged in and beat the hell out of Ivar in the corner of the ring. Garza tagged in and continued to beat Ivar down as Orton clapped in his face. Erik tagged in and launched Angel across the ring. Erik hit Angel with a knee to the face but got distracted by Orton. Angel capitalized with a boot to the face and tagged Randy back in.
Orton stomped away on Erik before Andrade tagged back in. Big Show finally tagged back in and leveled Andrade with a shoulder tackle. Orton went for an RKO but Big Show avoided it. Randy taunted Big Show from outside the ring as Big Show set up for a Chokeslam but Andrade countered into a Sleeper Hold.
Big Show threw Andrade to the canvas and tagged in Erik. Viking Raiders went for the Viking Experience but Andrade broke it up. Orton tagged in and planted Erik with an RKO for the pinfall victory.
Ric Flair complimented Orton backstage but was interrupted by 24/7 Champion R-Truth. R-Truth somehow thought Flair was Tozawa in disguise and then Akira & the ninjas showed up. R-Truth ran away and Orton pointed Tozawa in the opposite direction.
SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley squared off against RAW Women’s Champion Asuka tonight on RAW in a non-title match. Nikki Cross joined commentary for the match and refused to leave when WWE security asked her to. Sasha Banks and Kairi Sane were ringside for the match.
Match Recap: Bayley beat Asuka down against the ropes to start it off. Bayley applied a Headlock but Asuka broke free with an elbow to the midsection. Asuka leveled Bayley with a shoulder tackle and and went for the Asuka Lock but Bayley escaped out of the ring. Bayley booted Asuka in the face and slapped the headset off of Nikki Cross. Nikki tried to attack Bayley but security got in the way. Security then carried Nikki backstage as Bayley watched on with a smile on her face. Asuka hit Bayley with a knee to the face as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Bayley was back in control and slammed Asuka’s face into the mat several times. Asuka battled back and unloaded some kicks on Bayley. Asuka connected with a Shining Wizard and went for the cover but the SmackDown Women’s Champion kicked out at two. Asuka chased Bayley around the ring and back inside.
Bayley caught Asuka on the apron and slammed her neck into the ropes for a near fall. The action spilled out of the ring and Bayley slammed Asuka on top of the announce table as RAW went to a break. Back from the break, Bayley was still in control but couldn’t keep the RAW Women’s Champion down.
The crowd got behind Asuka as she battled back with a couple of jabs to Bayley’s ribs. Bayley knocked Asuka to the canvas and started mocking her by dancing around the ring. Asuka booted Bayley in the face and followed it up with Double Knees. Asuka hit a Dropkick and then a knee to the face. Asuka connected with a Hip Attack in the corner and a German Suplex.
Asuka hit another Hip Attack and went for the cover but Bayley kicked out at two. Asuka went for a Hip Attack but Bayley caught her against the ropes. Bayley missed with a Clothesline and Asuka hit a backfist right to Bayley’s face. Asuka hit another Hip Attack that knocked Bayley out of the ring. Bayley tripped up Asuka on the ring apron and rolled back in the ring.
Asuka booted Bayley in the head and made her way to the top rope. The RAW Women’s Champion connected with a Dropkick for another near fall. Bayley and Asuka battled on the ring apron and Bayley sent Asuka into the top turnbuckle. Bayley delivered a knee to Asuka’s face against the barricade before the action returned to the ring.
Bayley hit Kairi Sane with a cheap shot and Sane hopped on the apron. The official got distracted and Sasha kicked Asuka in the face. Bayley hit a Belly to Back Suplex and went for the cover but Asuka somehow kicked out at the last moment. Sasha brought Bayley a bottle of water and she took a sip before throwing it in Asuka’s face.
Nikki Cross showed up behind the plexiglass and slammed on it. Bayley got distracted and Asuka applied the Asuka Lock in the middle of the ring. Sasha tried to break it up but Kairi hit Banks with the Interceptor Spear. Bayley escaped but Asuka rolled her up for the pinfall victory.
Opinion: Bayley and Asuka put on a good match to close out a very entertaining episode of RAW. I’m looking forward to both women’s title matches at Extreme Rules and the women’s division has really stepped up and carried the shows as of late. Asuka, Bayley, and Sasha Banks have really shined and made the shows at the Performance Center much more entertaining than I thought they were going to be.
As expected, WWE showed off the new design of the United States Title.
WWE did so during Monday’s episode of Raw from the Performance Center on the USA Network when MVP awarded himself the championship to further build his program with the current champion, Apollo Crews.
As seen below, the title belt has a mixture of red, white, and blue on the center plate. WWE has confirmed that Crews will make his next title defense as United States Champion against MVP at Extreme Rules.
WWE changing up the design of the belt was first reported back in June. The delay of the new design being revealed was due to WWE needing to make replicas available to sell on WWEShop.com.
It was reported this morning by WrestleVotes that the new design would be revealed on this show. WWE recently gave the Intercontinental Title belt a new design. AJ Styles is the current champion.
Crews became the WWE United States Champion when he beat Andrade for it on an episode of Raw back on May 25.
Kevin Owens has made his return to WWE television after a brief hiatus.
Owens did so on Monday’s episode of WWE RAW. He hosted “The Kevin Owens Show” segment to interview Seth Rollins to further the feud between Rollins and Rey Mysterio.
Rollins played up injuring Owens in their latest encounter. Owens gave Rollins a t-shirt to let him be reminded when he beat Rollins at WrestleMania 36.
This eventually led to Owens replacing Aleister Black as Mysterio’s tag team partner for later on in the show against Rollins and Murphy. The winning team gets to pick the stipulation for the Rollins vs. Mysterio contest at Extreme Rules.
Last month, it was reported and later confirmed by Owens himself that he decided to remove himself from television as he was against working WWE TV tapings in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
It was first reported by Dave Meltzer that Owens’ wife’s grandfather passed away from COVID-19 prior to Owens’ decision to stay away from the tapings.
During a recent appearance on WWE’s The Bump episode, he stated that he decided it was a wise move to stay with his family after a developmental talent had tested positive for COVID-19.
When the grandfather passed away, it was reported that his family became concerned about him working the TV tapings. While away from WWE, Owens traveled with his family to Tennessee to stay in a cabin.
Heath Slater made one more appearance on WWE television.
The released WWE star was featured on Monday’s episode of RAW in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the USA Network. He did so by being part of the opening segment as Dolph Ziggler brought Slater out to do a promo with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre.
Slater said McIntyre left him behind and that when McIntyre was released by WWE, he was for him, but when things flipped, McIntyre was not there for him. Slater wanted a match with McIntyre then proceeded to push and slap him in order for McIntyre to agree to the match. The match was booked with McIntyre beating Slater in quick fashion. They made up after the match once McIntyre saved Slater, who was being attacked by Ziggler.
Slater was just one of many wrestlers and staff who were released by WWE back in April. The reason at the time of this mass firings was due to budget cuts related to the financial impact of the coronavirus.
For those who are wondering as to why Slater was able to appear on the show despite the fact that he was released by the company, WWE’s mentality is that talent who were released but are still being paid until their non-compete deals expire, can still be used on television.
Slater falls into this category as he along with other talent are awaiting their non-compete deals to expire on July 15.
Impact Wrestling has teased that Slater and Rhino could be reuniting their team under their umbrella. This comes at a time where Slammiversary takes place a few days after those released by WWE in April are legally able to sign with other promotions.
Last week, it was revealed that WWE came up with a mask policy for those who will be working TV tapings. This was the latest addition to WWE’s precautionary measures that have been implemented since the COVID-19 pandemic kicked off in March.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select reports that WWE had made several moves over recent weeks such as splitting the RAW and SmackDown tapings to separate days in order to have fewer people around at the shows. The move was said to help ease the mind of some on the roster that raised concerns.
Regarding the mask policy, apparently, it all started when a returning RAW star was said to have approached Vince McMahon shortly after his arrival last week for the TV tapings.
Per the report, the wrestler was said to have expressed his concerns about proper measures not being taken seriously enough to the WWE Chairman and CEO. These concerns included mask utilization and social distancing.
Sapp wrote, “This led to McMahon adding the rule that masks are mandatory and failure to comply will result in a fine.”
As to why McMahon hadn’t already instituted the changes, a wrestler told him that McMahon is usually in his office at the Performance Center during the majority of the taping days.
Thus, he doesn’t typically see whether or not the practices are put in play. It was added that McMahon does appear at Gorilla Position, as well.
Liv Morgan got WWE fans talking after taking to her official Twitter account where she made an interesting message.
The cryptic tweet appears to be teasing an upcoming reveal of some sort as she noted the date October 14, 2019 and said all will be revealed soon. Check it out here:
What we do know is the date, which marks when Morgan was brought back to television as a member of the RAW roster in the 2019 WWE Draft. She was the final overall pick.
Prior to this move, she had been a member of the SmackDown roster. This came after being sent there as part of the 2019 Superstar Shake-up on April 16.
Once being moved to the RAW brand in October of last year, WWE officials decided to keep her off of television before airing vignettes for her return.
Morgan ended up making her return to WWE television in December by crashing the wedding of Lana and Bobby Lashley. This led to a brief feud between Lana and Morgan but Morgan hadn’t been used on a regular basis after it. As of late, she had recent storylines with Natalya and former tag team partner Ruby Riott.
In fact, WWE has teased a potential reunion of The Riott Squad although Sarah Logan is not only no longer until contract with the company but recently announced that she was pregnant with her first child with her husband, WWE star Erik.
CM Punk noticed a tweet from AEW TNT Champion Cody Rhodes so he decided to respond to it.
It happened on Monday afternoon when Rhodes asked fans about who they would like to see answer his next open challenge.
This led to Punk reacting to it in a joking way by bringing up people like former WWE star Domino with valet Cherry, “Fearless” Jack Bull, former HWA star Dean Visk, and former ECW wrestler New Jack.
Sign guy Domino w/ cherry Fearless Jack Bull Dean Visk New Jack
AEW President Tony Khan then commented on Punk’s response by recalling how he witnessed Punk work a house show that also featured Deuce & Domino. He wrote the following:
“Duly noted. Fun facts: I saw you on a house show in Champaign on Super Bowl Sunday 13.5 years ago with Domino and Cherry (and Deuce). Also, New Jack was really really nice to me when I was a 13 year old kid visiting Philadelphia. My dad loved New Jack.
Punk finds himself on the sidelines in the pro wrestling business as FOX Sports decided to cancel WWE Backstage, which Punk had been working on as a part-time analyst.
As of this writing, there’s been no reports about any interest from WWE about bringing him back.
Following the latest round of COVID-19 testing, more people in WWE have tested positive for the coronavirus.
Pro Wrestling Sheet reported the news on Monday about those who were at the Performance Center last week during the most recent round of testing before TV tapings.
Since WWE started doing COVID-19 testing, there have been at least 30 people in total who’ve tested positive for the virus over the past three weeks. It should be noted that these numbers include behind the scenes workers and in-ring talent.
Per the report, the company has administered nearly 1,500 tests since doing the testing at TV tapings at the end of June.
So far only Renee Young, Jamie Noble, Kayla Braxton, and Adam Pearce have all confirmed that they tested positive through social media.
Just last month, WWE noted in a statement that they will “continue COVID-19 testing of its talent, production crew, and employees in advance of TV productions for the foreseeable future.”
It was reported last week that the company instituted an official face mask policy at tapings. This policy comes with a penalty for those who don’t follow along. People who do not wear a mask will be fined $500 for the first violation and $1,000 for each thereafter.
When Bret Hart re-signed with WWE in 1996, it seemed as though he would spend the rest of his career with the company. Vince McMahon would famously ask to be let out of the deal the following year, however. What this ultimately led to was the infamous Montreal Screwjob and Bret’s departure to WCW.
Jim Ross recently spent some time on his “Grillin Jr” podcast talking about Bret Hart’s career in 1996. During the discussion, he spoke about the 20-year deal Bret signed with Vince in 1996.
“It was a very creative offer,” JR said. “Nothing like that offer had ever been made prior to and I’m not so sure anything has been made since of that nature. You don’t offer a pro-wrestler a 20-year contract, it’s not feasible.”
“As far as Bret getting a deal, getting that deal, first of all, not very many people knew what the deal was, only a few of us. But I had no issues with it because if Vince believed that was financially going to be feasible to do, then he would know that better anybody else.”
“Those in the inner circle there at that time were happy that we were keeping Bret. You don’t want to lose Bret. I don’t think the Patriots wanted to lose Tom Brady.”
JR then addressed if he thought Vince McMahon felt pressure to re-sign Bret.
“Yeah, of course. He would not have broken the mold and created a new financial package and presentation,” JR said. “If WCW wasn’t in the picture and offering massive money it wouldn’t have motivated Vince to try to get in that game. So yeah, I’m sure he was uncomfortable with that situation.”
Arn Anderson’s in-ring career ended in 1997 due to significant neck and upper back injuries. He actually participated in two wrestling matches in the year 2000, however. Both matches took place on Thunder.
Anderson was defeated by David Flair on the May 9th, 2000 episode of Thunder. He then teamed with Ric Flair and defeated Crowbar and David Flair on the next week’s episode. Anderson wasn’t cleared to compete and had limited physical involvement in the matches.
On a recent episode of the Arn Show, Double-A spoke about working the matches.
“I told them ‘guys, I should warn you, I haven’t been cleared and I won’t get cleared because I already tried to get cleared once before,'” Anderson said on the show.
“Whoever it was I just said ‘I’ll do whatever I can to help David,'” Anderson continued.
He then spoke about a rather reckless moment that happened in one of the matches.
“Here’s the crazy thing. They had a gimmick, they had a vase or something but they hit me right on the scar with it. Now, I know that was to get sympathy but it seemed kind of reckless afterwards, you know? Why would you hit me anywhere lower than that?”
He continued to mention that he was fine after the spot.
Arn Anderson On David Flair
Double-A and Conrad Thompson continued to talk about David Flair. They concluded that David should have been trained beforehand but that WCW was simply throwing everything against the wall at this point.
“This was a time when there was a mad scramble on and I got a feeling that David was caught up in that mad scramble,” Anderson continued.
One of the many Superstars WWE released in April is reportedly going to be on tonight’s episode of RAW. According to a report from PW Insider, Heath Slater will be on tonight’s show. Slater is still technically under contract with WWE.
The names WWE released in April are all to be paid for 90-days following their release. Slater is believed to be under WWE contract then until July 15th, 2020. Slater is rumored to be one of the many names headed to Impact Wrestling for their Slammiversary show on July 18th, 2020.
On a recent episode of Impact Wrestling, the promotion teased that Slater and Rhino could be reuniting their team under their umbrella. Rohit Raju told Rhino backstage during a segment that he should be treating him like a tag-team partner and Rhino responded that he has a partner already and his partner “has kids.”
“I know that by July 18, I’m gonna have to start making some moves and get my name out there again. I can do whatever I want then. I’m hanging in there until then and just working on myself – mentally and physically and all that good stuff,” said on the WINCLY podcast.
One of the highlights of WCW PPVs used to be that Dusty Rhodes would provide commentary. In a time before podcasts, a WCW PPV used to be a great way to hear someone like Dusty Rhodes talk about wrestling for 3 hours.
Eric Bischoff recently discussed Dusty Rhodes’ commentary work on an episode of the 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff and Conrad Thompson were discussing the Great American Bash from 1996 during the episode.
“I laughed my ass off during this show listening to (Dusty’s) commentary,” Bischoff said. “He was so entertaining but he was entertaining in a way that added to the quality of what was going on.”
“To hear Dusty Rhodes in his commentary, it made me miss Dusty even more,” Bischoff continued. “I said to myself that old saying ‘you don’t know what you have until it’s gone.’ Dusty Rhodes here in this PPV is the personification of that saying.”
Bischoff continued to praise Tony Schiavone and Mike Tenay as well.
“Nobody has been consistently as good as Tony Schiavone as long as he has that I can think of.”
Former WWE and WCW head writer Vince Russo recently discussed the #SpeakingOut movement and in particular the ‘Bra and Panties’ matches that he frequently gets marked with creating.
“I noticed Alexa Bliss made a comment about Bra and Panty matches, something to the effect of, she ‘respects the women but she wouldn’t do those matches’ or something like that, Russo began on The Brand.
Vince Russo on Gail Kim
“Gail Kim had a comment about how that was traumatic for her and that she had to do a bra and panties match; and she never felt like she could say no. First of all, I love Gail Kim. And, you know, the I’ve talked about this a lot, the mentality of talent thinking that they can’t say no? I just want to say bro, when I was writing? Anybody could have said no, and people did say no.”
Vince Russo would then go on to describe situations where talent did come to him with concerns. “I can remember specific angles that some people were uncomfortable with, and when they expressed that to me? We would ixnay those angles. There’s this mentality in wrestling, and you know bro? Maybe this holds true with Vince McMahon and other people? But there’s this mentality in wrestling if you don’t do what they say, you know, then it’s gonna be held against you.”
Not on His Dime…
The former WWE writer would continue, saying “your career is over and maybe that’s so. But that never happened on my dime. So you know, something very interesting happened. I said to myself ‘okay bro. Now, is this how they’re going to speak out on Vince Russo?’ [using the Bra and Panties match as a weapon against him] But they have to look at the facts.”
Russo would go on to say that he never booked a Bra and Panties match himself, that the ‘Tuxedo Match’ concept was what he copied for certain WCW angles. Therefore the matches he put together were never ‘sexual’ in nature. Vince Russo would make it abundantly clear that he never asked anyone to take part in an angle they were uncomfortable with.
WWE Hall of Famer and co-host of SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio Bully Ray recently discussed the NXT Great American Bash show on USA Network. One of the standout bouts on the card was between Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan, which Bully Ray had huge praise for.
“I’m watching Timothy Thatcher and Oney Lorcan. I’m like, ‘man, this is really good'” Bully Ray began on the show. “This is what it was meant to be back in the day; a spirited contest, a fight, aggression, everything looks tight and snug and everything means something.”
Bully Ray on Lorcan vs Thatcher
Bully Ray continued, saying “they blew me away with something that they did last night that nobody else does. They made something so small and normally thrown away in wrestling matches, and they made it mean something. It was something so small that normally we take for granted in wrestling matches, and we don’t even care about anymore because they really don’t mean anything.”
Ray would then elaborate on the point, saying “it’s chops. When they were chopping each other? They weren’t chopping each other just to make a sound. Or even just for a crowd to go ‘woo,’ or for one guy to chop somebody, and then just wait five minutes to chop them again. It was like they would chop each other to open each other up to go for a move.”
Bully Ray would finish by praising the match even further, saying “they [Lorcan and Thatcher] used something so basic as a chop to make psychological sense of their offence. I love that.”
Did you enjoy the match? Let us know in the comments
WWE SummerSlam will not be taking place from Boston’s TD Garden arena as previously scheduled. The show will be held on Sunday, August 23rd from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL. Pwinsider reported the news Monday morning. WWE has yet to announce the change, but we have reached out to the company for comment.
WWE has been holding all live events from the Performance Center since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back in May, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh held a news conference stating that there would be no large-scale events, festivals or parades in the city until after Labor Day (Sept. 7).
I can announce that parades and festivals will not take place this summer in the City of Boston, up to and including Labor Day on September 7.
Sarah Logan and husband Raymond Rowe (aka Erik of the Viking Raiders) are expecting their first child. The couple announced that Sarah is pregnant on their YouTube channel “The Wild and Free TV.”
The couple released a video from 5 weeks ago where a pregnancy test came back as positive.
“I got fired from WWE and it felt like our lives got turned upside down. It felt scary and I didn’t know what I was going to do and this happened. This beautiful thing happened,” Sarah says in the video.
“Sarah and Raymond Rowe just received the absolute best news of their lives!! Sarah is PREGNANT!!!! Find out if she’s still lifting and hunting, and what this means for her MMA journey. Hear Raymond’s thoughts on being a father for the first time, and how that’s going to work with his WWE travel schedule . We can’t wait to take everyone through this amazing life experience,” a description of the video reads.
In late 2018, Sarah and Ray Rowe were married in a Viking ceremony. Several members of the WWE roster attended the ceremony and posted pictures from it.
