WWE legend John Cena has confirmed that he will be retiring in 2025.
The 16-time World champion made a surprise appearance at Saturday’s Money in the Bank premium live event from Toronto to announce his retirement tour.
While he did not specify when his final match will take place, he confirmed that next year will be his last time competing at the Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania. He also said he’ll be there when WWE Raw officially moves to Netflix in January 2025, so we can expect Cena to be quite active during the final run of his career.
Who could John Cena face in his final match?
Randy Orton, for example, would be the perfect final opponent for Cena, as both men were the top names of the company back in the mid to late 2000s and had arguably one of the biggest feuds of the “PG” era.
A younger(ish) name like LA Knight would also make sense, as putting over a newer talent on his way out could certainly help someone’s career (although don’t ask Austin Theory if his win over Cena helped his career trajectory…).
Cena also confirmed during his promo segment at MITB that he would be opening the MITB Post-Show Press Conference and answering “any and all questions” about his impending retirement.
WWE Superstar Bron Breakker got brand new entrance music ahead of his IC Title match against Sami Zayn at Money in the Bank.
Def Rebel, the team behind the majority of WWE Superstar entrance music over the past few years, has taken a lot of flak for their work on certain themes, but this new one for Breakker appears to have been a hit with fans.
WWE News: Bron Breakker’s new theme
The overwhelming feeling on X/Twitter appeared to be that this new entrance song for the former NXT Champion is a “rare W” for Def Rebel.
Hopefully the company decides to stick with his new presentation for Breakker and he can continue to get over on the main roster.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight at Money in the Bank:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
After a back and forth match that showcased the strength of Breakker and the willpower of the IC Champ, Sami would retain the title after hitting a Helluva Kick in the corner and keeping Bron on the mat for the three count.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
The documentary had several memorable moments and reveals throughout the one-hour special. However, one standout moment was when Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson explained how the company initially built towards himself and Reigns.
In the documentary, Johnson explained how WWE was silently building towards the feud for several years and that it was the plan for WrestleMania 40. The original matchup changed when some of the WWE fanbase voiced their displeasure because they wanted Rhodes to ‘Finish His Story’ against Reigns at the event. ‘The Rock’ reveals that he went to WWE President Nick Khan and Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque(AKA Triple H) to give the fans what they wanted.
This reveal has caused some WWE fans to be skeptical of Johnson’s re-telling of the events of what happened. Nonetheless, the wrestling community has enjoyed the Hollywood superstar’s appearance in the documentary and has turned him into a meme.
Here are some of the fans’ reaction to ‘The Rock’:
“So we’re at Hogan’s house for a 4th of July bbq and my dad slams Brutus Beefcake into the pool and I yelled ‘now that’s a summer slam!’ and Vince and I locked eyes and smiled…needless to say the rest is history.” pic.twitter.com/Tc5Ya9cLEN
“And then I said just let Brock suplex Cena for 20 straight mins.. you know take him to town as they say. Maybe even start calling it a city” pic.twitter.com/mHzip0cZvd
Although fans enjoyed Johnson’s return to WWE, he revealed after confronting Rhodes on the April 8 episode of Monday Night Raw that he would be off TV for a while.
He is filming the upcoming sports biography The Smashing Machine, which is expected to hit theaters next year. ‘The Rock’ will star as Mark Kerr, who is a former UFC fighter who rose to fame but dealt with issues in his personal life that derailed his career, including an opioid addiction.
The Hollywood superstar also has other movies he is set to star in that makes his return to WWE unclear. That said, the end of the WrestleMania 40 documentary teased that Johnson isn’t done wrestling and that he will be coming back to take on Rhodes. The dream matchup could be what WWE has planned for WrestleMania 41 next year.
Regardless, ‘The Rock’ is still entertaining his fans by becoming the latest meme for the wrestling community.
WWE Money In The Bank is upon us. In addition to an action-packed card, it was revealed that WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus will be the special host for the event. This has made fans wonder if there may be more at play when she appears tonight.
One of the featured Money In The Bank matches will have Zoey Starks, Chelsea Green, Naomi, Tiffany Stratton, Lyra Valkyria, and Iyo Sky competing for the briefcase. After the reveal that Stratus will host the event, fans believe she could get involved in the matchup.
Before her hiatus, Starks attacked the WWE Hall of Famer after Stratus lost to Becky Lynch in a Steel Cage match at Payback on September 2, 2023. It’s worth noting that the former WWE Women’s Champion slapped her former protégé first, which led to Starks landing her Z-360 move on Stratus. Since then, Starks has succeeded without the Canadian superstar’s leadership and will attempt to become the new Women’s Money In The Bank winner. However, fans believe that Stratus hasn’t forgotten and may interfere to ensure Starks doesn’t win.
The chatter from fans on social media seems to have reached Starks, as she sends a reminder to Stratus ahead of the upcoming premium live event. The former WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion shared a gif of her landing her Z-360 on the Canadian superstar on X.
Starks made a disparaging remark about Canada on X yesterday to feed into her ‘Heel’ character. It’s possible that the WWE superstar could find herself in a position to win the Women’s Money In The Bank match, leading to Stratus getting her revenge. The WWE Hall of Famer has been open to a return to the ring, and it would make sense for her to go after her former protégé.
For now, fans must watch tonight’s PLE to see if Starks post towards Stratus and Canada will backfire on her.
Seth Rollins spoke about his wife Becky Lynch during a sit-down interview with Michael Cole that aired during Saturday’s WWE Money in the Bank kickoff show.
Lynch is taking time off from WWE after her contract recently expired. She’s a free agent for the first time in many years. Wrestling fans around the world want to know if she’ll ever return to wrestling, or if we’ve seen The Man ride off into the sunset for the last time.
WWE’s senior broadcaster asked, “Becky obviously leaving WWE after losing the championship, she’s at home with your daughter, how’s she doing, how is The Man?” Rollins respectfully wouldn’t speak for his wife, but did provide a positive update on her and their daughter.
“The Man’s great. She’s great,” Rollins said of his wife. “I can’t speak to her future or what she’s got moving forward, but she’s great, she’s in good spirits. The little one’s awesome as well. She’s a menace, she runs the ship.”
Becky Lynch is currently a free agent for the first time in over a decade, when she initially signed with WWE in 2013. She has not publicly addressed her future in wrestling.
Lynch had an eventful year in WWE, participating in major events like the Royal Rumble and winning the Elimination Chamber match, which led to a WrestleMania XL title match against Rhea Ripley. Although she lost that match, she later won the vacant Women’s World Championship in April, only to lose it 33 days later at King and Queen of the Ring. Her WWE contract reportedly expired on June 1.
You can watch Seth Rollins comments about Becky Lynch’s future here:
Seth Rollins speaks on how Becky Lynch is doing after leaving WWE:
“I can’t speak to her future or what she’s got moving forward, but she’s great. She’s in good spirits”
WWE Money in the Bank takes place tonight, and it is looking like there could be some pretty big surprises in store.
WrestleVotes, an account on X/Twitter that has been notable for some time in terms of supplying solid backstage info, has commented on Triple H’s recent remarks about there being “surprises in the tank” for MITB tonight.
“Since the whole ‘surprises in the tank’ thing, my guys have gone dark. I guess we’ll see what that means tonight…#MITB” the account noted.
Whilst we don’t have any extra info regarding what these surprises could actually be, there are hopefully going to be some huge moments on the show from Scotiabank Arena tonight.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
WWE Money in the Bank is set to take place tonight from Scotiabank Arena, and the opening match appears to have been leaked.
According to a new report from PWInsider, the Men’s Money in the Bank match is set to open proceedings on tonight’s PLE.
Andrade, Chad Gable, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Drew McIntyre and Jey Uso will all be competing for the coveted briefcase tonight.
With the match taking place in the opening stretches, it is clearly teasing that the case might be cashed in against either the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion at some point this evening.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
WWE Money in the Bank 2024 is set to take place tonight from the Scotiabank Arena, and the main event appears to have been leaked.
According to a new report from PWInsider, the trios match between Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens and The Bloodline will be ending the evening.
Whether or not there will be a major storyline reason for the match taking place last remains to be seen, but there is always a chance that a big return could be on the horizon or a MITB cash-in could occur on Cody.
Hopefully we’ll get a banger main event between the six men tonight to top off a pretty strong card on paper!
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
WWE Money in the Bank is set to take place tonight, and a number of fans have convinced themselves that a legend is making a return.
Although it has not been reported pretty much anywhere reputable in the past week or so, many, MANY fans online believe that AJ Lee will be returning to the company tonight.
AJ Lee rumors running rampant
One of the primary reasons that people believe that she will be returning is to cost Drew McIntyre the chance to become Mr MITB, to further the feud between the Scottish Warrior and her husband CM Punk.
Again, there have been ZERO reports of her making a return ANYWHERE, but the rumor mill continues to roll on and people are getting themselves into frenzy (as always).
Here’s a smattering of the chatter on X/Twitter right now:
— ???? ??????? ???? ???: 79 (@moxdust) July 2, 2024
We aren’t saying that it won’t happen, but something of this magnitude being withheld from every outlet would be another impressive move from the Triple H regime in 2024.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day).
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
TNA referee Daniel Spencer has suggested a hilarious WWE Money in the Bank moment that we sadly won’t be seeing materialize.
Taking to X/Twitter, Spencer suggested that R-Truth should win the MITB briefcase and then try to cash in during a TNA show:
“Missed Opportunity for @RonKillings to be in #MITB match, win it and then show up at @ThisIsTNA to cash it in ??.”
R-Truth/Ron Killings in TNA
Ron Killings/R-Truth was previously in TNA in the mid-2000s following his run in the-then WWF as K-Kwik, and with his current gimmick of getting confused…pretty easily…and NXT’s current crossover with TNA, it certainly could’ve been a funny moment.
It’s unlikely we’ll see something like that happen, but it’s not that bad of an idea!
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this tonight, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
WWE Money in the Bank is set to take place tonight from Canada, and Chelsea Green has teased what her gear will be for her match.
Green will be joining the field of Women’s MITB match competitors, alongside IYO SKY, Lyra Valkyria, Tiffany Stratton, Naomi and Zoey Stark.
Chelsea Green WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Gear Tease
WWE released a video today via X/Twitter showing Green teasing that she will be “channeling” the Canadian-great Hall of Famer Trish Stratus, which you can check out below:
Here are all of the matches that are set to be taking place tonight:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this Saturday night, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
More recently, WWE has filed for the terms The Match Beyond and New Blood Rising. The descriptions for these filings are as follows:
“Entertainment services, namely, an ongoing show about professional wrestling; entertainment services, namely, the production and exhibition of professional wrestling events rendered live and through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing wrestling news and information through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing information in the fields of sports and entertainment through broadcast media including television and distributed via various platforms across multiple forms of transmission media; providing a website in the field of sports entertainment information; organizing social entertainment events for entertainment purposes for wrestling fans; providing online newsletters in the fields of sports entertainment; online journals, namely, blogs, in the field of sports entertainment.”
The Match Beyond term dates back to the 1980s and was used to describe the inaugural WarGames match at Great American Bash ’87. More specifically, the term us used to signify the moment in which all participants have entered and therefore, when pinfall and submissions can be counted.
New Blood Rising was a WCW pay-per-view that took place in August 2000 and replaced Road Wild in the company’s calendar. All matches for the show were under No Disqualification rules, though this was never announced before or during the show. The main event saw WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T retain against Jeff Jarrett.
WWE And WCW Terminology
WWE has already used several WCW terms for its programming, including the Night Of Champions pay-per-view coming from the final episode of WCW Monday Nitro. WWE has also used Starrcade in the past with that term coming from WCW’s biggest annual event. To this day, WWE NXT hosts an annual Halloween Havoc show which like the WCW show of the same name, takes place in October and has a spooky theme.
WWE Money in the Bank 2024 takes place tonight from the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. WWE has lined up a strong card for this premium live event. (How to Watch)
Seth Rollins returns to action to challenge for the World Heavyweight championship. WWE Champion Cody Rhodes has aligned with Randy Orton and Kevin Owens in the next chapter of his battle against The Bloodline. Of course, there’s the Men’s and Women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches and it’s all hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus.
Visit our Money in the Bank section to learn more about the match itself, the history of the PLE and more.
What are the WWE Money in the Bank 2024 Matches?
Here’s the final match card for Money in the Bank:
The Bloodline vs. Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton & Kevin Owens
World Heavyweight Championship Match: Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins (the stipulation is if Priest wins, Rollins can’t get another title shot, but if Rollins wins, Priest must leave Judgment Day.
Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Iyo Sky vs. Chelsea Green vs. Lyra Valkyria vs. Tiffany Stratton vs. Naomi vs. Zoey Stark
Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Jey Uso vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Andrade vs. Chad Gable vs. LA Knight vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker
We’ll be covering all of the action live from Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada this Saturday night, so make sure that you keep checking back to SEScoops for more.
WWE Preview Videos
The WWE YouTube channel has uploaded several videos setting up the top matches scheduled for Money in the Bank 2024. If you want to catch up on the storylines and events leading up to the event, these are for you:
Damian Priest vs. Seth Rollins: Road to MITB Playlist
Road to Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Road to Women’s WWE Money in the Bank Ladder Match
Drew McIntyre is immensely confident that he will win the Money in the Bank briefcase but doesn’t plan on holding the coveted opportunity for very long.
McIntyre will be one of six men to compete in tonight’s Money in the Bank ladder match, alongside Andrade, Carmelo Hayes, LA Knight, Chad Gable, and Jey Uso. Speaking at the Money in the Bank kick-off show in Toronto, Ontario, McIntyre made his intentions as Mr. Money in the Bank crystal clear.
“When I win, I’m cashing in [at Money in the Bank.] I’m going to leave as world champion, and you’re all going to know what I already know, that Drew McIntyre is the best there is, soon to be the best there was, when it’s all said and done, I will be the best there ever will be.”
Drew McIntyre.
Drew McIntyre And Money In The Bank
Though one of WWE’s most successful stars in recent memory, McIntyre has one of the worst records when it comes to the Money in the Bank contract. McIntyre made his debut in the match in 2010 and has competed six times so far but is yet to win the match. The Scottish Warrior has the second-worst record in the Money in the Bank ladder match and is only slightly ahead of the 0-7 streak of Kofi Kingston.
McIntyre has one of the worst records in the match and is also joint-second for being cashed in on. McIntyre first fell victim to the briefcase in 2021 when The Miz ended Drew’s second reign as WWE Champion. McIntyre’s long-awaited World title win in front of fans at WrestleMania was ended when Damian Priest cashed in at WrestleMania 40.
All Elite Wrestling will need to find a new talent to be the promotion’s goodwill ambassador in the place of Cody Rhodes, according to All-Elite alum Kevin Kelly.
Rhodes, alongside wife Brandi, parted ways with AEW in February 2022 and the American Nightmare would return to WWE shortly after. Since then, Rhodes has become one of WWE’s top stars and is currently in his first run as Undisputed WWE Champion.
While Rhodes has achieved plenty in WWE, AEW without him has seen its share of issues. Injuries and backstage drama has taken a considerable amount of shine off Tony Khan’s promotion in the eyes of many fans. Taking to Twitter, Kelly suggested that AEW has yet to find someone who’ll represent AEW on all levels in the way Rhodes did for years.
The one spot @AEW has yet to fill is the one @CodyRhodes held down. He wasn’t just the top guy but he was the face of the company. THE Goodwill Ambassador. Ticket issue? Special request? Cody took care of it. Talent comes and goes but replacing Cody means so much more.
Kelly knows a thing or two about impactful exits from AEW, though his departure was nowhere close to as amicable as the Rhodes family. Kelly made a series of disparaging remarks on social media earlier this year including accusing fellow AEW broadcaster Ian Riccaboni of libel. After not appearing at an AEW taping, Kelly was let go by the company in
When it comes to selecting a representative of your wrestling promotion, one would struggle to find a better candidate than Cody Rhodes. Articles highlighting Rhodes’ connection with fans are a regular occurrence online, demonstrating his commitment to his role as a leading name in WWE. Earlier this year, Rhodes got up close and personal with a visually impaired fan at a WWE event who held a sign saying they were trying to see him. This heartwarming interaction came about mere weeks after Rhodes agreed to be the Best Man at a fan’s wedding.
House of Glory Wrestling is coming to Chicago this September for what will be the promotion’s first-ever event in the Windy City.
On Twitter, the official House of Glory Wrestling account announced that their debut event in Chicago will take place on September 5, from the Logan Square Auditorium. Tickets for the show will go on sale on Friday, July 12, at 10 AM local time.
? BREAKING ?
CHICAGO HERE WE COME ??
HOG is going Big Time as we make our Chicago debut, Thursday, September 5th in the Logan Square Auditorium!!!
— House Of Glory Wrestling (@HOGwrestling) July 5, 2024
This will be the latest event to be held at the historic Logan Square Auditorium on North Kedzie Blvd. Freelance Wrestling, which operates in and around the Illinois area, has hosted several events in the venue. In November 2018, All American Wrestling, which operates out of Berwyn, Illinois, hosted its Unstoppable event from the venue.
At this time, no names have been announced for House of Glory Wrestling’s debut event in the Windy City. With that said, fans can expect top champions including HOG World Champion Mike Santana, Cruiserweight Champion Gringo Loco, and the longest-reigning HOG Women’s Champion Violette.
A match featuring Minoru Suzuki ended abruptly this week after a serious accident resulted in the veteran being raced to a nearby emergency hospital.
Suzuki was competing in the main event of a show for the Tenryu Project when the accident occurred. The match as quickly called off by the referee and he was taken to an emergency hospital. There, Suzuki was found to have no bleeding in his head and was diagnosed with a concussion.
Details are currently scarce on Suzuki’s present condition, though it’s expected he will not return to the ring until he is medically cleared to do so. That could disrupt plans in All Elite Wrestling as Suzuki was set to embark on a feud with FTW Champion Chris Jericho. On the June 26, episode of AEW Dynamite, Suzuki rejected Jericho’s offer to be his partner for a trios match at Forbidden Door and laid out the challenge for the FTW title. Jericho instead teamed with Jeff Cobb and Big Bill at Forbidden Door in a losing effort to HOOK, Samoa Joe, and Katsuyori Shibata.
Michaels shares insight on dealing with serious storylines in NXT.
WWE NXT is taking a chance to cover more serious storylines than they have in years past. The brand has generally featured issues amongst superstars that dealt with betrayal or jealousy. However, in the last year, NXT has started to touch on complicated storylines dealing with addiction and depression.
One of the noticeable storylines that the development brand had going was Andre Chase suffering from a gambling addiction that almost cost him his Chase University. This was something that developed late last year and is still referenced currently on TV. It saw Chase being outed as having an addiction and having to deal with the ramifications of letting those around him down.
Although the storyline didn’t get too serious about dealing with gambling addiction, it was a change of pace from what NXT fans are used to seeing on TV. Shawn Michaels recently had a media call ahead of NXT Heatwave, and Metro’s Alistair McGeorge asked how the brand deals with more serious storylines. The Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative shared that WWE likes to explore serious topics but tries to be aware of how sensitive it could be for fans.
“…We do our best, as we’ve always done in this business and certainly in the WWE, to blur those lines between reality and what is 100% storyline and sports entertainment. I always want to be sensitive to that and don’t want to overstep. Sometimes, you miss the mark, and there’s something that people take from it that you certainly didn’t intend. Certainly, those things do happen,” said Michaels. He added, “…All I can do is give people as someone that has been through it(Depression) at a time when people were not sensitive to it in any way, shape or form you can trust that there is somebody that is very sensitive to it.”
‘HBK’ also acknowledged that he’ll back off a storyline and make adjustments if he feels the program is going too far.
Ongoing Storyline With Brook Jensen
NXT currently has an ongoing storyline with Brook Jensen, as he is seemingly dealing with depression and potential alcohol abuse. He has taken to social media to speak openly about not being booked for shows and feeling unnoticed, which had fans questioning if his issues were a storyline or how he feels. WWE fans were more confused when Jensen shared that he was a free agent and was appearing at independent wrestling events.
On the July 2 episode of NXT, Michaels put fans at ease by sharing that Jensen’s actions on social media and TV are part of his storyline. He explained that after splitting from his tag team partner, Josh Briggs, Jensen was given time off to clear his head after showing signs of having issues. He also revealed that the NXT superstar has been signed to the company and will be on the July 9 episode to speak with NXT General Manager Ava.
NXT’s new approach to handling serious storylines seems to be capturing the attention of fans. Hopefully, Michaels can maintain touching on tough topics and know when it may be time to assure fans that it’s more story than reality.
Kevin Sullivan has had a rough journey over the past several weeks and ‘The Taskmaster’ is getting a little help from fans and some major wrestling names.
Unfortunately, Sullivan was involved in a car accident back on May 12 while in Florida for an autograph signing. The aftermath was devastating but the hospital was able to save his leg and his life. However, Sullivan developed sepsis and encephalitis and in turn, has been hospitalized in ICU.
Sullivan has been in and out of conciousness, but ‘The Taskmaster’ keeps fighting on. His insurance plan has been nearly exhausted due to the ongoing expenses and his family has created a GoFundMe to help him and his family afford his recovery.
Not only did fans come out of the woodwork to help Kevin Sullivan, but a lot of big names in the pro wrestling world have too.
Jim Cornette and his wife Stacey donated $5,000 to the cause, Chris Jericho donated $2,500, Scott D’Amore donated $1,500, Cody Rhodes sent Sullivan $1,000 and so did Diamond Dallas Page. Norman Smiley also donated.
The original goal for the GoFundMe was $20,000, but with the help from his colleagues and wrestling fans, the donations are up to over $24,000.
The Sullivan family listed all that the money will go to in helping Kevin and it includes continued hospital expenses, skilled nursing care, acute and subacute occupational and physical therapy, recurring medical expenses and transportation.
Daniel Garcia is catching his stride as an AEW star, but will he be around for long?
Garcia is arguably one of the names to really flourish under the All Elite Wrestling banner as he’s been put in high-profile matches and embraced a unique side of his personality. He’s made a strong connection with the fanbase as an underdog babyface and that’s all been embraced as of recent.
Garcia has been the big fulcrum in a budding feud between Will Ospreay and MJF. This very much culminated at AEW Beach Break 3 as Garcia competed against Ospreay for the AEW International Championship. Garcia went toe-to-toe with ‘The Billy Goat’, but came up short after MJF got involved in the match, offering Garcia his Dynamite diamond ring. Garcia declined the ring and Ospreay in turn got the pinfall victory.
Post-fight, Ospreay consoled a sobbing Garcia and then MJF at first did the same, until he kicked him below the belt and had a massive heel turn. MJF brutally beat down Garcia and bloodied him to a pulp to close out the show, but certainly the story of Daniel Garcia will carry on.
What Is The Status Of Daniel Garcia’s AEW Contract?
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, the current AEW deal with Daniel Garcia is set to expire in October, but those who know him don’t expect the Buffalo boy to be leaving.
R-Truth and Triple H are two happy veterans after Friday night. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano defeated Grayson Waller and Austin Theory to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions on SmackDown. and a celebration was in order.
Truth had no sour grapes for DIY after recently losing his own Tag Team Championships to The Judgment Day as once he saw a photo of Triple H standing with the new champs. However, Triple H traded places with Ciampa, holding the title alongside Gargano, leaning into the running bit that R-Truth believes DIY are DX.
Like another famous faction in The Beatles, Ciampa and Gargano have had a long and winding road as both men have been trying to find their footing on the main roster after being top names in NXT. Both men had gotten hampered by major injuries and were also pigeon-holed by creative under the Vince McMahon regime.
Ciampa and Gargano actually competed against Awesome Truth in the tag team ladder match at WrestleMania 40 and leaning into the joke, Ciampa and Gargano had DX-themed gear.
Truth is no stranger to mistaken identity as its the very thing that perpetuated his Tag Title loss to The Judgment Day. He thought Liv Morgan was once his right-hand gal in Carmella and wanted true love to work out for her and Dominik Mysterio, thus giving The Judgment Day the opportunity.
AEW’s Jeff Jarrett will always appreciate the efforts of pop sensation Taylor Swift who helped his family out during a very dark time in their lives.
Before becoming one of the most successful names in music history, Swift would babysit the Jarrett children. Speaking to Live At 9:00, Jarrett spoke about how the Shake It Off star did plenty to support the family after Jeff’s first wife passed away.
“She is a friend of the family. [She was] very good to my family during a very, very dark period when my wife got sick and passed away. But Taylor was like a big sister and came over and took the girls, baking cookies and just out at the house. I can’t say enough good things about Taylor… Just a sweetheart.”
Jarrett added that since Swift was never on the “Jeff Jarrett payroll” she was never technically a babysitter. Double-J also joked that people may not be aware that she has done rather well for herself as Swift continues to be a leading name in music.
During the post-Fastlane press conference, WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY was asked about Swift in a question that divided fans. While many saw it as a harmless bit of fun, some took issue with this question and SKY was visibly confused as to why she was being asked about a non-wrestler.
While fans may never see Swift in a wrestling ring, we know to never say never in this industry. Until then, Swift will continue to be a global-recognized megastar in entertainment, with the recent Eras tour further cementing her success.
LA Knight had a difficult time delivering a eulogy to the late Bray Wyatt but was able to work off his experience working and remembering Paul Bearer.
Following the passing of Bray Wyatt in August 2023, Knight appeared on SmackDown and spoke openly about his respect for the three-time WWE World Champion. The choice of Knight to give this promo was no accident as the Megastar had been Wyatt’s final opponent.
This was not Knight’s first time delivering an emotional eulogy to a name associated in wrestling. Following the passing of Paul Bearer in 2013, Knight, who had been managed by the macabre manager outside WWE, gave a touching tribute to the Hall of Famer. Speaking to Adrian Hernandez this week, Knight acknowledged how his first tribute prepared him for the second.
“Yeah [it was very difficult] sure. I mean, I had to do something similar to that for Percy Pringle, William Moody, most people probably know him as Paul Bearer, about eleven years ago. So I’d kind of drawn on that in a certain way where it was like I needed to go out and talk about him while also keeping the business moving and not disrespecting at the same time.”
LA Knight on his Bray Wyatt tribute.
LA Knight on if paying tribute to Bray Wyatt on Smackdown was the most difficult thing he's done in his career + will he tag with @jalenbrunson1? pic.twitter.com/MjVKnL8Jqf
Knight, in his own words, had a ‘turning point’ moment with his feud with Bray Wyatt as this angle would see the Megastar rise to become one of WWE’s most popular Superstars. Many fans believe Knight will one day join Wyatt in the annals of WWE Champions and the veteran will never forget the impact that the late Superstar has had on his career.
