At WrestleMania 38, Cody Rhodes returned to WWE following a six-year hiatus from the company.
During his time away from WWE, Rhodes became a major star outside the promotion and co-founded AEW in 2019.
Rhodes returned to WWE by defeating Seth Rollins and would go on to defeat the former Universal Champion at the following two Premium Live Events.
Given his time away and association with AEW, Rhodes’ return has been one of the biggest WWE comebacks in years.
The Big Project
Rhodes had previously said in interviews that he would stay with AEW forever, and fans will soon learn more about his shocking return to the McMahon-led company.
In a surprise appearance on Busted Open Radio, Cody rung in and revealed that WWE is working on a documentary covering his return (via Wrestling Inc.)
“Little spoiler. For the past year, I don’t know if it was a year, but since WrestleMania, WWE has been doing a documentary on me potentially for Peacock. They’ve been filming this documentary, and then my titty explodes and the documentary changed greatly.”
Rhodes added that he has made a list of essential people in his life which he hopes are included on the documentary.
Cody did not reveal any names who are on the list he has given to WWE.
It is unclear if any names from AEW are on that list, or if WWE will reach out to them if they are.
WWE has allowed AEW talent on their shows in the past, with several AEW stars appearing via videos on the June 27, 2022 Raw, to praise John Cena.
Seth Rollins has issued an apology for a recent “harsh” interaction he had with some fans at his gym.
Over the years many professional wrestlers have been very open about their expectations for how fans should conduct themselves should they see them in person. Some welcome fans coming up to them and asking for autographs and/or pictures, while others remind fans to be mindful of the respective situations.
Others also would rather keep to themselves altogether. This can lead to some pretty negative blowback on social media, especially after a bad interaction gets leaked out online to the public.
Seth Rollins Apologizes
Recently, Seth Rollins took to Instagram to get out in front of a recent negative fan interaction he had at his gym. Rollins admitted he was frustrated during a workout and was harsh to some fans that approached him and Becky Lynch.
Check out his full apology below.
“Hello fine folks! I love interacting with my fans. You guys are the best. Your continued support of me and the @blackandbravewrestling enterprise is what keeps our collective heart beating strong.
“Today a couple of young cats saw my wife and me training in the back of the brick and mortar and stopped by to say hello. Unfortunately, I was right in the middle of a loooooong workout. I was very harsh and abrupt in my candor. For that, I apologize. There’s no excuse for that.
“If either you folks who I was short with today are reading this, please come back another time. I’d love to apologize in person. That open invite is all inclusive too! Feel free to pop by the school. If I happen to be here, please just be conscious of what’s going on around you! Don’t be deterred if I’m teaching a class or deep in the sweat game.
“It may take a few extra minutes, but I promise I’m down to take a pic or have a quick chat. In closing, thank you again to all of you who’ve had our backs over the years! Here’s to many more! Our door is always open (during business hours) so come on by!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgNkHoRJjI2/
Rollins is currently gearing up for a big one-on-one matchup with Riddle at SummerSlam later this month. The match was set up on RAW this week after he attacked Riddle during a “KO Show” segment.
Riddle has provided an injury update on his tag team partner Randy Orton.
Orton has been dealing with a back injury and hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since he and Riddle lost a Winner Takes All WWE Undisputed Tag Team Title bout to The Usos on SmackDown Live back in May.
He’s expected to miss the remainder of 2022 with the injury. Recently, Riddle was a guest on ProSieben MAXX, where he provided an injury update on his tag team partner.
“Randy (Orton) is still recovering from his injuries and hopefully he’ll be back sooner than later. I can’t give more of an update because I’m not a doctor and I don’t have one so, but I know Randy’s in high spirits for sure and he’s doing well.”
Riddle In Singles Competition
As for Riddle, he’s currently slated for a big one-on-one matchup with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Riddle has been able to get his career as a singles star kickstarted since Orton’s absence.
He even got a shot at Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Championship, although he came up just short. It will be interesting to see if Riddle and Orton reform RK-Bro should “The Viper” return to in-ring action after his back injury heals up.
One WWE NXT star was scheduled to be in action on July 19 but it didn’t happen.
As they say in the wrestling business, “card subject to change.” The recent episode of NXT 2.0 certainly took that approach as a talent had been advertised for the main event but never appeared.
This week’s edition of the developmental show featured a 20-women battle royal match. The winner, who ended up being the returning Zoey Stark, receives an NXT Women’s Championship match down the road.
Fans who expected Sarray to be a part of the match were left disappointed.
Sarray Doesn’t Make Advertised Appearance
(via WWE)
WWE had advertised many participants in the battle royal. Zoey Stark wasn’t revealed ahead of the match as she was the big surprise entrant.
One talent who had been advertised but never showed up was Sarray.
There’s no word on whether or not something happened to Sarray at the last minute or if WWE simply changed plans before the match took place.
Sarray has been a key part of the NXT brand. While many have questioned her current character on the show, she is crucial given that her in-ring skills far exceeded that of most of the talent on NXT.
She is vital in helping her fellow prospects get better inside the ring given her experience working at a high level in Japan.
One WWE superstar is back in action and has punched her ticket to a big title match.
Injuries have been pelting the wrestling industry over the past few months. We’ve seen the likes of Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton go down with injuries that’ll put them out of action for a lengthy period of time.
Injuries didn’t just happen on the main roster as the NXT brand was also hit with a few ailments. One of the key talents who had been shelved was Zoey Stark.
The good news is, Zoey is back.
Zoey Stark Returns
(via WWE)
For weeks, WWE was teasing a mystery with a QR code for fans to speculate on who would arrive (or return) to NXT.
Zoey Stark made her return for the 20-women battle royal match. She ended up winning the whole thing, which has earned her a shot at Mandy Rose’s NXT Women’s Championship.
Stark had been out of action due to injury.
There has been a lot of talk over what Zoey’s tag team partner, Io Shirai, will do with her WWE future. Her contract is coming due and it’s been said that she could leave the company if she doesn’t get a main roster spot.
After her triumphant return, Zoey Stark was interviewed for a WWE Digital exclusive.
It’s been a long road to recovery for @ZoeyStarkWWE, but after winning the 20-Woman Battle Royal she is ready to take the #WWENXT Women’s Title off @WWE_MandyRose’s waist. pic.twitter.com/E06kKbLTe6
The Nature Boy spoke about his love for the WWE Chairman on the latest edition of Busted Open Radio, where the former 16-time world champion addressed having his signature WOOOO added back into the WWE opening as of the July 4th episode of Monday Night Raw.
Flair was actually removed from the opening back in the fall of 2021 shortly after the release of the “Plane Ride From Hell” episode of VICE’s Dark Side of the Ring, which revealed multiple sexual misconduct allegations against him, ones that caused massive fan backlash.
During the interview Flair says he personally went to Vince McMahon to thank him for allowing the WOOOO back in after some time had passed from the allegations.
“I went and saw Vince yesterday [Monday] to personally thank him because they were in Tampa. It made me feel like my world had changed again. It made me feel a lot better than when they took me off.”
Flair adds that everything his old boss has ever told him has come true, including his promise to put him back into the intro.
“Everything Vince McMahon has ever said to me has come true and he said, ‘I promise you I’ll put you back on it,’ and he did. I went over there and thanked him.”
The Nature Boy is preparing for his Last Match Ever on July 31st, where he teams with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo against Jay Lethal and WWE Hall of Famer, Jeff Jarrett.
The July 19, 2022 episode of WWE NXT 2.0 aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
JD McDonagh def. Cameron Grimes.
Roderick Strong def. Damon Kemp.
Axiom def. Dante Chen via pinfall
Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen def. Pretty Deadly to retain the NXT UK Tag Team Championships.
Zoey Stark won a battle royal
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Cora Jade Speaks
Cora Jade broke her silence on this show after costing Roxanne Perez last week in her match against Mandy Rose for the NXT Women’s Title. Jade previously attacked Perez in the parking lot, but it was a mystery as to who did. After Rose beat Perez thanks to outside interference by Jade, Perez’s former best friend attacked her.
Jade did a promo in the ring about how she should have turned on Perez a lot sooner. She said that fans were originally behind her and she wanted to take her best friend along with her for the ride. The fans were behind Perez and they turned on Jade. She said Perez used her to get to NXT and Perez is a selfish bitch. Jade threw the Women’s Tag Team Title in the trash.
A 20-woman battle royal to determine the new top contender to Mandy Rose’s WWE NXT Women’s Championship took place. Those part of the match included Yulisa Leon, Sloane Jacobs, Lash Legend, Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton, Elektra Lopez, Arianna Grace, Valentina Feroz, Kianna James, Sarray, Wendy Choo, Amari Miller, Fallon Henley, Indi Hartwell, Cora Jade, Alba Fyre, Nikkita Lyons, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, and Ivy Nile. Zoey Stark made her return.
Rose successfully retained the championship on last week’s show after Jade turned on challenger Roxanne Perez.
The match came down to Tiffany and Stark. They did some near elimination spots including when Tiffy’s foot hit the ground. Stark eliminated Tiffany and then Jade came out of nowhere to try to eliminate her, but it backfired and Zoey eliminated Jade for the win.
Axiom (A-Kid) made his debut on this show when he beat a jobber in a one-sided bout.
There have been vignettes hyping his arrival. The latest one that aired last week featured a wrestler who was shown in a comic book store, then in a ring in a mask.
A-Kid last appeared on WWE programming on the May 26 episode of NXT UK where he lost to Charlie Dempsey in a match taped in April.
JD McDonagh vs. Cameron Grimes in a singles match took place.
The match opened the show and was a fun back and forth match. JD went over with his finisher.
Last week, they had a confrontation as Grimes was interrupted when he was talking about his failure to capture the NXT title from Bron Breakker at The Great American Bash. McDonagh taunted Grimes over his loss. The two ended up getting into a brawl.
Later in the show, Breakker came out and cut a promo about how he hasn’t forgotten about what JD did to him. This led to JD appearing on the screen where he had a dummy and talked about the ligaments in the shoulder. JD said Grimes hurt Bron, but he will take him out.
Bron said if one day JD will have to face him. JD said an unnecessary evil has arrived in NXT. Bron called him out for a match.
NXT UK Tag Champions Josh Briggs & Brooks Jensen defended their titles against Pretty Deadly.
WWE set up this match last week when Briggs & Jensen were shown with Fallon Henley at their barwhen Pretty Deadly walked in, dressed like cowboys. They traded words before Henley stopped the fight and said if Pretty Deadly wanted a match, they could get it.
The match took place in the second hour and ended in outside interference thanks to Fallon helping out her guys.
Seth Rollins headlined the WWE Hell in a Cell event in June with Cody Rhodes, who had a torn pectoral muscle.
The pectoral muscle was completely off the bone ahead of the match, and Rhodes, who defeated Rollins inside the Hell in a Cell structure, had a huge bruise covering his upper body.
While speaking with Stephanie Chase for Digital Spy, Rollins noted that he didn’t expect Rhodes to look how he did and felt the same as everyone else in attendance.
“It was pretty gnarly. I don’t think I expected it to look like that. I’ve had some torn muscles in my day, and I know that the blood seeps down, gravity just takes over, but I had never seen anything like that. I remember Triple H had torn his pec some time ago at an event and shared a picture of it, and it was pretty brutal but nothing like what we saw from Cody at Hell in a Cell.
“His bicep, tricep, shoulder, pec it was down to his belly button almost, it was pretty gnarly. It was definitely shocking and I think the way I felt about it was how the audience in Chicago felt. They were just very uncomfortable for the first little bit. I think people were even wary just to cheer for him because it was so wild.”
Rollins stated it’s one of those things that he has never encountered before and was completely new to him to prepare for.
“It was a full hurdle thrown my way that I’d never seen before and so trying to wrap ourselves around it was an interesting process. I think what we got out of it was magic, how we got there wasn’t ideal but that’s life, you gotta roll with the punches sometimes.”
Rollins will face Riddle in a singles match at SummerSlam on July 30 in Nashville.
Chris Jericho and Triple H were heated rivals in WWE for most of their careers in the promotion. They most notably feuded in 2002 when they headlined WrestleMania 18 for the WWE Title and later worked inside Hell in a Cell.
Although they had moments of animosity behind the curtain, it didn’t stop Jericho from having fun at the expense of Triple H.
During an appearance on the “True Geordie” podcast, the AEW star discussed the nickname he had once bestowed upon Triple H.
“I used to call Triple H ‘Prince Charles,’” Jericho said. “Prince Charles [isn’t] king, right, until the Queen passes away. And she’s been there 30, 40 years. She ain’t going anywhere. Triple H is the Prince Charles of wrestling in that he’s supposed to take it over, but it might be a long time. I think Vince [McMahon] is 78, so it could be another 20 years. And he’s not going anywhere. I don’t think Vince will ever give up the throne.”
For years, Triple H has long been considered a potential successor for his father-in-law, Vince McMahon. A decade ago, he started spending more time at WWE Headquarters instead of on the road, where he transitioned into being an executive.
He has served as Executive Senior Advisor, Executive Vice President, Talent and Live Events, Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, and in his current role as Executive Vice President, Global Talent Strategy & Development.
Triple H also launched NXT and transformed their developmental program, although his power with the brand has declined following his health issues last year.
Adam Cole is just one of the names on the AEW roster that have been bitten by the injury bug over the last few months, with the likes of CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, and Kenny Omega on the shelf while recovering.
Cole last wrestled during the AEW x NJPW: Forbidden Door pay-per-view event for the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, where he took the pinfall in a Fatal 4-Way match. He suffered a concussion in that bout.
Before that, Cole had suffered a labrum injury as far back as his AEW World Title program with Hangman Page that he has been working through.
Fellow AEW star and Cole’s girlfriend, Britt Baker, shared an update on his recovery while speaking with Riju Dasgupta of Sportskeeda.
“Well, he’s definitely recovering and healing, so I hope just like everybody else, that we get to see him back in the wrestling ring soon, but he definitely has to take some time to recover,” she said.
Cole and Baker were the inaugural winners of the Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournaments amonth before Forbidden Door. For most of June, Cole was not getting physical on AEW television.
It appears WWE management isn’t too thrilled with how the 2022 SummerSlam card has shaped up.
The big WWE summer event will be held inside Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. In the main event, Roman Reigns will put the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship on the line against Brock Lesnar.
That title match will be contested under Last Man Standing rules. This is being billed as Lesnar’s final chance at dethroning Roman.
WWE has heavily teased Money in the Bank briefcase holder Theory cashing in on the winner.
There will also be two women’s world titles matches on the card. Liv Morgan will defend her SmackDown gold against Ronda Rousey, while Becky Lynch will look to take the Raw Women’s Championship from titleholder Bianca Belair.
WWE Not Happy With SummerSlam
WrestleVotes reports that there are those in WWE management who aren’t pleased with the SummerSlam card despite being the ones to put it together.
In the most WWE of ways, I had a source tell me this morning “they really don’t like the SummerSlam card”
“They” being the people who put it together. Um, what?!
“In the most WWE of ways, I had a source tell me this morning “they really don’t like the SummerSlam card” ‘They’ being the people who put it together. Um, what?!”
WrestleVotes report on SummerSlam
This year’s SummerSlam event will be taking place on July 30. Here’s how the card is shaping up:
WWE Undisputed Universal Title: Roman Reigns (c) vs Brock Lesnar (Last Man Standing Match)
WWE SmackDown Women’s Title: Liv Morgan (c) vs Ronda Rousey
WWE Raw Women’s Title: Bianca Belair (c) vs. Becky Lynch
Seth Rollins vs. Riddle
WWE United States Title: Bobby Lashley (c) vs Austin Theory
WWE Undisputed Tag Team Titles: The Uso’s (c) vs The Street Profits (Jeff Jarrett is special guest referee)
On July 31, Ric Flair will compete in his final ever match, bringing his impressive wrestling career to an end.
This week, it was confirmed that “the Dirtiest Player in the Game” will team with his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo to face Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett.
The match will take place at the appropriately titled ‘Ric Flair’s Last Match’ event, as part of Starrcast V.
Jarrett’s Double Booking
The weekend will certainly be a busy one for Jeff Jarrett, who will be appearing at Summerslam the night prior.
Jarrett will officiate the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Title match between The Usos and The Street Profits.
The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion was confirmed for the Premium Live Event during last week’s edition of SmackDown on FOX.
Double-J is also in charge of WWE’s live events division, leading many to question how he’s allowed to work the Starrcast event.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that Jarrett is not under a talent contract with WWE, so the company allowed him the chance to wrestle Flair.
Ric Flair’s Last Match
While the highlight of the event will be the titular final match of the 16-time World Champion, that’s not all for the ‘Ric Flair’s Last Match’ card.
The show will also see the Briscoes face the Von Erichs, while WWE alum Harry Smith will take on Killer Kross.
Titles will be on the line as Impact Wrestling World Champion Josh Alexander will face Jacob Fatu.
Impact Wrestling Knockouts World Champion Jordynne Grace will put her title on the line against Rachel Ellering and Deonna Purrazzo.
Former WCW president and WWE Monday Night RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff has offered up his thoughts on the possibility of WWE reverting back to TV-14.
Recently, it was reported that WWE Monday Night RAW was slated to switch over from TV-PG to TV-14 on this week’s episode.
However, that did not end up being the case, as it was later reported that the internal memo handed out at USA Network jumped the gun on the date.
A date for a potential rating swap has not been finalized, however, the possibility still looms and the change could happen soon. Recently, Eric Bischoff took to his podcast, “Strictly Business,” to offer his thoughts on RAW possibly jumping to TV-14.
Bischoff believes this could potentially draw in fans who stopped watching around 2008 when the product went “soft,” however, it still needs to walk a fine line of being appropriate for children to keep advertisers and the network happy.
“Some of [the implications] may be real and tangible and others subtle and possibly not so significant. I think it’s going to create a lot of anticipation, right?
“I think there’s going to be a lot of people who maybe have tuned out over the years because the product has gotten soft since 2008, meaning it needs to be palatable for children to keep the advertisers and the network happy.”
A rating increase has been something many WWE fans have been calling for in recent years. The bump would allow WWE to push the envelope a bit more with their content much like the company used to in the late 90s and early 2000s.
Many are hoping for a return to the Attitude Era days, however, in this day and age the possibility that WWE would go that far seems very unlikely.
Top AEW star Kenny Omega appears to be just about ready for a big return.
Omega hasn’t been seen since the post-Full Gear episode of Dynamite last year. He took some time away from the ring to heal from a slew of injuries.
Omega wanted to make sure he got the recovery process right as he has said if he has to go through this again, he’ll likely call it a career.
In the midst of a string of injuries pelting the AEW roster, some great news has surfaced.
Kenny Omega Returning Soon
Kenny Omega (Photo: AEW)
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful is reporting that Kenny Omega is expected to make his return soon. Sapp notes that the return of “The Best Bout Machine” has changed some plans involving other talent and staff.
It appears Omega’s return is happening sooner than expected.
AEW could certainly use a shot in the arm such as this one. The company has seen the likes of its current world champion CM Punk, Adam Cole, and many others go down with injuries.
The list of talents shelved has been growing and it has forced AEW President Tony Khan to switch up plans multiple times.
In this case, surely changing plans because a top star is returning is much preferred.
Time will tell what date Kenny Omega will be making his big return but perhaps All Out on Sept. 4 is now a possibility.
Two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Ric Flair addresses his injury ahead of his last match later this month.
It was recently reported that Flair was dealing with a foot injury ahead of the Nashville, Tennessee event on July 31. Appearing on Busted Open Radio recently, Flair addressed the reported injury and the potential concerns about competing with it.
Flair admits that the foot is very uncomfortable but doctors will soon be injecting him with medication to numb the pain.
Flair says he’ll deaden the foot if he has to, and the fact that the match is a tag team match should definitely help things, as he’ll be able to hide it a bit better.
“The Nature Boy” will be teaming up with his new son-in-law and All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Andrade El Idolo to take on the team of Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal. The show goes down from the Municipal Auditorium and will air live on pay-per-view (PPV).
One key member of the AEW roster has seemingly avoided being on the shelf again.
If there’s one thing AEW could have less of, it’s injuries. The promotion has been hit with a string of bad luck when it comes to their talent being forced to sit on the sidelines.
The company is currently without its world champion CM Punk. An interim title had to be put in place and that piece of hardware is currently held by Jon Moxley.
Other top stars such as Bryan Danielson, Adam Cole, and Jungle Boy have also been bitten by the injury bug. Of course, one of AEW’s biggest stars Kenny Omega has been out since Nov. 2021.
Rey Fenix is Fine Following Injury Scare
(via AEW)
There was some concern that yet another member of the AEW roster would be out of commission following the July 15 episode of Rampage.
On the show, Rey Fenix and Penta took on Private Party. While The Lucha Bros won the match, Fenix was noticeably limping as Rampage went off the air.
The issue occurred when Fenix rolled his ankle after an atomic drop.
There is some good news, however, as Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio noted that Rey Fenix appears to be okay following the match.
Fenix did perform after the Rampage show at a special benefit event in Tijuana.
This has to be a sigh of relief for Fenix, who had to miss ring time earlier this year after suffering an arm injury. He avoided any broken bones and was able to return to action quicker than many anticipated.
A trailer has been released for WWE 2K22’s latest additional paid content, “The Whole Dam Pack.”
WWE 2K22 has been out in physical and digital stores since March. 2K Games has been releasing additional paid content for the game.
What’s Included?
The latest DLC pack drops today (July 19) on the PSN Store, Xbox Live, and Steam. Included in this pack are Rob Van Dam, Xia Li, Commander Azeez, LA Knight, Sarray, musician MGK, and Logan Paul.
2K Games is promoting this as the final DLC pack for WWE 2K22.
Here is part of the press release from 2K Games:
“Whether rocking out, creating controversy, or soaring through the sky, all eyes will be on you with WWE® 2K22’s The Whole Dam Pack, available today. The fifth and final DLC pack* is headlined by pop culture icon Machine Gun Kelly, social media megastar Logan Paul, and high-flying, hard-hitting WWE Hall of Famer Rob Van Dam. Also included in the pack are LA Knight, Xia Li, Commander Azeez and Sarray. All seven Superstars also come with MyFACTION EVO cards, which can be upgraded through gameplay in the MyFACTION game mode.”
One great thing about AEW is that they don’t ignore the history of any wrestler, doesn’t matter which company it is from. This was evident during the most recent Blood and Guts match with Claudio Castagnoli and Jake Hager. The duo were once a very popular tag team in WWE. They got to share a moment together during the bout, reminding people of their history.
The newest AEW signee recently had an interview with NBC Sports Boston. He was asked if their moment together was designed to remind people of the history of The Real Americans. Replying to it, Claudio mentioned how it’s one of the things that excited him about AEW. He explained that it’s cool that the promotion rewards people for being invested:
‘That’s The Beauty About It’: Claudio Castagnoli
“That was another fantastic thing, when I wanted to join AEW, was look at everybody there. I have history with pretty much everybody. If not, there is something we can do, there is something that we can create here. It was one of those [moments]. Blood and Guts, me and Hager ended up in the ring. And why not?
There is history there, why ignore it? That’s the beauty about it. I feel a lot of times stuff gets ignored because [officials think] ‘I don’t know, people don’t remember.’ No, people remember.” said Claudio Castagnoli, “Especially wrestling fans. They have such good memories. They come up to me with stuff that I have forgotten.
He continued, “It’s one of those easter eggs. If you don’t know please go look it up and if you know this is for you. I mean it’s not that big of an easter egg because I feel like it’s pretty well known. That was the cool part. It’s just there is history with everybody and with Hager there is definitely that history. I thought it was fun and that people get to have fun with it. [They] chanted, probably pissed off Jericho, chanted it again. [it] made me happy. It’s very cool to see that people are invested [and] that people are rewarded for being invested.”
You can check out Claudio Castagnoli’s full interview below:
For many members of the WWE Universe, Alexa Bliss is a highlight of the company’s weekly programming.
Having joined the main roster in 2016, Bliss captured the SmackDown Women’s Championship that same year, and would become Raw Women’s Champion the following year.
In 2019 and 2020, Bliss would capture the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships with Nikki A.S.H, then Nikki Cross, completing the main-roster WWE triple crown.
A New Champion
Bliss may have held gold in the past, but the past few years have seen Bliss appear without championship gold.
That dry streak ended during this week’s Raw, as Bliss captured, albeit briefly the 24/7 Championship.
During a six-woman tag that saw Bliss, Asuka and Dana Brooke face Nikki A.S.H, Doudrop and Tamina Snuka, several title changes took place.
First, Akira Tozawa pinned Brooke to win the title, before Nikki pinned him to win the gold.
Bliss would pin her former Tag Team partner to win, marking her first reign as WWE 24/7 Champion.
Alexa’s reign was ended quickly by Doudrop, who would lose the title to Tamina before Brooke regained the gold, ending the title changes.
Bliss’ win marks the end of a 783-day title drought for the Raw Superstar.
Bliss’ two-year drought
Bliss may have spent over two years without a single championship to her name, but she was also featured in one of WWE’s biggest storylines during that time.
After losing the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships, Bliss would enter a program with Bray Wyatt, before turning on the former Universal Champion at WrestleMania 37.
It’s no secret that Sasha Banks and Bayley are good friends. The two female competitors were recently spotted together at a public event.
The wrestling stars were spotted chatting with each other at a concert in Orlando. The two later also took pictures with some other friends attending the show.
This is Sasha Banks’ first public sighting with a WWE star since she walked out of the Vince McMahon-owned promotion and was subsequently released:
Sasha and Bayley at a concert in Orlando yesterday
For those who don’t know, both Banks and Naomi walked out of the May 16 Raw. They were reportedly frustrated with the creative directions for the Women’s Tag Team Titles, among other things.
WWE buried the then champions on the red-branded show that night. The officials also stripped them of the titles which they reportedly handed over to John Laurinaitis on their way out.
There has been no update on the future of Naomi. She is still under contract with the company but there is no word on if the female star has any plans of returning.
It appears that AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill has had enough of the social media negativity. She has deactivated her Twitter account.
This isn’t the first time the current champion has deactivated her Twitter. She turned off her account on the social site back in December 2021 as well.
At the time, Cargill had explained her move on Instagram. She had noted that she was spending too much time on social media, so she decided to leave at least one of the platforms. Since she made money on Instagram, Jade chose Twitter:
“Goodbye Twitter. I was spending wayyyyyy too much time on social. One of my social apps had to go. I make money on IG. So that was easy. 15 mins turned into 30. Wasn’t getting anything done. Lol deactivating was the best thing.“
Jade Cargil recently crossed 500 days in her undefeated streak in AEW on July 16. For comparison, Goldberg’s legendary undefeated streak at the start of his WCW career lasted a total of 462 days.
The AEW star made her in-ring debut back in March 2021. She teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal to defeat Cody Rhodes and Red Velvet in her debut match.
The female star became the Inaugural TBS champion during the January 5 edition of Dynamite. She defeated Ruby Soho in the finals of the TBS championship tournament.
Kevin Owens finally returned on Monday Night Raw this week from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida after not appearing on the show since the June 20 episode.
The former Universal champion was scheduled to compete in a Money In The Bank match against Ezekiel, Elias, or Elrod on the show.
However, the bout was cancelled by the officials and replaced with a last-chance battle royal without any explanation. Riddle won this battle royal and Owens had been absent from WWE programming ever since.
Kevin Owens Explains
The former NXT champion finally made his return during tonight’s show. He held a new edition of KO show with Riddle as his guest.
During the segment Kevin Owens explained that he went on a nature retreat because he was going crazy due to his obsession with Ezekiel.
The Raw star claimed that the time away helped him gain perspective and he doesn’t care about Ezekiel or Elias anymore. He mentioned that he still wants them to fail.
The real reason behind Owens’ absence from WWE programming is still unknown. Some speculate that he was down with an illness but it doesn’t appear to be the case since Kevin was seen at the NHL Draft earlier this month.
Brock Lesnar has turned out to be one of the biggest stars the pro wrestling industry has ever seen. However, Vince McMahon wasn’t thrilled with his signing at first when he found out how much they were paying him.
Current AEW commentator Jim Ross talked about his time as the WWE’s Head of Talent Relations on the latest episode of his Grilling JR podcast.
Speaking about signing Lesnar, Ross revealed that they had initially contracted him for $250,000 a year. Per the former WWE star, the boss wasn’t happy when he found out about this:
“When I told him what I was going to pay Brock Lesnar, he looked at me like I was insane, and he was pissed because I think my first offer to Lesnar that I was going to sign him for was [$250,000]
I think Rock got a million.” revealed Jim Ross, “But they’re on this deal where you get paid by your performance, or on your performance, and much sooner than later, those guys are blowing those numbers away.”
The wrestling veteran later claimed that it was the same story with Chris Jericho. According to him, they initially paid less money to Jericho than he earned in WCW.
Ross told Chris that he will do alright if he was as good as he thought. Y2J was soon making a seven-figure salary in WWE.
Michael Elgin has admitted that he was detained in Japan, but the former ROH star is disputing the claim that it was due to him stealing protein powder.
It all started when the former Impact wrestling star missed a couple of Pro Wrestling Noah events on July 9th and 10th. The statement from the company addressed his absence but didn’t reveal the reason behind it.
A report that came out earlier last week then claimed that Elgin had been arrested for stealing protein powder and that he was still in custody.
The wrestling star initially disputed these claims on Twitter. He then posted a lengthy statement on Facebook earlier today, stating that he didn’t steal anything.
Michael Elgin’s Statement
The Canadian star admitted that he was taken into custody for questioning on an issue. Michael Elgin revealed that he couldn’t inform Noah because the police didn’t allow it:
“I was not deported, I was not banned from the country and I took my originally booked flight of today since my work visa was only valid for 3 months, I arrived in Japan in April. DO THE MATH.
Now, I was indeed questioned about an issue. This did make me unable to let NOAH know I could not appear on 7/9 and 7/10 events.”
Elgin further stated that the police let him go after looking into the issue. If he was guilty of any offense, he would have been held for 2 months awaiting trial.
Michael Elgin has since explained the situation to Noah officials. He has returned to the United States after his work visa expired. You can check out his full statement here.
The women’s Money In The Bank match this year made more headlines for various botches and missteps than anything else but Alexa Bliss feels what’s important is that they are all safe.
The former women’s champion recently had an interview with Metro. She talked about WWE’s most recent PPV in detail.
Speaking about the criticism their ladder match received, Bliss claimed that all the competitors felt good after the match and they are all safe.
“Everyone felt good, we’re all safe – which is what’s important, It was a chaotic day from start to finish. We all got through it, we all had fun. We were all really happy for Liv – it’s her time, it’s long overdue.”
The one thing that did get a positive reaction was Liv Morgan’s win. Alexa Bliss mentioned that the match wouldn’t have been perceived as well if someone else had won the whole thing:
“If it was anyone else, I don’t think the match would have [been] perceived as well. We wanted to see Liv win, and the crowd wanted to see Liv win. She’s the choice,”
Bliss also discussed how Morgan deserves the win and the spot she is in now. The Goddess mentioned that the current SmackDown women’s champion has trained very hard and she is very passionate about what she does.
