The wrestling world is still coming to terms with the news of Braun Strowman’s WWE release. Going from competing in the main event and challenging for the world title, to being released in just a few months.
If I leave here tomorrow Would you still remember me? For I must be traveling on now 'Cause there's too many places I've got to see!!!! @Skynyrdpic.twitter.com/zkGvlRwkPi
— The Monster of all Monsters (@Adamscherr99) June 5, 2021
However, Strowman is not the first superstar to sign a big-money deal only to find the rug pulled out from under them.
Talking in a recent interview with SK Wrestling, Erick Redbeard (formerly known as Erick Rowan) had some words of encouragement for his former Wyatt Family brother.
“You know, a year ago, I was in the same position,” Rowan said. “That’s what you get when you sign that big-money contract. It’s not guaranteed money, man! [laughs]. Nothing in this world is guaranteed. Just get back on, just get back on the horse and keep moving on, man.”
The World is Braun Strowman’s Oyster Right Now
There has been no word yet as to where Braun Strowman is going to head, but he would be an asset to any promotion. The monster among men brings a draw that not many can match these days. Having grown exponentially in recent years. This is in terms of physique, in-ring and mic skills, as well as general character development.
There are many interesting potential feuds for the big man, depending on where Braun Strowman decides to go next. It’s not inconceivable that he and Erick Redbeard could end up on the same card someday in the future.
Since leaving WWE, Erick has refrained from signing with anybody. He did make a single once-off appearance for AEW at the Brodie Lee tribute show. Recently, Redbeard has confirmed he has reached an agreement with a company, but the details have yet to be confirmed. One thing is for sure, any match involving him, and Braun Strowman would have a huge draw, especially with the history the pair share. The Brodie Lee connection would also make it an emotional moment for sure.
Since debuting on NXT, Johnny Gargano has seen his character change a few times. From his heel role in DIY to the ultimate babyface with the Undisputed Era. Now, as leader of The Way, he is seeing his character develop in a way nobody would have predicted.
Playing the role of your stereotypical sitcom dad, alongside (real-life) wife Candice LeRae and their ‘children’ Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell. The heel stable has really taken on a life of its own since forming, changing drastically from the original concept.
Talking to Ryan Satin’s on his Out of Character podcast, Gargano discussed the group’s evolution.
“When I pitched this whole faction idea, trust me, the whole sitcom family thing was not something I pitched,” Johnny explained. “It came when we filmed the Christmas special. Everyone was just kinda interacting with one another. We would joke around a lot and call Austin and Indi our kids because they kinda looked like big versions of ourselves that we made in a lab. So we would call them our kids, and it just kinda became something that kinda took off on-screen, and that just became our dynamic.”
According to Johnny Gargano, the group have really embraced the sitcom theme now, and are really pushing it to see how far they can go. Ever the professional, Gargano was eager to talk about the way the faction has allowed his ‘children’ Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell to grow and develop their skills.
For Johnny Gargano, the future is looking bright indeed, as he prepares for a chance to win his second NXT championship. Taking on Karrion Kross, Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne and Adam Cole in a Fatal-5-Way at the upcoming In Your House PPV.
Wrestling is a dangerous business. Tyson Kidd is a wrestler who knows this better than many others. After suffering a serious, career-ending injury back in 2015, he was forced to accept his in-ring career was over. However, Kidd was not done with wrestling.
A product of the legendary Hart Dungeon, Tyson Kidd got back on his feet and is helping keep the Hart training legacy alive.
Talking in a recent interview alongside the legend, Bret ‘the Hitman’ Hart, Kidd talked about his transition from in-ring talent to coach. Recently, Kidd had the pleasure of watching one of his trainees claim their first title in WWE.
Not only that, but they did is alongside his wife, Natalya. A natural teacher, Tyson Kidd has always been one to share knowledge, and help others improve.
“I was kind of training Tamina on the road since 2010. She’s been this very long-term project of mine. She’s such a great person, and it’s so easy to open up and want to help her. It’s so easy to do.” Kidd said when talking on a recent episode of WWE’s The Bump.
Alongside his role as a coach and mentor, Tyson Kidd has also excelled in the role of producer. He is working exclusively as a producer for women’s matches in WWE, and it is a role he loves.
“I fell into and started producing more and more women’s matches until it became exclusive now. But I love it. It’s so much more than my own career. It’s more sentimental. Not to take away from my own career, but what I’m doing now is not even close. The comparison is not even close.”
Tyson Kidd’s wrestling career may be over, but his career in wrestling is just getting started.
There have been signs pointing towards an imminent return for Brock Lesnar but the company hasn’t planned his return to WWE TV as of now.
Dave Meltzer talked about the former universal champion on the latest episode of Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast and discussed the chatter about the Beast Incarnate’s return to WWE programming.
There have been a lot of rumors about Lesnar potentially returning for a SummerSlam match against Bobby Lashley. However, Meltzer revealed that as of now, there are no plans for this match to take place at the show.
WWE chairman Vince McMahon will be the one making the decision about his return. A match with Lashley could take place at any time but the company has not made the call for the former world champion’s return as of last week.
Meltzer also interestingly noted that there are people within the company who do not want Brock Lesnar to return until Roman Reigns is ready to feud with him.
There is no word yet on when this fight could take place but a match between the two clients of Paul Heyman would be an encounter worthy of a SummerSlam or WrestleMania level event.
Brock Lesnar was recently moved back to the list of active WWE superstars but it seems we will have to wait some more for his actual return to WWE TV. Stay tuned for more updates on the situation.
Johnny Gargano is one of the biggest names on the NXT roster. The leader of The Way, he was also part of the biggest faction in NXT history with Undisputed Era. He is a three-time North American Champion, a former NXT Champion and a tag-team champion. He is the first-ever NXT triple crown champion.
His NXT legacy is cemented. Yet, there is one feud in particular that Gargano credits for building his NXT career. During an appearance on the Out of Character podcast, Johnny Gargano credited DIY versus The Revival (FTR) for starting his NXT career.
“And then obviously, our work with Revival [Cash Wheeler & Dax Harwood]. I cannot say enough good things about that. That really cemented us and really kind of — that was obviously our first TakeOver. TakeOver: Brooklyn at the Barclays Center was our first one and to go in there with those guys and to have that match, I don’t think I’d be sitting here today if that match didn’t go the way it did.”
Gargano continued, “I think that match went so well, it made them realize like, ‘Oh, wait a minute, we might have something special here with these guys and obviously the rest is history. But to be able to do that in Brooklyn then have the 2-out-of-3 Falls in Toronto, we were made men from those matches.”
The two matches between DIY and The Revival introduced the NXT universe to Johnny Gargano. Since debuting, his character has evolved, his style has evolved. The sky is the limit for Gargano, and exciting times are surely ahead.
There has been some speculation about Jaxson Ryker turning heel in the near future after his split with Elias but latest reports suggest that this is not the case.
According to reports from PWinsider, the plan moving forward is for the former forgotten sons member to continue working as a babyface, while his former partner plays the heel role.
After being taken off TV for several months due to a controversial tweet, Jaxson Ryker made his return to WWE programming in December last year. He aligned himself with Elias upon his return.
He continued teaming with the drifter until last month. Elias walked out on his partner during a tag team match against AJ Styles and Omos on the May 31 episode of Raw, effectively ending their tag team.
This week’s episode of the show then saw Ryker debuting a new look matching the Raw star’s new gimmick as an Iraq war veteran with PTSD.
The former NXT star had a match with his former partner on the show. The bout saw him picking up a count-out victory after Elias walked out of the match.
It’s interesting that WWE intends to present Jaxson Ryker as a babyface despite his past issues. We would have to wait and see what the company has planned for his future.
Like him or loathe him, Paul Heyman is a man who knows wrestling. He has been involved in the wrestling business since he was 21 years old. Now, 35 years later he is still a major name. His allegiance to first Brock Lesnar and now Roman Reigns has shaped a character in both himself and the wrestlers he manages that will live on long in the memories of wrestling fans.
Talking in a recent High Spots Virtual Q&A session, Paul Heyman was asked which superstars he felt were most undervalued for their mic skills.
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Heyman wasted no time in giving his answer. Naming a tag team as one of the most underrated talents in WWE right now. Talking about The Street Profits, Paul Heyman was quick to claim that the duo was great but also had so much more still to offer.
“The Street Profits. They get a lot of credit for being great promos, I don’t think they’ve even scratched the surface of how great they are yet. Both of them. The rhythm between the two of them is just magic,” Heyman said.
The Street Profits have become firm fan favourites during their time with WWE. Their chemistry on the mic extending deep into their in-ring skills also. The Street Profits are only the second tag team to have held all three WWE tag-team belts.
Paul Heyman also reserved praise for two NXT superstars. Citing both Austin Idol and Armando Estrada as being exciting prospects on the mic.
This is high praise, coming from Paul Heyman, who cuts some of the best promos in the business.
Indie star Camron Clay made her debut on NXT TV during this week’s episode of the show. The newcomer was dubbed as Amari Miller upon her arrival.
Amari Miller took on her Twitter after the show to react to her debut for the black and yellow brand. She thanked NXT and fellow development star Zayda Ramier in a tweet:
This week’s Takeover go-home episode of the show saw Mercedes Martinez coming out to the ring. She had a scheduled match against the newest NXT star but she was attacked by Xia Li before the bout.
Li tried to soften her future opponent before their upcoming match at Takeover but Martinez managed to fight her off. She then asked the referee to start the match against Miller.
Unfortunately for the new NXT star, Mercedes Martinez was able to pick up the victory in the bout. She was able to squash her opponent and Martinez pinned her rival after a few moves.
The star who has gone by the names such as Camron Clay, Camron Connors, and Camron Bra’Nae in the past was signed by WWE earlier this year. She joined the Performance Center in February.
Miller had been wrestling for almost 5 years before her signing with the promotion. She has previously worked for companies such as EVOLVE and WWN Live. She also made a SmackDown appearance as an enhancement talent in October 2019 where she lost a match to Lacey Evans.
Lio Rush made the announcement of his retirement from professional wrestling earlier today and now Tony Khan has commented on his decision. All Elite Wrestling reacted to the surprising announcement by releasing a statement on social sites, which featured the comments from their owner and president.
In the statement as seen below, Khan revealed that Rush had shared his plans with him before going public with it. Tony Khan also claimed that while the news was unexpected, he is glad that Lio has made a choice that will make him happy:
“Lio Rush reached out to me today, and he shared that he’d planned to announce his retirement from pro wrestling tonight. While this news was unexpected, I’m glad that he’s made a choice that he’s confident will make him and his family happy. Lio is a great talent, and I enjoyed briefly working with him, and I absolutely wish him the best.”
Lio Rush had made his debut for All Elite Wrestling just last month. He was revealed as a surprise entrant in the casino battle royal during the Double Or Nothing PPV on May 30. Tony Khan had even expressed interest in bringing the former WWE star back to his promotion for future appearances.
However, Rush made a surprising announcement earlier today. He made a lengthy post on Instagram and explained that a recent injury has forced him to reflect on his career and think about his future. The NJPW star then revealed that he has made the decision to retire from active competition.
NWA President Billy Corgan recently appeared on Talk Is Jericho podcast where he discussed the various aspects of running a wrestling promotion in detail.
The Smashing Pumpkins star first opened up about when he bought the company in May 2017 and discussed how he was coming from the whole debacle with TNA at the time.
Billy Corgan then interestingly revealed that WWE was offered to buy the promotion at a time but the company declined the offer:
“And then I purchased NWA. Crazily enough, it was owned by one person. It was so devalued. He tried to sell it to everybody. Nobody wanted it, as far as I know. He certainly offered it to WWE. They thought it was so worthless that they didn’t even just buy it just to take it off the market.”
Corgan also discussed the initial negative reactions when he first acquired the promotion. He admitted that at one point he even thought about starting a new company instead but he ultimately decided against it.
Apart from this, Billy Corgan commented on topics such as navigating things through the pandemic, how he was paying the wrestlers even when the company was not producing content and more.
The best in the world debate has heated up in recent weeks. NXT star Kyle O’Reilly has his own pick for the mantle which is different than the other names. The former undisputed era member recently had an interview with DAZN where he talked about a number of things including his run in NXT and more.
When asked who he thinks is the best in the world right now, O’Reilly took the name of the former universal and NXT champion Finn Balor, saying that he is the guy who has done everything:
“I think Finn Balor is, He’s a guy who’s done everything. (He’s) a former Universal champion. For whatever reason, he came back to NXT and has just helped elevate every single guy that he’s wrestled in NXT. He’s helped elevate the brand of NXT just by him being here,
And by him putting everything into his work, delivering, and busting his ass when he certainly didn’t have to. I think his work definitely speaks for itself because everything he’s done has just been top-notch. I know myself, I’ve learned a lot getting to wrestle Finn.”
“For my money, I’d say Finn Balor is at the top of that list right now.” – Kyle O’Reilly
Apart from this, the former tag team champion discussed things such as his upcoming NXT Takeover match, the influence of Shawn Michaels and more.
Kyle O’Reilly is currently scheduled to compete in a fatal five-way match for the NXT championship at the TakeOver: In Your House event this Sunday. He will be competing alongside names such as Pete Dunne, Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, and the current champion Karrion Kross.
Aleister Black has been announced for a meet and greet appearance in November. This is the first announced appearance for the former NXT champion after his recent release from WWE.
The announcement was made by Rack Attack Promotions on their Facebook page. They confirmed his appearance for their upcoming The Big Event show.
The event will be taking place on Saturday, November 13 in East Elmhurst, NY, from the LaGuardia Airport Marriott. Aleister Black will be present from 10 am to 2 pm at the convention.
The combo ticket for the meet and greet event are listed at $70. This includes a photo with the former WWE star and an autograph on the item fans bring.
As expected, Black is being promoted as Tommy End. It is the indie name the former NXT star used before his signing with the promotion in 2016.
The former WWE star was released from his contract on June 2, alongside some other surprising names such as the former universal champion Braun Strowman.
Though Aleister Black has stated that his release was on friendly terms. He has claimed that he was on good terms with the boss Vince McMahon and expressed interest in returning to the company later down the road.
This week’s episode of NXT saw one-half of the current NXT tag team champion Candice LeRae continuing her rivalry with singing star Poppy.
She occupied the ring during a segment on the show and said that she was tired of the Grammy-nominated singer. LeRae mentioned how Poppy hijacked her interview last week.
The current champion then called Poppy out and demanded an apology for her recent actions. The lights went out and Poppy came out with her entrance music.
Though she didn’t get in the ring and Poppy stayed on the stage instead. She said that she doesn’t wrestle but she knows someone who does. Then the music of Io Shirai surprised the fans.
The Japanese star then made her return and unloaded on LeRae. She took down Candice and Shirai then hit a 619 on her rival as the fans cheered.
The returning star delivered a missile dropkick, forcing Candice LeRae out of the ring. The segment ended with Io Shirai and Poppy standing tall in the ring as LeRae retreated on the stage.
This is Io Shirai’s first appearance for the brand since the NXT Takeover: Stand & Deliver event in early April. She dropped the NXT women’s title to Raquel González on the show, ending her 304 days reign as the champion.
The June 8, 2021 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
WWE NXT Results
Oney Lorcan def. Austin Theory.
Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott (w/Hit Row) def. Killian Dain (w/Drake Maverick).
Mercedes Martinez def. an enhancement talent
Grizzled Young Veterans (James Drake & Zack Gibson) def. August Grey & Ikemen Jiro.
Ember Moon def. Dakota Kai due to interference from Raquel Gonzalez.
Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:
Ted DiBiase’s Priceless Announcement
WWE had advertised that Ted DiBiase would make a “priceless” announcement concerning both Cameron Grimes and LA Knight.
The WWE Hall of Famer was in the ring and brought out Grimes and Knight. DiBiase told Knight and Grimes that they will be in a Ladder Match at Takeover this Sunday where the winner will become the new Million Dollar Champion.
A golden ladder was lowered down to the ring. Knight said he would do anything to prove that he is the right man for this role. Grimes said that he’s not a hillbilly, but is the man between the ropes inside of the ring. He said that he would take the million dollar legacy straight to the moon.
Killian Dain vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott was set up last week when an angle took place before last week’s show.
WWE uploaded a video where Drake Maverick got into a confrontation with Hit Row. Thus, Dain stepped in and told Scott that if he has a problem with Maverick, he has a problem with him too.
The Hit Row group formed on NXT last month that features Ashante “Thee” Adonis, and B-Fab. Top Dolla (AJ Francis) and B-Fab (Briana Brandy).
Last week, Hit Row cut a promo by stating that it’s time for them to go after gold whether that’s the NXT Championship, NXT North American Championship, NXT Tag Team Titles, or NXT Cruiserweight Championship.
The match saw various instances of outside inference from Hit Row including Top Rolla taking out Maverick. Scott got the win with a dropkick in the corner.
Oney Lorcan vs. Austin Theory took place and was set up last week as they were with two of the wrestlers who will be taking part in the fatal five-way match for the NXT Championship at TakeOver: In Your House.
Last week after the Pete Dunne vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Kyle O’Reilly match was ended short thanks to outside inference from Adam Cole, there was a segment in the trainers’ room. Both stars said their stablemate would’ve won the match if it wasn’t for Cole then their guy would’ve won the match and go onto challenge NXT Champion Karrion Kross. They got into a pushing match before being separated by officials.
The match opened the show and saw Lorcan work over the left leg of Theory. During the match, Gargano and Dunne got into a brawl at ringside. Lorcan won with his finisher.
Ember Moon vs. Dakota Kai in a singles match took place.
This was part of the final build to Moon challenging for Raquel Gonzalez’s NXT Women’s Championship at TakeOver: In Your House this Sunday.
Two weeks ago, Moon & Shotzi Blackheart defeated Gonzalez & Kai in a tag team match. However, after the match, the heels attacked the babyfaces. Last week, Moon made it clear that she wanted revenge and called out Gonzalez. They brawled with the segment ending thanks to an ambush by Kai on Moon Moon and beat her down.
The back and forth match ended in a DQ when Gonzalez attacked Moon. This was the main event of the show and a really fun match. The heels beat down Moon until Moon mounted a comeback and stood tall.
WWE had only announced that Grammy-nominated pop-rock and nu-metal artist Poppy would make her return to NXT as she appeared on the show. So what did she do?
WWE followed up on the angle done last week when Candice LeRae asked why they keep letting Poppy come back to NXT and questioned whether she wants to be the next Bad Bunny. Thus, LeRae told Poppy to grow up. On that same show, LeRae & Indi Hartwell defeated Zoey Stark & Zayda Ramier in a non-title match.
Poppy has appeared on NXT multiple times in the past and most recently performed at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver this April.
On the show, there was a backstage segment with Triple H, William Regal, Poppy and Dexter Lumis where Lumis and Poppy ended up hugging. As a result, when Heartwell walked in and saw this, she freaked out and left.
Poppy was there to announce the release of her new album that is now out.
Later in the show, LeRae called out Poppy for hurting Heartwell. Poppy said she doesn’t wrestle but knows someone who does. This led to Poppy bringing out the returning Io Shirai, who got into a brawl with LeRae.
Shirai laid out LeRae and cleared the ring to stand tall with Poppy to end the segment.
Shirai had been off TV after saying she was taking a break following the end of her title reign at the hands of Raquel Gonzalez in the main event of Night 1 of TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.
The final build for the TakeOver: In Your House Fatal 5 Way Match between NXT Champion Karrion Kross, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunne and Johnny Gargano was interesting.
At the end of the show, Kross did a promo about how everyone has the chance to be in the ring with him. He said that now is the chance to take him out and don’t wait.
After a commercial break, William Regal told Kross this wasn’t happening now. Kross said that Regal doesn’t run NXT and the show has been out of control for a long time. Kross told him that he is in his world. This led to all of the challengers coming out and doing promos except for Cole, who appeared on the big screen. They all talked about becoming champion.
A brawl broke out with Kross standing tall until Cole came out and hit him with superkicks to close the show.
Lio Rush dropped the surprising news of his retirement from pro wrestling on Tuesday night.
The former WWE star issued the following statement on his Instagram account to explain his decision:
“I have written and erased this post so many times purely out of not being able to wrap my head around this. The moment I went home in a sling, I kept saying to myself “this was like any other time I got a little bruise or strain and I will shrug it off and continue on my new journey”. Once the pain subsided and I started to feel just how uncomfortable it was to feel my arm hanging from my body, I sunk into an immediate and rapidly growing depression because I knew something was wrong…
Got the news that I’d be taking some time off due to this injury. Me thinking it would only affect my wrestling obligations, I still tried to go on about my days as I knew them. I realized just how much this would affect my everyday life. For anyone who knows me, you know that I work endlessly for me and my family. It became more and more frustrating everyday finding little things that I could no longer do. Like simply putting on a shirt and a much harder fact to deal with, not being able to pick up my newborn son…
Now here comes the part that kept me up every night since #DoubleOrNothing Knowing that I just made my surprise debut in one of the most exciting times in my career. That part sucked. But I’m grateful. Grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had this past year after my WWE release. So cool of #AEW still wanting to sign me despite separating my AC in the Casino Battle Royal. Which would have lead to me being the first person in history to be signed to two major wrestling organizations simultaneously. This is an unexpected turn down a road I would have and could have never saw coming…
But I’m looking at this as a blessing in disguise. Since the injury, it’s given me some time to think. Think about what I want in life. What I want for my wife and my kids, and what’s going to make me happy as far as my mental health is concerned. The timing of this injury has forced me to stop and re-evaluate and ultimately it’s resulted in making the decision to retire from professional wrestling…
Thank you to the fans who have fought it out with me for the past 7 years and the people in my corner. Thank you to all the promoters and friends that I’ve met along the way who believe in me and my vision. This has been a great ride, but it’s time to get off and do what truly makes me happy. Due to contractual obligations with NJPW, I will be making final appearances once I am healed. But for now, thank you all from the bottom of my heart and I’ll see you all soon.
Rush was released from WWE last year along with several other wrestlers due to budget cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic. He continued his career by working for MLW and had been wrestling for NJPW.
Rush made his promotional debut for AEW by being the mystery entrant in the Casino Battle Royale at the Double or Nothing pay-per-view event. Because NJPW has a working relationship with AEW, New Japan Pro Wrestling allowed Rush to work for All Elite Wrestling.
Rush also retweeted this graphic to promote his match on Friday’s NJPW Strong.
WWE decided to have Ted DiBiase bring back the Million Dollar Title.
It was first noted on the Mat Men Pro Wrestling podcast that WWE had plans to bring back the Million Dollar Belt. This is during a time where the WWE Hall of Famer has been inserted into a storyline with Cameron Grimes and LA Knight.
The two stars have been in a conflict over who should have the honor of carrying on the Million Dollar legacy of DiBiase’s.
Grimes will battle LA Knight in a match at Sunday’s NXT TakeOver: In Your House in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
Tuesday’s episode of NXT had an advertisement of the WWE Legend making a “priceless” announcement and indeed he did as all three men were in the ring. He had a golden ladder lowered down to the ring. Grimes and Knight cut promos about each other about how they deserved to have the right to carry on the million dollar legacy.
This is where it was announced that the match between them would be a ladder bout. Grimes was confused as to what he would be reaching for when he climbed the ladder. Two security guards with bulletproof vests came out with a briefcase that had the gorgeous title belt inside of it. The winner of this match will become the Million Dollar Champion.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House.
The NXT North American and Tag Team Titles will be on the line in a six-man tag match pitting NXT Tag Team Champions MSK and North American Champion Bronson Reed vs. Legado del Fantasma.
The winning team will walk away with the titles. The two teams have been feuding for the last month on NXT TV.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: In Your House event on Sunday, June 13, 2021 in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center and will air on the WWE Network. Here is the updated card:
Updated WWE NXT TakeOver: In Your House Card
WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Pete Dunne vs. Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole – Fatal Five Way Match
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez vs. Ember Moon
LA Knight vs. Cameron Grimes – Million Dollar Title Ladder Match
Xia Li vs. Mercedes Martinez
NXT Tag Team Champions MSK and North American Champion Bronson Reed vs. Legado del Fantasma – Six-Man Tag Team Winners Take All Match
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Aleister Black has given his first public comments about WWE releasing his wife, Zelina Vega, last year. Back in November, there were reports that Vega breached her WWE contract by creating ‘OnlyFans’ account and charging subscribers $30 per month for premium content.
Vega was also an active Twitch streamer and noncompliant with WWE’s new policy that has talent hand over third-party accounts. Black was still with the company until he was released on June 2nd due to budget cuts.
Black spoke about Vega’s release during an appearance on Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast.
“Two weeks before I came back and hit Big E, I sat down with Vince and he was like, ‘Are you ready?’ One week later, I’m sitting in the gym and I see a name on the phone calling me. It was a distinct voice and this person also didn’t understand why I was let go. It was a sense of relief. They let my wife go, under reasons that are questionable. Everything got sorted out and is fine, but they called me and said, ‘We understand this is putting you in a tough spot.’ Nope, this is my career, I spoke about it with her and this is business between you and her. Does Tom, her husband have an opinion on it? Sure. Does Aleister Black the professional? Nope. He’s ready to go to work and create. She agreed,” he said.
It was reported last month that Vega was at the WWE Performance Center with plans for her to return to the company. Neither Vega or WWE has confirmed the plans just yet.
The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) will host an all-women’s pay-per-view this summer, NWA EMPOWERRR. Wrestling legend Mickie James will serve as Executive Producer for this historic event.
NWA EMPOWERRR will take place Friday, August 28th from St Louis, Missouri. The event will stream live on FITE.TV.
The multi-time women’s champion made a surprise appearance on this week’s NWA Powerrr to announce the show. James spoke passionately about the significance of this project:
"This is something I've wanted to do for a very, very, VERY long time" @mickiejames will executive produce the FIRST all-women's NWA PPV pic.twitter.com/LMi3tlKT5p
NWA EMPOWERRR will be part of a double-header for Billy Corgan’s legacy wrestling league. The following night, NWA 73rd Anniversary show will also take place from St. Louis.
The NWA’s Women’s Division includes new NWA Women’s Champion Camille, Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb, Melina, Kylie Rae and more.
Based on comments by Mickie James, the NWA will be outsourcing talent from other promotions for the pay-per-view.
If you want to do business with me. I want to do business with you. Calling in favors. Calling in friends. Thank you! @nwa#EMPOWERRR
Monday’s edition of WWE Raw averaged 1.640 million viewers with a 0.48 rating in the Adults 18-49 demographic. This is up from last week’s 1.557 million viewers and the 0.44 rating.
Last week was the lowest viewed episode of Raw in 2021 thus far, which beat the previous record low back on March 29th with 1.701 million viewers. Here’s the hourly viewership breakdown for Monday Night Raw, courtesy of PWTorch:
The first hour did 1.667 million viewers
The second hour did 1.651 million viewers
The final hour of the show had just 1.602 million viewers
To compare, last week’s hourly viewership numbers were 1.536 million viewers in the first hour, 1.549 million viewers in the second hour, and the third hour had 1.586 million viewers.
This episode featured Bobby Lashley & Drew McIntyre took part in a contract signing to make their WWE Title match official at Hell in a Cell, Shayna Baszler went to Alexa Bliss’ playground, andRK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle), The New Day (Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods), Mace & T-Bar, Lucha House Party (Gran Metalik & Lince Dorado), and The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) in a five-team battle royal.
SmackDown Viewership
The episode drew an average of 1.800 million viewers in the overnight ratings, up from the previous week that did 1.755 million viewers. In the 18-49 demographic, it did a 0.50 rating, which was up from the 0.40 rating the week before.
The NWA is fresh off its latest pay-per-view event and is now looking ahead to the future.
Fightful Select reported the promotion has been working on and plans to announce an all-women’s pay-per-view.
The promotion confirmed the news on Tuesday’s Powerrr episode. It will take place on August 28th and Mickie James will be an executive producer for it. There will also be the 73rd Anniversary pay-per-view event the following day.
James was released from WWE along with Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Samoa Joe and several more performers in April. James’ husband, Nick Aldis, is the NWA world Heavyweight Champion.
?BREAKING NEWS?@Billy just announced that the @nwa is returning to St. Louis for 2? PPVs
?? August 28th will be an ALL WOMEN'S PPV with @MickieJames as the executive producer. ?? August 29th will have #NWA73 Anniversary PPV.#NWAPowerrr
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the promotion didn’t hold events for the majority of 2020 and allowed their talent to appear for other promotions such All Elite Wrestling to make up for dates.
The partnership saw the likes of Thunder Rosa and Serena Deeb work various matches for AEW. Rosa got the chance to headline an episode of AEW Dynamite and be featured on various AEW pay-per-view events. Deeb had also defended the NWA Women’s Championship in AEW including at the Double Or Nothing show against Riho.
This past weekend, the National Wrestling Alliance held their When Our Shadows Fall pay-per-view event where Deeb dropped the title to Kamille.
At this same show, it was revealed that former AEW and Impact wrestler Kylie Rae had signed with the NWA. This came after Rae had announced her retirement from the pro wrestling business.
Steve Cutler, aka Steve Maclin, was Tommy Dreamer’s guest on the House of Hardcore podcast this weekend. During the discussion, Maclin spoke about what got him into wrestling, joining the Marines, and his recent release from WWE.
Maclin talked about how 9/11 impacted his decision to join the Marines during the podcast.
“In high school, 9/11 happened when I was a freshman. So that was the big impactful moment for me just because it instilled for me to want to go into the military at a young age,” Maclin said. “My Mom and my Dad fought with me at that time. Around 2005 when I graduated, Iraq was really bad so they said ‘please just try college for a year.’ So I said ‘no problem whatsoever.'”
Maclin continued to say he had friends try to convince him to wrestle during that year at college. He always considered himself too small, however. He left college and was not happy with what he was doing.
“I dropped out college, working a full-time job and just not happy with what I was doing. I didn’t like it, I was like there’s something more and I want to do what I want to do and what I wanted to do was join the Marine core.”
He also noted that there was extra paperwork for him to join the Marines due to being an only child. Being the last of his bloodline, his parents also had to sign off even though he was 20 at the time.
“At 20 years old I joined the Marine core, November of 2007. Then got out in November of 2011. Did my 2 tours in Afghanistan. First one was in 2009 from May to November and then the second one was in January to August of 2011. I got every experience that I wanted in the military.”
When Maclin was on leave from the Marines his friend introduced him to Fred Rosser (WWE’s Darren Young at the time) who encouraged him to go into wrestling. Rosser told Maclin how to find a school when he got out of the Marines. He eventually found the Monster Factory in New Jersey. Maclin was then scouted by Gerald Biscoe about a year and a half after beginning his training.
Maclin’s full discussion with Tommy Dreamer is below.
Aleister Black, aka Tommy End, was the guest on Renee Pacquette’s Oral Sessions podcast released today. During the conversation, Renee asked Black about wrestlers outside WWE he would like to get in the ring with.
“I want to get in the ring with Moose, Callihan, Mox, Omega, Chris Daniels. My god. There is such an array of crazy talent. I think Jungle Boy is great. Hobbs, I think Hobbs is awesome. Brian Cage, Brody King from Ring of Honor. Homicide, I would love to get in there with Homicide, I think Homicide is the OG, I love Homicide, tons of respect. Eddie Kingston is another one.”
Renee then asked Black about wrestlers from NJPW he’d like to face.
“When AEW had Yuji Nagata, I was pretty envious of Mox,” Black said. “That was one of the guys that I looked up to when I was younger. New Japan would be phenomenal. I love Japan, I miss Japan, even thinking about it gives me butterflies.”
Aleister Black’s Future Plans
Black would not give away any hints as to what the future holds for his career, however.
“So, we don’t know what the future holds at this point. Well, I know a certain part of my future, but I’m not gonna spill the beans here, unfortunately. No exclusives yet.”
Also during the conversation, Black mentioned he doesn’t feel WWE focuses enough on the players around the main talent being pushed.
“I think that the issue is there is not enough focus on the people around the main people who are being pushed,” Black said on the show. “You have to have a continuous stream of people being built up, people being able to get revered by fans and being built up through the eyes of the fans so that people care.”
“Why would you not make everyone you are utilizing strong?” he continued to ask.
Sure, it wasn’t great. But after weeks upon weeks where the show has been defined by repetitive, uninspired booking, it was so refreshing to see something different. That’s exactly what fans received in the controversial main event angle with Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler and Lilly. This show-closing segment has garnered plenty of negativity, but for the first time in weeks, there’s a sense of intrigue surrounding what happens next.
Was the Baszler and Lilly segment weird, if not downright questionable? Most certainly, but it was a breath of fresh air. As a main event, it wasn’t the same old match that WWE usuall runs back the following week. This approach often leads to 50/50 booking and the sense that none of the in-ring results really matter. By doing something unexpected with Baszler and Lilly in this spot on the card, WWE left the fans guessing. After all, it’s fair to say that nobody saw that coming.
In a (seemingly) post-Fiend world, WWE brought some elements of the horror genre back to the red brand; this scene with Baszler and Lilly was right out of a scary movie, from the flickering lights to the doll’s unsettling appearance in the mirror. The show’s cliffhanger could have been executed better, as the ending itself was fairly abrupt. But anyone who is remotely interested in this storyline practically has to tune in next week, and that feeling has been absent from WWE RAW for far too long.
Aside from this divisive chapter of the Baszler and Lilly saga, this week’s episode should be considered a step in the right direction because it showcased the depth of the brand. WWE RAW has felt painfully stale lately, as it often uses the same cast of characters in the same matches in the same ways over and over again. But on Monday, WWE tried some new things.
In a way, it felt like the show utilized the majority of its roster; from Drew Gulak and Mansoor to Jeff Hardy and Nikki Cross, Monday night’s show felt deeper than the program has in weeks. But it wasn’t just the fact that these individuals were on the show; several of them were used in fresh, compelling ways.
Mansoor’s budding alliance (or rivalry, potentially) with Mustafa Ali is turning into a recurring portion of the program, and it’s allowing both men to showcase their personalities, as Ali might corrupt the naive newcomer with his lessons. It wasn’t long ago that both men were sitting in catering, so this prominence is a welcome change.
Likewise, one of the highlights of Monday’s show came in a heated exchange between Kofi Kingston and MVP. The mastermind behind the Hurt Business grilled Kingston about the downfall of KofiMania in an interaction that was filled with actual history and emotion. This segment left many fans wondering whether Kingston could align with MVP and enjoy a successful run as a heel. Again, even this hint of something different was so encouraging that it was hard not to leave this episode of WWE RAW with at least a little hope for the future.
While this week’s episode of WWE RAW wasn’t perfect by any means, it was different. And for a show that, far too often, has been plagued by monotony, that’s a welcome change.
