Roman Reigns is the top dog in WWE but what’s next for him is uncertain.
Reigns has taken the wrestling world by storm ever since his “Tribal Chief” character took off. He is without a doubt WWE’s biggest star but we’ve been seeing less of the “Head of the Table” lately.
The Undisputed WWE Universal Champion signed a new deal with WWE that will see him take fewer dates. He’s even missed a few SmackDown tapings as a result of the new terms.
What’s Next For Roman Reigns?
(via WWE)
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that WWE hasn’t made a final decision on who the next challenger will be for Roman Reigns.
The initial plan was to have Reigns face Riddle and Randy Orton this summer but those plans aren’t set in stone.
The report also notes that WWE still hasn’t decided on whether or not to use Roman for Money in the Bank on July 2, or save him for SummerSlam later that month.
During the video, WWE’s golden goose was asked who his favorite WWE superstar is. His answer was Theory, and Cena pointed toward his eyes and the camera as if to say he has the WWE United States Champion on his radar.
Cena was then asked which WWE superstar is in need of an Attitude Adjustment. Again, his answer was Theory and he made the same gesture.
Theory has been attempting to egg Cena on in recent weeks. He claims to be a far superior athlete than Cena and says he’s accomplished what Cena couldn’t, and that’s being the youngest U.S. champion in WWE.
WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley has revealed his one condition for a potential return to WWE TV.
Foley recently took to the first-ever episode of his podcast, “Foley Is Pod,” with Conrad Thompson to address a potential return to WWE TV. The ex-WWE Champion revealed that, currently, at the age of 56-years-old, he weighs over 300 pounds.
In regards to potentially returning to WWE TV, Foley said it would only feel right to lose a bit of weight first.
“I’m going to break some news here, I’m not going back on WWE television until I’m under 300 [pounds] because I feel like I’ve let Vince down,” Foley said.
“Even if he gets on the phone with me personally and says ‘Mick we’d like to have you back,’ cause I’ve said no on a couple of occasions.
” I did come back for Undertaker, but I’ve put on a ton of weight since then, too, because … I took my responsibility to keep my local eateries in business during the pandemic seriously!”
Foley’s last appearance on WWE TV came during The Undertaker’s WWE Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony this past April during WrestleMania 38 weekend. He hasn’t been a regular on WWE TV since 2016-2017.
That was during Foley’s run as the WWE RAW General Manager. However, he was written off television after being attacked by “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt.
Aside from his contributions to the business as an on-screen personality, Foley is also highly decorated inside the ring.
Foley is a three-time WWE Champion a former Hardcore Champion, and an eight-time WWE Tag Team Champion with partners such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kane, and more.
Mick Foley was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2013.
The NJPW star and current IWGP United States champion missed today’s BOSJ (Best of the Super Juniors) finals from Nippon Budokan due to his condition, where he was scheduled to face Tomoaki Honma. The promotion made an official announcement on their website, which revealed that Robinson would be replaced by Ryohei Oiwa.
“Juice Robinson, who was scheduled to face Tomoaki Honma in a singles match at tonight’s Best of the Super Jr. final in the Nippon Budokan, has been struck with appendicitis, and will be unable to appear as planned. We deeply apologise to fans looking forward to seeing Juice wrestle, and appreciate your understanding.”
The appendicitis diagnosis derails some heavy momentum made by Robinson, who earlier this year had told the pro-wrestling media that he was not planning to renew his NJPW contract, only to later join the company’s top faction, The Bullet Club.
At NJPW STRONG’s Captial Collision event in Washington D.C. Robinson won a fatal-four way bout featuring himself, Hiroshi Tanahashi, Will Ospreay, and top AEW talent Jon Moxley, to become IWGP U.S. champion for the third-time in his career, which ties a record for reigns.
As of now NJPW has not provided any timetable for Robinson, but appendicitis typically takes up to four weeks to recover from, not including surgery. We’ll keep you updated on his condition as more details emerge.
Jay White is reportedly done with IMPACT Wrestling.
PWInsider reports that White has finished up with the promotion. It’s said that, due to his busy schedule with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), there’s no way to use White consistently on IMPACT TV.
This is similar to the reason why Jonah departed from IMPACT as well. IMPACT would reportedly love to have White back when they can, however, he doesn’t have anything scheduled for them at the moment, and isn’t expected to any time soon.
White joins other names, such as W. Morrisey, aka the former Big Cass in WWE, to have recently left IMPACT. White was brought into IMPACT last July as part of the promotion’s working agreement with NJPW.
He confronted Kenny Omega, Don Callis, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson at Slammiversary. White then teamed up with Chris Bey and eventually recruited him into The Bullet Club.
White’s last IMPACT matchup took place on March 15 at the IMPACT TV tapings, where he worked a tag team match alongside Bey, against The Briscoes (Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe).
Now back in Japan, White actually worked today’s Best of the Super Juniors Finals. He and Doc Gallows, Gedo, and Taiji Ishimori were defeated by Kazuchika Okada, Toru Yano, Jado & Tama Tonga.
He’s currently slated to challenge IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada for the World Title at NJPW Dominion on June 12th.
A former WWE talent was offered a deal to stay with the promotion before he went to AEW and the salary has been revealed.
We’ve seen talent jump ship from WWE to AEW, whether it be due to a release or simply letting contracts expire. In the biggest example of an AEW talent moving to WWE, Cody Rhodes made his return to Vince McMahon’s empire at WrestleMania 38 back in April.
In this case, it was a WWE talent who felt he’d be better served in AEW.
WWE’s Offer To Stokely Hathaway
Stokley Hathaway was known as Malcolm Bivens in WWE. He performed under the NXT brand.
Back in late April, WWE released Hathaway from his contract. This was done as the company tried to sign him to a new deal but he turned it down.
We now know what the salary of that offer was.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Stokely Hathaway was offered a $250,000 deal to move up to the main roster.
Tony Khan is very different from any other promotor in the history of wrestling. There is no surprise in the fact that Jeff Hardy didn’t recognize him to be the owner of AEW when he first met him. This was before he decided to join the company.
The Hardy Boyz both recently appeared on an episode of Talk Is Jericho. They discussed things such as Jeff’s time in WWE, the manner of his release, and more.
Speaking of his AEW debut, Jericho asked the Charismatic Enigma about his first impression of Khan. Hardy said that it was an incredible experience:
It Was An Incredible Experience: Jeff Hardy
“I loved it from the first [meeting]. I actually met him at Ric Flair’s anniversary party like a long time ago. I had no idea who he was.” recalled Jeff Hardy, “But then when he said ‘Yeah, I own this company called AEW. [I was like] ‘Oh wow, it’s crazy.’
We had a great time and the first impression was an incredible experience. Just getting to know him and now actually working for him it’s just [incredible]. I mean it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.”
Apart from this, the duo also talked about things such as their reunion after Jeff Hardy’s WWE departure, dream matches, and more.
Much has been made about Cesaro’s time in free agency. Back in February, news broke that Cesaro quietly made his exit from WWE after the two sides failed to come to terms on a new deal.
Since that time, the “Swiss Superman” has teased making a return somewhere but he’s yet to show up. Back in May, Fightful reported that several independent promotions attempted to reach out to Cesaro but he never accepted any offers and in some cases, he didn’t respond at all.
With that said, Meltzer mentioned there is the belief that at his age and with the money he’s made, Cesaro could ultimately return to WWE.
While that isn’t a lock, the feeling is he’d be comfortable with the money even if the company isn’t likely to use him as a regular main eventer.
Dave also noted that the only talks he’s heard Cesaro having as of late are for an appearance during Starrcast. Those close to Cesaro reportedly say he is willing to listen to offers for projects outside of WWE.
There is some good news for fans of Johnny Gargano and Candice LeRae.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that both Gargano and LeRae are expected to return to the ring soon.
In the case of LeRae, it’s been said that many within AEW have been pushing the company to sign her. Where Gargano will end up remains a bit of mystery but one would imagine he won’t have any trouble finding work.
CM Punk doesn’t officially have his own stable but it definitely seems to be heading that way.
Punk, the reigning AEW World Champion, aligned himself with FTR, the ROH World Tag Team Champions, on the June 1 episode of Dynamite. They defeated Max Caster and The Gunn Club.
Before that episode of Dynamite went on the air, FTR celebrated with CM Punk after his world title win over Hangman Page once Double or Nothing went off the air on May 29.
CM Punk & FTR Have A Group Name?
CM Punk and FTR celebrate after AEW Double or Nothing 2022
Taking to his Twitter account, Punk seemingly named his supposed faction with FTR, “CMFTR.”
One day I road my schwin bike to some dirt hills I used to jump and ride when I was a kid. When I got there, there were two kids on their bmx bikes. They told me to leave. I didn’t. We scrapped. Black eyes. Bloody lips. Next day and the whole summer we rode bikes TOGETHER. CMFTR pic.twitter.com/fJT2zxYl0z
“One day I road my schwin bike to some dirt hills I used to jump and ride when I was a kid. When I got there, there were two kids on their bmx bikes. They told me to leave. I didn’t. We scrapped. Black eyes. Bloody lips. Next day and the whole summer we rode bikes TOGETHER. CMFTR.”
You certainly won’t hear Dax Harwood complaining about the name.
There is a slew of differing opinions on the MJF situation with AEW.
MJF has become the talk of the wrestling world ever since Double or Nothing weekend at the end of May. He failed to attend a scheduled meet and greet, forcing AEW to refund and offer exchanges to fans who paid to see MJF.
Reports had surfaced prior to the incident that MJF wanted more money as he felt his work has outperformed his current salary. The situation got more tense as a since-disputed report claimed there was a flight booked out of Las Vegas for MJF, which he never boarded.
Ultimately, MJF showed up at DoN and did the job to Wardlow. Then, on the June 1 episode of Dynamite, Max cut a scathing shoot-style promo where he called Tony Khan a “f*cking mark.”
AEW Stars React
While MJF’s promo was obviously planned, he did throw in some real-life elements. Fightful is reporting that some AEW talents believe this whole thing was a work from the start, while others feel it’s a shoot turned into a work.
One AEW star noted that they’d be frustrated if word got out that this was a work planned out before DoN weekend.
Another talent insisted that MJF became noticeably more frustrated at the start of 2022. That particular AEW star doesn’t believe MJF is always in character because he wouldn’t have a long shelf life in the business if he was.
The belief among some seems to be that MJF and Tony Khan hashed things out during a meeting on Monday to bring the shoot-style promo to life. Some are even sympathetic to MJF’s money gripes.
Chris Jericho has made it clear that he’s sticking with AEW and the company’s President Tony Khan following comments made by MJF during this week’s Dynamite.
Appearing on the show, MJF blasted Khan and AEW, claiming that is being taken for granted by the promotion.
MJF begged Tony Khan to fire him and has teased joining WWE when his current contract expires in January 2024.
While Jericho didn’t reference MJF by name, he did speak about “certain talents” who feel they’re under-compensated” and said that someone like this may not be as good as they think.
The former AEW World Champion also praised Tony Khan as the best boss he’s worked for and said a talent who leaves AEW will be begging to come back.
For the record @AEW is the best sports entertainment company I’ve ever worked for & @TonyKhan is the best boss I’ve done business with. If certain talents feel they’re under compensated, maybe ur not as good as u think u are. Go elsewhere PLEASE. You’ll be begging to come back!
Part of MJF’s appeal is that he refuses to break character, even during interviews or meet & greets with fans.
This has led many to question whether MJF is genuinely angry at AEW, or if this is just part of his character to rile up the company’s loyal fanbase.
It has been reported that while MJF did receive a pay rise from his initial AEW contract, he is still earning far less than signings made over the past year.
MJF may be a ratings draw for AEW, but it’s said he’s earning less than CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and other ex-WWE talents.
On the other hand, some have suggested that allowing MJF to cut this promo this week is a sign that the situation is a work, or at the very least that what was a real problem has now been resolved but turned into a work.
Fans got concerned about the status of Jeff Hardy after he was pulled from an announced match on Dynamite. Now Matt Hardy has revealed the reason behind it.
The AEW star opened up about his brother’s condition on the latest episode of his podcast. He revealed that Jeff actually got knocked out during their Double or Nothing match against The Young Bucks. This is why he was pulled from Dynamite.
Per Matt, his brother was running on fumes through the PPV match because of his injury. Though he still held up his end of the bargain:
“Very early on in the match Jeff was almost knocked out. So he got hurt pretty bad. That’s why he’s being pulled from the match in Los Angeles, obviously.
So he was kind of running on fumes going through the match.” said Matt Hardy, “He still held up his end of the bargain pretty good in the big scheme of things,”
Matt also revealed that Jeff Hardy actually has no recollection of their match at Double or Nothing. So it’s hard to say where exactly he suffered the injury.
Though The Broken One claimed that despite the injury, his brother did pretty good in the bout. He noted how Jeff is still a great athlete and good at what he does.
WWE superstar Liv Morgan has landed a big movie role that will see her sharing the screen with the likes of Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson.
The news was broken by Deadline which revealed that the female star has landed a role in Yale Entertainment’s darkly comic thriller titled The Kill Room.
Apart from Jackson, Thurman, and Morgan, names such as Joe Manganiello, Maya Hawke, Debi Mazar, Larry Pine, Dree Hemingway, and Leah McSweeney have previously been announced for the film.
The story of The Kill Room centers around a hitman Reggie (Manganiello), his boss (Jackson), and an art dealer (Thurman). The three have a money laundering scheme that accidentally turns Reggie into an overnight sensation.
This forces the dealer to play the art world against the underworld. Liv Morgan plays the role of an art purist in the movie.
The movie is written by Jonathan Jacobson and it will be directed by Nicol Paone. The details about its shooting schedule are not available right now.
There is no word on if Liv Morgan will have to take any extended breaks from WWE for the filming of this movie. We will keep you posted about details of this upcoming movie project.
WWE has never been shy in moving its stars from Raw to SmackDown and vice versa even without a draft. While the brand split has appeared to be “essentially done,” the company won’t officially announce it and still wants the idea to float due to its Survivor Series PPV.
Lacey Evans Back On SmackDown
(via WWE)
PWInsider reports that Lacey Evans is the latest WWE superstar to make a jump … again.
Lacey had already been moved from SmackDown to Raw but another shift has been made. The report notes that Lacey is once again a SmackDown superstar.
Lacey initially was set to have a match on the May 30 episode of Raw. That ended up not happening and instead, WWE aired footage of Lacey Evans’ appearance at the Coca-Cola 600.
A former AEW star will be making his return to IMPACT Wrestling at Slammiversary.
This year’s Slammiversary event will take place in Nashville, Tennessee on June 19. The card will feature an IMPACT World Title match between champion Josh Alexander and Eric Young.
There will also be an IMPACT World Tag Team Title match between The Briscoes and The Good Brothers.
The official Twitter account of IMPACT has announced that Jack Evans, who recently finished his contract with AEW, is back with the promotion and will compete at Ultimate X on the Slammiversary card.
The Hell In A Cell pay-per-view, and the match itself, make up a huge piece of WWE’s history. A newer piece of said history is that of the few women’s Hell In A Cell matches we’ve seen. As a result of the women’s revolution, the female performers in WWE got the opportunity to go at it inside the cell just like the men.
So far, there has been four women’s Hell In A Cell matches. Three out of the four have included Sasha Banks. Women’s Hell In A Cell matches were featured at the following Hell In A Cell pay-per-views: 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021. We have seen Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks vs. Bayley, and Bayley vs. Bianca Belair.
Throughout the years, the women’s match has always been one to steal the show. Many times we only see wrestlers get thrown into the cell when the feud is undeserving of it. However, with there being only one women’s Hell In A Cell match, it is normally given to the feud that is most deserving of it.
Previous Women’s Hell In A Cell Matches
Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair (2016)
Charlotte and Sasha set the stage for what the women could do inside Hell In A Cell. From their entrances, you could tell that this match was extremely meaningful. These women took brutal and captivating bumps before the bell even rang. Even though there were some unfortunate, and uncontrollable, mishaps, these women were able to put forward incredible efforts. Unfortunately, the finish of the match was messed up, and the result deflated the crowd, but these women went on to have better matches against each other.
Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch (2019)
Sasha Banks vs Becky Lynch has been regarded as one of the best women’s wrestling matches in the WWE. This was viewed as Sasha Banks’ redemption match from her match with Charlotte Flair. The atmosphere of this match really enhanced the match itself. There was so much creativity within this match that it set the bar for the other female Hell In A Cell matches to come. The match itself is regarded as one of the best Hell In A Cell matches of all time.
Sasha Banks vs Bayley (2020)
Sasha Banks vs Bayley was the culmination of one of the biggest stories during WWE’s pandemic era. Banks’ legacy was partially formed due to the incredible matches she had within the cell. Each year, we have seen Sasha improvise and create new things to do within the cell. Bayley’s first go in the cell was one of the defining matches of the pandemic. She was not afraid to take the bumps necessary to make it as legendary as it was.
Sasha and Bayley have such a long history that they were able to use that to their advantage. Everyone remembers their match from NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn. They did all they could to create new spots and moments to try and make the match just as memorable.
Bayley vs Bianca Belair (2021)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLiErWk2OLI
Bianca Belair’s first time in the cell was epic. With only about five years of experience, Belair was able to define her career with that match. From Bianca’s gear to her creativity inside the match, it was one of the significant matches in Bianca’s match catalog.
It would be a crime to not mention the performance that Bayley put on in this match. Bayley worked this match as the veteran had already competed against Sasha in the cell the year before. She was able to lead the match while still playing up her usual heel tactics. Bayley had been messing with Bianca since before she won the title. This was the perfect stipulation for this feud that was unfortunately was also the last match in the feud as Bayley got hurt before their scheduled ‘I Quit’ match.
The Importance Of Women’s Hell In A Cell Matches
It’s another scathing indictment of the booking of the women’s division that there is not a women’s Hell In A Cell match on this card. Between the walkout and suspension of the women’s Hell In A Cell veteran Sasha Banks and Naomi, and the lack of strong storylines in the women’s division on SmackDown, it is honestly no surprise that this is where the division is at right now. As the card currently stands, the SmackDown Women’s Championship isn’t even being defended at the pay-per-view.
Possible Hell In A Cell Matches For This Year
Each year, we see new women enter the cell and test the limits of their in-ring ability. It’s sad that this will not be the case this year. There are many women on the roster who would’ve been deserving of the Hell In A Cell match slot.
The best option for this year seems to be Liv Morgan vs Rhea Ripley. If Asuka hadn’t returned, it would’ve made sense to do Becky Lynch vs Bianca Belair inside the cell for the Raw Women’s Championship. This would’ve been the perfect match stipulation to tie a bow on their long-running feud. The Raw Women’s Championship feud is currently based on a two-person feud that Bianca was placed in. It doesn’t make sense to put this feud inside of the cell due to the lack of engagement in the feud from the champion herself.
There are many combinations of undeveloped stars within the division that would’ve especially benefited from having the experience of being in the cell. Especially those like Rhea Ripley, Shotzi, Liv Morgan, Doudrop, Zelina Vega, Shayna Baszler, and so much more would benefit from being in a match like this.
They truly have dropped the ball with the opportunity to include a women’s Hell In A Cell match like they have for the last three years. The division, especially in the state it is in without its big stars like Sasha, Naomi, and Charlotte, the other women in the division would’ve benefitted from the chance to compete in a more hardcore and savage match stipulation.
Vince McMahon once had a WWE Hall of Famer take Drew McIntyre under his wing.
McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion but his road to the top was far from easy. During his first WWE run, he was called “The Chosen One” by Vince McMahon.
That distinction didn’t last as he was pushed down the card and eventually released.
After reinventing himself in IMPACT Wrestling and on the indie scene, McIntyre got a second chance with WWE and he’s now one of the company’s biggest stars.
The Undertaker Mentored Drew McIntyre
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Drew McIntrye revealed that The Undertaker once mentored him and Vince McMahon was the one who made it happen.
“As Undertaker once told me, ‘Don’t play the wrestler. Be the wrestler.’ At the time, ’Taker was my mentor, a role assigned by Vince [McMahon], and I had no idea what he was talking about.
“I was a wrestler, obviously, right? Now, almost 15 years later, I have a much different appreciation for his lessons. I know who I am every time I step out there, and I know what I’m aiming for, and that’s Roman.”
McIntyre figures to be front and center of WWE TV once the company gets closer to its Clash at the Castle event in September. The show will be held inside Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
Since CM Punk’s return, many have questioned and hoped for his wife AJ Lee (AJ Mendez) to return.
AJ is now signed to Women of Wrestling as an executive producer and commentator. This made fans want to see her back in the ring even more.
AJ Lee On CM Punk’s Return & Possibility Of Her Returning
AJ Lee spoke with Renee Paquette on The Sessions. She spoke about CM Punk’s return and the fulfillment she has now that she is working with WOW.
Lee said, “The conversation was a conversation that was way longer than people knew, with many things happening in the universe. There were many options. It was a very long time of, ‘what’s the right route? What’s the safest route? What does it look like?’ It was something I was scared of, just seeing what would emotionally happen. That was more or less for his stuff. To me, I retired and I retired.”
“I always say, ‘never say never, but don’t hold your breath’ and everyone holds on to the ‘never say never.’ [laughing] Don’t hold your breath, you’re going to die.
I just wanted him to be emotionally safe and protected. That’s been the coolest thing about his experience. It feels like he’s always in a safe space and has a good group of people around him in AEW, that makes me very happy.
There was a lot of ‘Let’s go!’ To me, that didn’t spark anything in me, but the combination of wrestling and writing, wrestling and producing, that was more comfortable and more exciting because it was a challenge,” AJ continued.
AJ Lee On The Timing Of Her Retirement
The former Divas Champion added, “I always felt great about the timing of when I retired. You never want to be the last girl at the party, you want to go out on top. Everything felt so perfect and tied up in a bow.
I know his experience is different. To me, I didn’t want him, or me with WOW, anything to feel like you were the person going back to hang out with high school kids. I was hoping it wasn’t that and it seems to not be.”
Women Of Wrestling Update
Women of Wrestling has already taped episodes for the future. However, there is currently no date set for the premiere. There were tapings scheduled for early June that were postponed due to a positive COVID test.
All Elite Wrestling has removed MJF from its wrestler roster page following his promo segment on Wednesday’s Dynamite.
His merchandise page has also been pulled from AEW Shop.
On Dynamite, MJF cut a promo where he talked about how he has been the one to carry the company on his back, but is tired of watching AEW President Tony Khan be a mark who brings in former WWE stars and pays them more than him.
MJF demanded that Khan fire him before the audio to his microphone was cut. This appears to be a worked shoot storyline where they mix in reality and storyline with the idea of making fans guess what is real and scripted.
Brian Pillman did the same thing in 1996 when he was in a similar situation as he worked everyone into thinking that he was fired by WCW and even got his release from the promotion with Eric Bischoff in on it, but ended up doing it so he could get a big money deal from WWE.
Another work shoot situation happened in 2011 when CM Punk dropped his pipebomb promo and won the WWE Title on what was the final night on his WWE deal while pretending he was leaving when he actually signed a new contract.
MJF’s contract with AEW expires on January 1, 2024.
One notable absence was AEW Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa.
PWInsider is reporting that Rosa was in attendance for Dynamite this week but wasn’t feeling well. A decision was made by a company doctor to send her home.
It’s a tough break for the AEW Women’s Champion. She had already been dealing with nagging injuries and at this time, it’s unknown whether or not she worked the Double or Nothing match with Serena Deeb banged up.
It’s important to note that it isn’t known if those injuries caused her not to feel well on Wednesday.
ROH is expected to return to pay-per-view in July, according to a new report by Fightful.
The report stated AEW talent has been told that ROH Death Before Dishonor is being planned for the weekend of July 23, 2022 with the expectation that it will take place in Lowell, Massachusetts. A venue is not known for the event.
ROH owner Tony Khan spoke to ESPN regarding the future of the promotion in April after holding the SuperCard of Honor event:
“I’ve been having more conversations with WarnerMedia about what we can do together to grow Ring of Honor,” Khan said. “I think it would make sense for Ring of Honor to continue as a weekly series and major events, like we just had with Supercard.”
Jonathan Gresham told Fightful recently that ROH would be starting back up soon. As noted, company also filed to trademark two potential new logos last month.
The first Death Before Dishonor took place on July 19, 2003 that featured Samoa Joe defending the ROH World Championship against Paul London in the main event. The promotion has held the show every year except for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Melanie Pillman, widow of Brian Pillman and mother to AEW star Brian Pillman Jr., passed away on Wednesday.
Melanie Pillman appeared on WWE television a few times during the Attitude Era, including the infamous Steve Austin “home invasion” storyline that saw Brian Pillman pull a handgun on Austin (1996). She also appeared on Raw after Brian Pillman’s untimely passing the following year.
More recently, she appeared on the Dark Side of the Ring episode about her late husband.
On behalf of everyone at SEScoops, we extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Melanie Pillman.
Brian Pillman Jr. posted the following statement on social media about his mother’s passing:
Yesterday at approximately 1:00pm my mother, Melanie Pillman, was pronounced dead.
Those of you who know our family story understand that I didn’t have the best relationship with my mother, though my sister and I had recently been in touch with her, working to improve that relationship.
While I didn’t spend too much time with her, she would ALWAYS tune into my twitch streams and interact with my fans, often times sharing with them old stories about my father and the wrestling business. She had been helping out my sister with her son Asher by purchasing him baby clothes, and was on relatively good terms with everyone as of late.
Her death, while unexpected, was not surprising. Her lifestyle choices that dominated the better part of the last 25 years of her life had ultimately caught up with her.
She was as intelligent as she was beautiful and her dark sense of humor could make even the biggest prude burst out in laughter.
Although I had my built up resentment towards her, I was very proud of her for taking part in the DSOTR documentary and sharing the truth about our family story. That was the beginning of us mending our relationship.
I do have regrets. I regret not giving her the time of day when she was trying so hard to be in our lives again. I regret not texting her back even though I had the time to. I regret not trying harder to break her of her bad habits and help her get the help she needed.
A couple weeks ago she had been tuning into my twitch stream when she told me in chat that she was coming over to Linda’s house to drop off some trading cards. I didn’t see it in chat so I was annoyed at her for showing up un-announced. I met her outside and accepted the gift and gave her a hug and she went on her way. I truly regret not sitting down with her for a little bit or going to grab lunch with her. I regret being upset with her simply because she wanted to see her son. She actually looked really healthy and sober. That was the last time I saw her.
Thank you mom for bringing me into this world and for trying your absolute best. You were my number 1 fan in wrestling and on Twitch.
Vince McMahon saw something in Pete Dunne that led to the “Butch” character.
Dunne made his debut for WWE back in 2016. He had been treated like a big deal on the NXT UK brand. He held the United Kingdom Championship for 685 days.
That title reign had been the record before it was broken by WALTER, now known as Gunther. He held it for 870 days.
After spending so many years in NXT, many wondered if Pete Dunne would have a place on the main roster. We got the answer on March 11 when he made his main roster debut as “Butch.”
How Vince McMahon Feels About Butch
During an interview with Metro, Pete Dunne revealed that Vince McMahon has taken a liking to the Butch character.
“He seems really into this, as you can imagine. He seems really into the idea of Butch. It is entertaining.”
During an episode of Wrestling Observer Live a couple of months ago, Bryan Alvarez said that Vince found a way to utilize Pete Dunne on the SmackDown brand and likes the Butch character enough to give him ample TV time.
Bryan was saying this in response to those who complained about Pete Dunne using the “Butch” name after being moved out of NXT.
Dunne said he went into this new phase of his character with an open mind. He also said he had anticipated a name change once he got called up to the main roster.
WWE United States Champion Theory is confident he’ll one-day face-off with John Cena after having a back-and-forth over social media earlier this year.
After winning the U.S. Title in April 2022, Theory quickly declared himself a better champion than John Cena, a five-time holder of the star-spangled strap.
Cena responded by issuing Theory with a warning that the young Superstar will have to apologize years from now if what he achieves doesn’t live up to his potential.
The WWE United States Champion has even gone so far as to tease a match with Cena at this year’s Summerslam.
While speaking with The New York Post, Theory was asked about a match with the 16-time WWE World Champion and explained what it would mean to him.
“When that moment happens and I’m in the ring with John Cena, man, I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what I’m gonna say. I don’t know. I have no idea just because like you’re saying and the way you spoke about it, I clearly know what it was like for me growing up watching John, just the story there and how much we’d actually have for a story. Man, that’s just so crazy to me. I see it happening for sure.”
No matches have been confirmed by WWE for this year’s Summerslam, which will take place on July 30, at the Nissan Stadium, in Nashville.
