Join us as we run down The Good, The Bad and What The Heck?! moments from this week’s Monday Night Raw.
Plus, we’ll name the show’s MVE (Most Valuable Entertainer).
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Malakai Black released a pair of videos on his personal TikTok account disclosing some very telling information about his health.
The AEW star revealed in the post that he’s been battling a pretty severe back injury for quite some time, and that he was quite sure he was going to have to retire from the sport of pro-wrestling. Fortunately the former NXT champion finally hit a breakthrough while getting dry needling treatment.
“Till about 3 months ago I was dealing with a back injury I was convinced was going to force me into retirement, but after a literal year of treatment that went from working to complete failure on several occasions we all of a sudden hit the correct vertebrae during a dry needling session and everything released. From there we were able to rehab and strengthen.”
One of the videos shows Black’s intense reaction to the dry needling, but the second shows him deadlifting a pretty heavy weight amount in the gym, an indication that he is feeling much healthier than originally described.
“You can check video 2 for this horrendous view and my personal reaction to it. However, allowing me now a few months later to slowly move back into deadlifting and a few more compound moves.”
The House of Black have been one of the more dominant trios in AEW since they formed. Black has not missed any time since he debuted with the company back in July of 2021, but his in-ring time has been noticeably less than one would expect. However, this confession explains why. One of his faction mates, Buddy Matthews, is also dealing with his own injury that has kept him on the shelf. See Black’s post below.
WWE officially announced a new match during Monday’s episode of Raw for the upcoming Clash at the Castle event.
In the show’s opening segment, Bayley, Dakota Kai & IO SKY vs. Bianca Belair, Alexa Bliss & Asuka in a six-woman tag team match was confirmed.
Bayley, Sky, and Kai returned at SummerSlam following Belair successfully retaining the Raw Women’s Title against Becky Lynch. Last week on Raw, the heel faction took out Lynch to write her off television as she is injured. Belair vs. SKY ended in a no contest on this same show when Bayley tripped Belair as Sky distracted the referee. Sky tried a cover with her feet on the rope, but Bliss knocked her off. This led to a brawl.
On Monday’s Raw, the six stars had a confrontation that led to the match being set up, and another brawl broke out.
Here is the current card for WWE Clash at the Castle:
A match with two top stars is internally listed for this show that has yet to be announced.
WWE presents the Clash at the Castle event on Saturday, September 3, 2022 from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales that will air on Peacock. Here is the updated card:
CM Punk looks to be recovering well from his foot injury.
A fan recently snapped a picture of Punk in a Chicago airport, in which he’s seen walking on his own power without any sort of assistance. Punk was accompanied by Danhausen. Check out the photo below.
Punk was also spotted at C2E2, where he also did not need crutches or a walking boot. The All Elite Wrestling (AEW) World Champion is just two months removed from surgery, and seems to be recovering well.
AEW president Tony Khan recently noted that he’d like to have Punk back for All Out next month, however, he was unsure if that was realistic.
CM Punk won the AEW World Title at AEW Double Or Nothing earlier this year against Hangman Page. However, he later announced on the June 3 edition of AEW Rampage that he will need surgery to repair the injury, seeing him sidelined for several months.
In his absence, Jon Moxley has been crowned the interim AEW World Champion, which will set up a unification bout with Punk once he’s healthy enough to return. Of course, that’s if Moxley is able to retain the title until Punk finally is healthy enough to compete.
Johnny Gargano teases that he could be returning to professional wrestling soon.
Gargano recently took part in the Asylum Virtual signing, where he discussed several professional wrestling topics.
One such question was regarding Triple H taking over WWE creative, and former NXT talents returning to WWE as a result.
The former NXT star admitted he has been watching and keeping up with what’s going on in the professional wrestling world. He then concluded by saying he and his wife, Candice LeRae, will be showing up at someplace somewhere.
“I’ve seen. I’ve noticed. It’s exciting times all around. You never know what could happen. Keep watching, we’re [him and wife Candice LeRae] going to show up at some point, wherever that may be.
“We’re living in a crazy world where anything can go down. You never know what can happen on Mondays or Fridays anymore. We’ll be making some magic at some point in the future, I promise.”
Gargano was previously with WWE from 2015 to 2021. He became a key piece of the NXT brand throughout his entire run, not moving up to the main roster during that time.
His run resulted in an NXT Title win, three NXT North American Title wins, and an NXT Tag Team Title win. His contract with WWE expired this past December and he decided not to re-sign.
Currently, Gargano is a free agent and has not signed with any major professional wrestling promotion as of this writing.
However, due to his good relationship Triple H in WWE, and the fact that “The Game” is now head of creative, many expect Gargano to return soon.
Quotes via Fightful
WWE RAW aired lived this week from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The tournament for the vacant Women’s Tag Team Championship began tonight. Kevin Owens returned and The Miz battled AJ Styles in a No DQ match in the main event.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Bayley, Dakota Kai, and Iyo Sky kicked off the show and made their way to the ring. Bayley said “ding dong” and wondered why the fans weren’t happy to see her. She claimed that they are here to shake up the women’s division and poked fun at Becky Lynch. Bayley claimed that fans were tired of seeing Bianca Belair as the RAW Women’s Champion and that she is the only one who saw the potential in Kai and SKY.
Alexa Bliss and Asuka interrupted and were then followed by RAW Women’s Champion Bianca Belair. Alexa told Sky and Kai that they aren’t winning the women’s tag title tournament because they have to face them. Belair wanted a fight and Bayley agreed, before saying not tonight in Cleveland. Bayley, Kai, and SKY versus Belair, Bliss, and Asuka was then set for Clash at the Castle.
Tamina & Dana Brooke versus Dakota Kai & Iyo Sky in the tag team tournament for the vacant Women’s Tag Team Championships was announced for later tonight
Seth Rollins battled Angelo Dawkins in the first match of the night. Montez Ford was ringside for the match and provided a distraction early. Dawkins capitalized and launched Seth into the barricade as RAW went to a break.
When RAW returned, Rollins got under Montez’s skin and he tried to bring a chair into the ring. The referee stopped him and kicked Montez out from ringside. Seth laughed in the ring for a bit and allowed Dawkins to get up. Angelo Clotheslined Seth out of the ring and flipped onto him.
Back in the ring, Dawkins hit a slam and followed it up with a Corkscrew Splash in the corner. Angelo hit the Silencer and went for the cover but Rollins kicked out at two. Seth went for The Stomp but Dawkins countered into a Spinebuster for a near fall. Angelo avoided The Stomp again but Rollins caught him with The Pedigree for the pinfall victory.
After the match, Seth delivered The Stomp to Dawkins and retreated as Ford rushed the ring. Rollins cackled on the entrance ramp to end the segment.
Edge approached The Mysterios backstage and apologized to Dominik for accidentally hitting him with a Spear. Dominik didn’t accept the apology and shoved The Rated-R Superstar. Rey told Edge he will go talk to his son after the altercation. Edge added that he has Rey’s back if anything goes down with The Judgement Day during Rey’s match against Finn Balor later on RAW.
Kevin Patrick then interviewed The Miz and Ciampa backstage. Ciampa said he was going to devote his United States Championship win over Bobby Lashley tonight to Harley Race.
Kevin Owens returned to battle Ezekiel tonight on WWE RAW. KO went right after Ezekiel and slammed him into the ring post. Owens hit Ezekiel with a Pop-Up Powerbomb on the ring apron and then laughed as Ezekiel was stretchered out.
KO was later interviewed in a Dusty Rhodes shirt in the parking lot. Owens said tonight was a perfect opportunity to remind everyone that this is still the Kevin Owens show.
Finn Balor and Damian Priest came down to the ring. They cut a promo as the crowd relentlessly chanted “what?!”. Damian Priest then said Judgement Day will end Edge, not the other way around and challenged him to a match in two weeks on RAW. The red brand will be in Edge’s hometown of Toronto for the show. Rey had another conversation with Edge backstage. He offered to be ringside but Rey declined and said he knows Dominik will be out there tonight.
Balor sent Rey to the corner and unloaded some strikes to start off the action. Rey battled back and bounced Balor’s face off the turnbuckle a few times. Mysterio connected with a Senton off the top rope and then a Dropkick to the face for a two count. Rey connected with a Bulldog for a near fall and then set up for the 619. Damian Priest got in the way and Balor capitalized by sending Rey into the ring post as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Rey knocked Balor out of the ring and hit him with a Sunset Flip Powerbomb into the barricade. Damian tripped up Rey on the ring apron and Edge’s theme hit. Edge rushed the ring and attacked Damian. Edge and Damian battled through the crowd as Balor had a shocked look on his face in the ring.
Rey hit another Sunset Flip Powerbomb for a two count. Mysterio set up for the 619 but Finn countered with a Clothesline. Finn followed it up with a Dropkick and climbed to the top turnbuckle. Rey dodged the Coup de Grace and hit a Hurricanrana. Rey was about to hit the 619 when Rhea Ripley appeared on the entrance ramp carrying Dominik over her shoulder. Rey shoved Dominik down to the ramp and Balor capitalized with the 1916 on Mysterio. Balor followed it up with the Coup de Grace for the pinfall victory.
Dana Brook & Tamina battled IYO SKY & Dakota Kai to begin the tournament for the vacant Women’s Tag Team Championships. Bayley accompanied Kai & Sky to the ring. Dana slammed Dakota down to the mat to start off the action and went for the cover but Kai kicked out at two.
When RAW returned from a commercial break, Sky and Kai had Dana Brooke isolated in the corner of the ring. Dakota applied a headlock but Dana battled to her feet and broke the hold. Dana rolled Dakota up but she was able to kick out at the last moment.
Iyo and Tamina tagged in and Tamina slammed Sky to the canvas. Tamina followed it up with a Clothesline before knocking Dakota off the ring apron. Tamina hit Iyo with a flurry of elbow strikes in the corner before the two superstars traded punches in the middle of the ring. Tamina connected with a Samoan Drop and went for the cover but Kai broke it up at two. Dana Brooke dragged Dakota out of the ring and sent her into the barricade.
Dana went for a Splash but Bayley got Dakota out of the way. Tamina headbutted Iyo off the turnbuckle and to the mat before climbing to the top rope. She went for a Splash but Iyo got her knees up. Kai hit the running kick in the corner and Iyo followed it up with a Moonsault for the pinfall victory. Iyo and Dakota advanced to the 2nd round of the Women’s Tag Team Tournament.
Bobby Lashley defended the United States Championship against Ciampa tonight on RAW. The Miz accompanied Ciampa and was ringside for the match. Bobby controlled the action early and planted Ciampa with a Suplex. The champion beat the challenger down in the corner of the ring and unloaded some punches to the face.
Ciampa rolled out of the ring and regrouped with The Miz. Lashley followed Ciampa out of the ring and went to bash him into the ring post but The Miz got into the way. Bobby launched Ciampa onto The Miz and posed for the crowd as RAW went to a commercial break.
When RAW returned, Lashley hit another Suplex for a two count. Ciampa attempted to battle back but the champion caught him with a Spear. Lashley went for the cover but The Miz put Ciampa’s boot on the rope. AJ Styles showed up and attacked The Miz. Styles and The Miz battled through the crowd as the match continued. Ciampa went for a roll-up but Lashley kicked out. Ciampa took off the turnbuckle pad to expose the metal below but Bobby caught him with a slam.
Styles and The Miz then ran back into the ring and caused a distraction. Ciampa bashed Bobby’s face into the exposed turnbuckle and followed it up with a Dropkick but Lashley somehow kicked out at two. Ciampa went for the Fairy Tale Ending but Lashley escaped.
Bobby went for the Hurt Lock but Ciampa countered into a Crossface in the middle of the ring. Lashley escaped but Ciampa planted him with a DDT for another two count. Bobby then got Ciampa in the Hurt Lock for the submission victory and retained the United States Championship. Styles and The Miz continued to brawl backstage until they were separated. AJ Styles versus The Miz in a No Disqualification match was announced for the main event tonight.
Omos returned to WWE TV and battled enhancement talent in a Handicap match. Omos dominated and threw the jobbers around with ease. Omos hit a big Splash in the corner and then a big boot. He pounded his chest, yelled, and hit a Choke Bomb for the pinfall victory.
Dolph Ziggler squared off against Chad Gable tonight on RAW. The action started back and forth as Otis watched on from ringside. Gable planted Dolph with a Northern Lights Suplex and shooshed the crowd. Chad followed it up with an awesome-looking Dragon Screw for a two count.
Gable applied an Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring but Ziggler was able to escape. Dolph went for the Zig Zag but Gable countered into the Ankle Lock once again. Dolph escaped and went for a Superkick but Gable blocked it.
Chad hit a Powerbomb for a two count before applying the Ankle Lock for a third time. Dolph hit a Superkick and fell on top of Gable for the pinfall victory. Otis tried to attack after the match but Dolph got out of the ring in time.
AJ Styles battled The Miz in a No Disqualifications match. Before the match, Asuka and Alexa were interviewed backstage. Bayley, Kai, and Sky confronted them as something was going on in the parking lot behind them.
The action spilled out of the ring right away and Styles cleared off the announce table. Miz battled back and rolled into the ring. Styles grabbed a kendo stick, a steel chair, and a table from under the ring. The camera cut away just as Miz hit Styles with a Dropkick through the ropes. Miz rolled Styles into the ring and brought the chair and kendo stick with him.
The Miz bashed Styles across the back with the kendo stick and threw him to the outside. Miz launched Styles off of the announce table and over the barricade as RAW went to the final commercial break of the night.
When RAW returned, AJ was in control and set up a table outside the ring. The Miz hit Styles with the kendo stick over and over again as the crowd booed. Miz choked AJ with the kendo stick in the middle of the ring before AJ ripped it away. Styles hit Miz with a low blow with the kendo stick and followed it up with a Russin Leg Sweep.
AJ hit the Phenomenal Forearm and went for the cover but Ciampa pulled the referee out of the ring. Ciampa tried to Suplex AJ through the table but Styles held onto the ropes. Styles hit Ciampa with a forearm to the face and he crashed through the table. Styles set up for another Phenomenal Forearm but Miz launched a chair at him.
The Miz quickly hit the Skull Crushing Finale and went for the cover but AJ kicked out at two. The Miz grabbed the kendo stick and hit Styles several more times. AJ sent Miz into a steel chair in the corner and then planted him with the Skull Crushing Finale for the pinfall victory. In the background, Dexter Lumis appeared to be escorted out of the arena.
Samuel Shaw, formerly known as Dexter Lumis, might be returning to the WWE soon.
Fightful Select reported today that Lumis is among the talent internally discussed to be brought back to the company. Company higher-ups are said to be planning to reach out to Lumis himself last week.
Shaw made a name for himself in Impact Wrestling before signing with WWE, where he was used in NXT. He had a memorable run with Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. In the storyline, he married Hartwell. He was in a feud with Duke Hudson when WWE released him in April.
While on the free agent market, he has sparingly worked dates since then. Lumis did work the NWA World Heavyweight Title match at the Alwayz Ready pay-per-view event and a match at the TV tapings following that.
It was said WWE is staying aggressive and has a list of talent they hope to reach out to.
Fightful was the first to report that Killer Kross (Karrion Kross) had been discussed to make a return within WWE then hours after publishing that report, he made a shocking return in the closing moments of last Friday’s SmackDown.
Over the weekend NXT star Tatum Paxley suffered an injury at the promotion’s house show in Gainesville Florida, where she got busted open badly and potentially even broke her nose. The referee at ringside quickly called the match off. You can read the full original report here.
Paxley provided an update on Twitter last night letting the WWE Universe know that she will be okay. Her message reads, “Thank you everyone for reaching out and checking in! I’ll be ok! Accidents like these happen all the time in what we do. Plus getting blood everywhere is super heavy metal.”
Thank you everyone for reaching out and checking in!? I’ll be ok! Accidents like these happen all the time in what we do.
— Pax (@TatumPaxley) August 7, 2022
Plus getting blood everywhere is super heavy metal ???
Paxley made her debut for NXT on the February 18th episode of Level Up after signing with WWE back in 2021.
WWE had a bad weekend of scares as former SmackDown women’s champion Carmella sustained a head injury at the the company’s house show on Saturday night.
WWE has formally terminated John Laurinaitis’ employment.
According to Pwinsider.com, the termination took place a week or so ago. Beyond a small circle, it remained silent.
As previously reported, Vince McMahon allegedly paid a WWE paralegal $3 million to conceal an affair. According to an email from the Wall Street Journal, McMahon allegedly “handed her like a toy” to Laurinaitis.
The investigation expanded into other nondisclosure agreements involving allegations of wrongdoing against McMahon and Laurinaitis made by other former female WWE employees.
Laurinaitis first joined WWE in 2001 after the company acquired WCW, where he was moved into the role of Director of Talent Relations. However, Jim Ross still handled some of the responsibilities at the time.
He was appointed executive vice president of talent relations in 2009. In 2012, Triple H assumed that position, with Laurinaitis serving as the Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and reporting to Triple H.
Along with his wife Kathy and daughters-in-law Nikki and Brie Bella, he frequently appeared in authority roles both off- and on-camera in the E! series “Total Bellas.”
Since his resignation, Vince McMahon has not been spotted at the corporate headquarters.
Bobby Lashley has “unfinished business” with Brock Lesnar.
Lashley was recently interviewed on the “Out Of Character” podcast with Ryan Satin, and touched on the subject of Brock Lesnar. Specifically, Lashley spoke on finally getting his long-awaited match with “The Beast” at the 2022 Royal Rumble event.
That night, Lashley defeated Lesnar to win the WWE Championship. Of course, Lesnar would go on to win the Royal Rumble match later that night.
Lashley admits that even though he finally got the match he always wanted against Lesnar – it wasn’t what he thought it would be.
“It wasn’t the match I wanted because like, there’s a lot of things that were involved there, man,” Lashley said.” “It’s a bigger story than just a couple of weeks and a random pay-per-view, and it’s more than just that.
“I want to train for that match like I’m training for a fight … People want to see us fight, people want to see us wrestle … There still is a lot of unfinished business there.”
A month later, Lesnar recaptured the WWE Title at Elimination Chamber after Lashley went down with an injury. Lesnar went on to WrestleMania 38 to unify the World Titles with Roman Reigns in the main event, with Reigns coming out on top.
Lashley is currently on Monday Night RAW and is in the reigning United States Champion.
Quotes via Wrestling Inc.
We have some news to pass along regarding Karrion Kross and Scarlett returning to WWE.
PWInsider reports that, after Karrion Kross and Scarlett were released last year, they maintained regular communication with WWE. With that being said, the regime change worked out in their favor.
Also, Kross and Scarlett have been added to the WWE’s internal SmackDown roster. Kross is to be positioned as the number two heel on the program behind Roman Reigns. As for Scarlett, she’ll be managing Kross and isn’t expected to wrestle regularly.
Of course, that could always change down the road. It’s also believed that the pair will fulfill their remaining obligations on the independent circuit as much as possible. Kross and Scarlett made their returns on last week’s episode of SmackDown Live.
Kross attacked Drew McIntyre during a promo segment with Roman Reigns. His return, alongside Scarlett, closed out the show. Kross had initially signed with WWE in February of 2020.
During his run with the company, Kross was assigned to the NXT brand along with Scarlett, where he reigned as NXT Champion twice. They were later granted a release from their contracts in November of 2021.
Since, Kross has been competing on the independent circuit; as well as for various other promotions such as Major League Wrestling (MLW), New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), and others.
Now, it seems Kross has found himself a favorable position in WWE on the main roster.
Bobby Lashley is holding out hope to reunite The Hurt Business one day.
This faction was a dominant force on WWE Monday Night Raw during the COVID-19 pandemic that featured Lashley, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and Cedric Alexander. At one point, they held most of the gold on the red brand as Lashley was WWE Champion and Alexander & Benjamin were Raw Tag Team Champions.
They eventually split up, with Lashley and MVP becoming a solo act. Now, MVP is managing Omos.
While speaking to Ryan Satin on the Out of Character podcast, Lashley shared the scenario that he came up with that would see them come together as a babyface faction.
“You know what, I was thinking about what could happen to actually bring us together, and I thought about this the other day. I was like, if [MVP] made Omos too dangerous, where he couldn’t contain him anymore, and Omos turned on him, he would need somebody to help him. There’s only one person that can beat Omos. Then, I may need some help, and if I need some help, you have Cedric, you have Shelton, you have, we can take him down, and then we’re babyfaces again. They’ll love us. Anything can happen,” Bobby Lashley said (H/T to Fightful for the transcript).
Lashley will defend the WWE United States Championship against Ciampa on tonight’s Raw.
Last month, Vince McMahon announced his retirement from WWE after four decades of running the promotion he founded.
McMahon’s retirement came one month after he stepped down as CEO and Chairman, due to the ongoing investigation into him.
McMahon is alleged to have had inappropriate relationships with multiple women over the years in WWE, resulting in millions of dollars being paid out in Non-Disclosure Agreements
While McMahon is gone, there are still some who believe he is still running things behind the scenes.
After McMahon’s retirement, Vince Russo said fans were “clueless” for believing that the ex-CEO was really gone, and he’s not alone in that view.
According to Fightful, McMahon’s retirement is genuine and one higher up in the company said that it’d be obvious of the former Chairman was still pulling the strings.
“If Vince McMahon was still involved to any degree, neither Summerslam or WWE Raw would have resembled what they looked like. Dakota would not have been brought back, Raw would have been several Summerslam rematches.”
A WWE higher-up explains just how gone Vince McMahon really is.
Fightful was explicitly told that McMahon has no say in day-to-day or creative anymore, and there have been rumors of him having his access to information limited.
A number of people within WWE also confirmed to Fightful that normally, they’d have to wait on clearance from McMahon for something, but that has not been the case since he retired.
It is also reported that McMahon may have limited access to WWE facilities, but that has not been confirmed.
News broke last week that Sasha Banks and Naomi agreed to return to WWE months after walking out of the company due to creative differences.
During his appearance on Sunday Night’s Main Event, Dave Meltzer reported that the two sides reached an agreement to return a week ago, but nothing has yet to be signed. However, with it being an agreement in principle, it’s believed to be as good as done.
“Last week, which is the last I checked, the contract hadn’t been signed, but they were all expecting that it was happening, Meltzer stated. “They were all on the same page. I was basically told it’s as good as done, but they haven’t signed, so it could fall through. They may have already signed by now, but a week ago, [I was told] they’re back. It could be tomorrow, it could be in a couple of weeks. It’s whatever day they want. They are probably pacing things. You don’t want to show all your cards in week 1 (after Triple H taking over). You want to have something big to talk about weekly for the next couple of weeks. An agreement in principle was reached over a week ago.”
WWE announced last week that a tournament would be held to crown new Women’s Tag Team Champions on tonight’s episode of Raw. Many fans expect to see Banks and Naomi involved with the tournament in some way whether that’s them being part of the tournament or confronting the winners.
Banks and Naomi’s return comes after Triple H took over as head of creative and brought back several stars, including Dakota Kai, IYO SKY, Karrion Kross, and Scarlett.
H/T to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
Tickets for WWE WrestleMania 39 at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles go on sale this week, and WWE is still moving forward with their plans for a massive main event.
As has long been rumored, the working plan is Roman Reigns vs. The Rock. Of course, Dwayne Johnson is still one of the most in demand actors in Hollywood, and his schedule could change on a moments notice. Therefore, there’s no guarantee that the match will take place, but WWE is working with the assumption that they’ll be able to make it happen.
“It’s the plan. It’s 100% the plan for this year (WrestleMania 39),” Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestleTalk). “But the idea is, it’s the plan if he can do it. We’re still months away, months and months away. So many opportunities and things like that may come up.”
The Reigns vs. Rock match has been rumored now for a couple of years, with it seeming to be a logical destination given the two men’s family history and Reigns’ massive, unbeatable push. Taking on a returning legend like The Rock would draw enormous interest, and Rock is one of the few people out there who people could buy as a legitimate threat to Reigns at this point.
One of the interesting wrinkles in this story is how television will play out to get us there. Will the match involve the WWE’s current undisputed world championship, will the belts be split up before then, and how does Cody Rhodes play into the picture?
Prior to Rhodes’ pectoral injury that occurred just before the Hell In A Cell PLE, the working plan was for a Reigns vs. Rhodes match in the near future. The injury changed all of that, but many expect for Cody to return and immediately enter the title picture early next year (potentially following a Royal Rumble victory).
Is it possible that Cody could become champion, taking the belt (or belts) off of Reigns before his match with The Rock?
A Rock vs. Reigns match would not need a championship as it would already be the biggest bout on the card, with or without a title. In fact, involving the world championship might complicate things as virtually nobody would expect The Rock to become champion again given his Hollywood schedule. That would mean that a Reigns victory would be a foregone conclusion and potentially take away from the intrigue of the match.
However, if the match is not for a championship, a Rock victory would actually seem like a possibility to the live audience and potentially make the match more interesting.
There’s a lot of creative directions they could go with this. We discussed a few more of the possibilities recently on my podcast, Top Rope Nation, and you can check out that discussion at this link.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
Bobby Lashley comes from a generation where internet wasn’t an integral part of life like today. The former WWE champion naturally has trouble adjusting to the social media lifestyle. However, like many other celebrities, the All Mighty is also getting help from his children to adapt to these changes.
The heavyweight star recently appeared on Ryan Satin’s Out of Character podcast. Among other things, he also discussed how he has trouble finding things to post on social media. He was asked if he has an account on tick tok. Bobby Lashley mentioned that he has an Instagram account, but he doesn’t know what to post on it:
“I have a profile on tick tok, I just haven’t posted anything on there. It’s too much. I do Instagram but it’s like ‘What do I post on Instagram?’ I was like ‘I gotta do something up.’ My godson is my assistant now. He’s 23, so I am like ‘come on, help me out here.'”
Bobby Lashley later told a very cute story of how he got roped into making tick-toks by his daughter. He revealed that he avoided doing them before using his WWE character as an excuse:
“My daughter, she’s a little cutie. She goes ‘Daddy, since you’re a good guy now, you can do tick tok videos with me right?’ I was like, ‘Is that how it is?’ That was my excuse before I was like ‘nah, for my character you know I can’t be doing these little dances.’ But now it’s different. She’s like ‘ Ok, now you have to do it.'”
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It has been a little over two months since Drew Gulak worked a television match.
Though he’s been active on the house show circuit and worked some dark matches at television tapings, Gulak last performed on television during a tag team match on May 27th, teaming with Ricochet in a loss to Gunther and Ludwig Kaiser.
According to a report from Fightful, Gulak was supposed to work a tag team match against the Viking Raiders this past week on SmackDown. Instead, the Raiders worked a squash match against Jim Mulkey and Tommy Gibson.
After that match, Kofi Kingston attacked the Vikings Raiders and subsequently had a singles match with Erik. Kingston was victorious.
Gulak’s most recent singles matches on the house show circuit have been against Happy Corbin, who has been feuding with Pat McAfee on television. Corbin lost to Ricochet on this past week’s SmackDown.
Gulak was one of Gunther’s first television opponents when he was brought up to the main roster. Outside of that, Gulak’s television time has been less than remarkable since a memorable series of matches with Daniel Bryan a couple of years ago in an attempt to elevate the talented wrestler. It remains to be seen if Gulak is given another chance to shine under the new head of WWE creative team, Triple H.
Make sure to check out the Top Rope Nation wrestling podcast for your weekly dose of pro wrestling talk featuring interviews, analysis and exclusive news: Apple – Spotify – YouTube.
Liv Morgan retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam in a less-than-desirable way, and she has been dealing the fallout ever since.
The fans revolted on the champion during this past week’s edition of SmackDown, with the live crowd audibly boo’ing her for the first time and chanting “you tapped out.” This was not that shocking considering the way the finish at SummerSlam played out.
Morgan very clearly tapped out to Ronda Rousey before Rousey was counted down for the pinfall with her shoulders on the mat. Even so, Morgan retained and the fans were less than pleased with how it happened, understandably so.
Another part of the fallout has been selling an injury to her arm. However, in case anyone was wondering about this, it’s all selling and nothing else.
Morgan was wearing an arm brace on SmackDown, but Fightful reports that it’s all a work. Further, they reported that the arm brace was brought in by the company’s prop department.
So despite having suffered a visible (though not actual) loss to Ronda Rousey at SummerSlam, Morgan will continue on as the SmackDown Women’s Champion for the time being.
A gauntlet match was held Friday night during SmackDown to determine the next challenger; Shayna Baszler emerged victorious despite an impressive performance from Raquel Rodriguez.
Morgan will defend the championship against Bayzler at WWE Clash at the Castle in the United Kingdom during Labor Day weekend.
Even so, the eventual rematch against Rousey looms. During her aforementioned promo on SmackDown, Morgan claimed that she tapped out at SummerSlam because she saw the referee count three on Rousey. In fact, the footage clearly showed otherwise.
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Tony Khan and AEW have been on a hiring spree in the last year or so. They have brought in people like CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Claudio Castagnoli.
However, these big signings have also led to some other names being overlooked, who fans believed would be presented properly after joining the company.
AEW star Miro suggested that he wasn’t happy with his position within the promotion just yesterday. Now Andrade has joined this list.
The former NXT champion recently liked a tweet from a fan calling out Tony Khan for signing ex-WWE stars just to have them doing nothing in the promotion:
Just like Miro, Andrade also joined All Elite Wrestling not long after leaving WWE in June last year. The former US champion was frustrated with the lack of exposure in the Vince McMahon-owned promotion.
However, the former La Sombra hasn’t found himself in a much better position after jumping ships. He hasn’t been put in any significant feuds and has had no title runs in his first year in AEW.
He has also been caught in the rivalry between AAA and CMLL, which led to a big Forbidden Door match between him and Will Ospreay getting nixed.
With Triple H taking over the control of WWE creative, the prospect of someone like Andrade being pushed in the rival promotion has increased significantly.
Though there is no word on if Andrade’s unhappiness in AEW has anything to do with the recent changes in WWE.
AEW fans have been waiting excitedly for the Fight Forever video game and new details about it are coming out every week.
It was revealed recently that the video game will feature a story mode and many different types of matches such as unsanctioned match and more.
Fightful Select provided some more details on the game, which which is due out some time before the end of the year. They revealed the story mode they have heard about is ‘much different’ than any other wrestling games fans have played.
While the report couldn’t elaborate on what’s unique about the AEW Fight Forever story mode, they did reiterate that it is ‘much different than any before it.’
The game’s cover was revealed recently featuring stars such as CM Punk and Jon Moxley. This cover was designed by THQ Nordic’s team and not the AEW graphic team.
As a result, people within the wrestling promotion didn’t know what the cover would look like beforehand. Even the featured stars weren’t aware that they were on the cover.
AEW showed three mini games from the upcoming title during a recent Twitch stream. The site revealed that there is also a fourth mini game, related to Orange Cassidy.
However, there are several names who joined AEW around the start of this year that won’t be included in the game.
Yuke’s has kicked the game production in the high gear the last several months. Though there is still not a set date for its release. The tentative release date for AEW Fight Forever is December 31.
Over Summerslam weekend, WWE hosted a series of try-outs in Nashville, Tennessee.
Several athletes, including NBA star Dwight Howard tried out, hoping to earn a contract with WWE.
Triple H conducted the Summerslam tryouts, in his first major role as the new Head of WWE Talent Relations.
In addition to ‘The Game’ Paul Heyman was present to observe those trying to earn a WWE contract, and was impressed by some of the names he saw.
Heyman spoke to “Bleacher Report” about the try-outs and sees big things in the future of some of the athletes (via Wrestling Inc.)
“There are plenty of people I saw today that are qualified. Are they going to main-event WrestleMania? There’s a few people I can see that happening with, but not everyone, and I’m very excited about working with them in the future. But not all of them.”
“There’s a few people I can see that happening with.”
Paul Heyman on some of the Summerslam try-out athletes possibly headlining WrestleMania.
Heyman added that while not everyone is destined to headline WWE’s biggest event of the year, but that’s not all the company is looking for.
“If you’re not going to main-event WrestleMania, are you a disruptor? Are you someone who’s going to change the industry? Are you someone who’s going to give us a vision that we don’t have? Someone who’s 20 better not look at this industry the same way I do.”
WWE reportedly signed 14 of the 50 athletes who tried out for the company over Summerslam weekend.
Next year, the XFL will kick off for the third time, after failed runs in both 2000 and 2020.
During the Attitude Era, poor ratings ultimately killed Vince McMahon’s vision for an alternative to the NFL.
The second iteration would stop halfway through the first season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Now, The Rock and Dany Garcia are attempting to make the league successful with a name from WWE on board.
It’s been confirmed that WWE Strength and Conditioning Coach Sean Hayes is leaving the wrestling promotion and joining the XFL.
In a post on Instagram, NXT 2.0 Superstar Xyon Quinn broke the news while praising Hayes for his work.
“The OG of @wwenxt ? Best wishes on your next adventure with @xfl brother, they’ve gained a beast of a trainer and an absolute legend of a bloke.???? @fla_hayes #youareNXT.”
Prior to coming to WWE in May 2016, Hayes was a Harvard Crimson linebacker was a member of the Houston Texans’ coaching staff.
The Rock and Garcia purchased the XFL in August 2020, mere weeks after the second iteration of the league was terminated early due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eight teams have been confirmed for the first season of the new league, representing Arlington, Texas, Houston, Texas, Las Vegas Nevada, Orlando, Florida, St. Louis, Missouri, San Antonio, Texas, Seattle, Washington, and Washington D.C.
The league has a current deal with ESPN to broadcast games through 2027.
The 2023 season will kick off on Saturday, February 18.
Former TNT champion Sammy Guevara and Tay Conti have finally tied the knot and officially became husband and wife.
The AEW stars made their relationship public in January this year. Guevara then proposed to his girlfriend at the Eiffel Tower in Paris back in June.
Sammy and Tay had chosen August 8 as the date for their marriage. Unlike some other public figures, they had been pretty open about their decision and sharing updates about their wedding all week long.
The AEW couple finally got married on Sunday. Many wrestling personalities were invited to the wedding, and current WWE star Nikki A.S.H. was one of the bridesmaids.
Photos from their wedding ceremony started surfacing online not long after as guests started sharing pictures of the newlywed couple.
Amanda Huber went to the wedding with both her sons. She shared a photo of the couple afterward and posted a message for them:
“We are not perfect. We’ll learn from our mistakes. And as long as it takes, I will prove my love to you. What a great night. My friends are amazing. We love you Mr & Mrs @sammyguevara @TayConti_”
Other people who shared photos from the ceremony included NXT star Valentina Feroz, toymaker Jeremy Padawer and more. You can check out photos from Sammy and Tay’s wedding ceremony below:
In the Summer of 2000, one of WWE’s biggest storylines revolved around a love triangle between Stephanie McMahon, Triple H, and Kurt Angle.
While Angle declared that he and Stephanie were just ‘good friends’ the storyline took a turn during the August 24, 2000, SmackDown.
After helping an injured Stephanie to the back, Angle kissed her while Stephanie’s husband Triple H was being beaten down in the ring.
While speaking on his podcast, Angle talked about how it felt to kiss Stephanie McMahon in front of her father.
“It was weird. It was very uncomfortable. Vince, not only was he directing, he was literally two feet away from us. The camera was right here, Stephanie and I are here, and Vince is right behind the camera looking at us. I’m not saying he felt like he looked like he was aroused, but he had this look like, I want to see this.
I’m not saying he [Vince McMahon] felt like he looked like he was aroused, but he had this look like, ‘I want to see this.'”
Kurt Angle on his awkward kiss with Stephanie McMahon
“So I kissed Stephanie, and I do it like this because I’m nervous as hell. I look like a duck, fish lips. Stephanie afterward said, ‘You kiss like a fish.’ I said, ‘What the hell do you want me to do? Do you want me to slip you the tongue while your dad’s watching? Plus you’re married to Triple H.”
Triple H would later get a win over Angle at the Unforgiven Pay Per View, and the storyline would be ended, reportedly as ‘The Game’ felt it was unrealistic that Stephanie would choose Kurt over him.
The new WWE regime under Triple H and Stephanie McMahon has already started making big changes to the programming.
In the past few weeks, things such as the return of Karrion Kross and Scarlett has excited fans. Reports suggest that more comebacks are expected in the coming future, but this might not be all.
Mike Johnson of PWinsider was recently asked if there has been any talk of re-casting an existing talent among all the big returns.
Replying to it, the wrestling journalist revealed that former Retribution member T-Bar is a name that has been ‘bouncing around’ in recent weeks.
The report claimed that the former NXT star’s name has been mentioned ‘most prominently’ for a character change recently. Though it’s unknown if he will return to his NXT character to get a new gimmick entirely.
The former Dominik Dijakovic had a successful career in NXT. His matches with Keith Lee were praised by fans and Triple H saw him as a star.
However, Vince McMahon decided to repackage him upon his main roster call-up. He was put under a mask and renamed to T-Bar as part of the Retribution faction in September 2020.
What do you think about T-Bar potentially being repackaged in near future? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
