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WWE Money In The Bank 2021: First Look at The Set

Jake Skudder
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The WWE Money In The Bank PPV event will be taking place tonight from the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

An image has been released showing what the set will look like for the special PPV attraction, and it appears as though WWE are running with the standard set that we saw debut on SmackDown this week.

Money In The Bank will be the first WWE PPV since WrestleMania 36 to take place in front of an audience. This show will also be the first PPV event in over 70 weeks to have a capacity crowd.

There are several surprises expected to take place tonight, with the likes of John Cena, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks and even Sonya Deville (for an in-ring return) being teased.

It’s not confirmed if any of the above will be appearing, but Becky and Sasha are the most likely at this point, although Cena is being heavily rumored near showtime.

WWE Money In The Bank 2021

Here’s the full card for WWE’s Money In The Bank 2021 show that takes place on Peacock and WWE Network:

  • Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match – Ricochet vs. Riddle vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. King Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Women’s MITB Ladder Match – Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs Tamina
  • Universal Championship Match – WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs. Roman Reigns (c)
  • WWE Championship Match – Kofi Kingston vs. Bobby Lashley (c)
  • RAW Women’s Championship Match – Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (c)
  • RAW Tag Team Championship Match – AJ Styles & Omos (c) vs The Viking Raiders
  • Pre-show WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match – Dominik and Rey Mysterio vs The Usos

Check out the tweet below to see the set for tonight:

Rhea Ripley Wants a Match with WWE RAW Superstar Alexa Bliss

Jake Skudder
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WWE RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley recently spoke to The South African. The former NXT Women’s Champion discussed a number of topics during the interview, including potential matchups that she would like going forward on the RAW brand.

“Yeah, I mean, I have a lot of matches that I want to do,” Rhea Ripley would begin the interview. “Like I never got to wrestle Candice [LaRae], which is someone that I wanted to wrestle real badly.”

“So I’m hoping that one day I get to wrestle Candice, I can’t wait for more of my NXT girls to come up so I can have more fights with them” Ripley then continued. “Because it’s always lovely stepping in the ring with them. And we bring out that certain side of each other, we just know each other so well. So it really is a fight to win.”

Rhea Ripley Talks Alexa Bliss Match

Rhea Ripley would then reveal who on the RAW roster right now she would like to face, and the first name was Alexa Bliss and her ‘Fiend’ character.

“Out of the people that have here at the moment like I actually, even though she’s creepy, and you never really know what you’re gonna get from her, I wouldn’t mind stepping in the ring with Alexa Bliss” Rhea Ripley revealed.

“I know. I might regret what I’m saying right now. But she’s just so different. And I like different. And I like a challenge. And she definitely is a challenge. So Alexa Bliss will be someone that I’m curious of, and I just I wouldn’t mind stepping in the right with” the RAW Women’s Champion concluded.

Rhea Ripley will be defending her RAW Women’s Championship on tonight’s Money In The Bank PPV event which airs on Peacock and WWE Network.

Big E Comments On Possibly Winning The MITB Briefcase

Chris Stephens
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Big E recently was interviewed by Sports Illustrated to hype up him being in the Money in the Bank ladder match on tonight’s show. During the discussion, Big E spoke about what he will do if he happens to win the MITB briefcase.

“If it’s my time to grab that briefcase, I will do everything in my power to make it unique and to make it different,” he said. “It would be a new challenge, one that I would love to take on.”

Big E has never won a world championship on the main roster in WWE. Winning the MITB briefcase could put him in a position to do that, however.

“I know we often see heels in that position,” he continued. “I would love to bring a whole new energy to this.”

Big E was split up from Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston in last October’s Draft. He went to Smackdown while the rest of his trio went to RAW. Ever since, Big E has been a singles competitor on the brand.

“This is all new ground for me, and it’s such an exciting time,” said Big E. “There are going to be no regrets. I will do everything in my power to bring something special to this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

What Happened After Slammiversary Went Off The Air, Backstage Impact News

Chris Stephens
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Last night at Slammiversary, Jay White came out at the end of the night and stood in the ring with Kenny Omega, Don Callis, and the Good Brothers. The show would go off the air before fans could see if White was aligning with the Elite, however.

While it might have felt as though the show cut out early before fans had a chance to see the angle, this was the intention all along.

What happened after the show went off the air was addressed on Wrestling Observer Radio.

“I was told it went off exactly as planned,” said Dave Meltzer regarding the finish of the PPV.

Bryan Alvarez then detailed what happened after the show went off the air.

“FinJuice hit the ring and Jay White laid them out,” said Alvarez. “And apparently I guess we can watch that on TV this coming week.”

Meltzer then detailed how the angle came together.

“It’s part of the deal for getting the New Japan talent. Jay White and Finlay is the co-main event for the Los Angeles New Japan Show. So, I’m sure that we’ll see this on New Japan World, and perhaps part of the deal to get some of these guys on the show, especially Jay White, is that they get to shoot that angle for their own show.”

“It certainly would appear that there is a Kenny Omega and Jay White match coming somewhere in Impact,” Meltzer continued. “Perhaps at Bound for Glory and that’s a really interesting match.”

WWE Money In The Bank Final Card, Live Coverage

Andrew Ravens
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The card for tonight’s (Sunday, July 18, 2021) WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event has been finalized.

The company hasn’t officially announced the main event of this event that takes place in Fort Worth, Texas at Dickies Arena that will air on Peacock but it will most likely be WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge. 

As a reminder, we will be providing live play-by-play coverage of this special on Sunday evening starting at 7 PM EST. Here is the final card for the show:

Final WWE Money In The Bank Card

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Edge

WWE Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Kofi Kingston

Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Ricochet vs. Matt Riddle vs. John Morrison vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Big E vs. Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match – Asuka vs. Naomi vs. Alex Bliss vs. Nikki Cross vs. Liv Morgan vs. Zelina Vega vs. Natalya vs. Tamina

WWE Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

WWE Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos vs. The Viking Raiders

WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champion Rey & Dominik Mysterio vs. The Usos – pre-show

Kofi Kingston Says Vince McMahon Won’t Let New Day Turn Heel

Chris Stephens
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Kofi Kingston took part in an interview with Metro to hype up his match against Bobby Lashley tonight at Money in the Bank. During the conversation, the former WWE Champion said that the members of New Day have fantasized about turning heel but Vince McMahon won’t allow them to do it.

“To be honest, we fantasize about (being heels) all the time. I tell people that I had the most fun in my career when I was yelling at children, and threatening to ground children, and threatening children.”

Later in the discussion, Kofi noted that he doesn’t feel Vince McMahon will let the group turn heel.

“No, he’s not gonna let us do it! So, it’s a fantasy but I dunno… I don’t think it’ll ever happen again, unfortunately.”

Kofi Kingston has a long history of wanting to fight children…

Kingston continued to talk about how the faction likes to mess with people in the crowd.

“The New Day, what we do in particular, is we mess around with people in the crowd,” he continued. “Giving almost as much if not more to the people in the crowd than we are in the ring! It’s a big part of what we do.”

The full interview can be read here.

Thunder Rosa, Jay White, Chelsea Green & Other Surprises From Impact’s Slammiversary PPV

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling’s Slammiversary PPV was once again built around the intrigue of who could show up. Between WWE releases that are free of their 90-day no-compete windows to wrestlers walking through the forbidden door, the show was filled with surprises, teases, and new roster additions. Every surprise from the show is listed below:

Jay White Is In The Impact Zone!

After Kenny Omega defeated Sami Callihan in the main event, he was celebrating in the ring with the Good Brothers and Doc Gallows. Then Bullet Club music hit and former IWGP Heavyweight Champion and current NEVER Openweight Champion Jay White entered.

White and Omega’s history in Bullet Club runs deep. White actually turned down an offer to join the faction from Omega himself, instead siding with CHAOS. It would be White who would defeat Omega for the IWGP United States Championship in 2018. Later that year, White would join Bullet Club but only after the Elite was established as being a separate group. Has the Bullet Club civil war started up again?

The camera cut away before fans could see if White put up the 2 Sweet sign for the Elite. Fans will just have to wait until Thursday night to find out.

Thunder Rosa Faces Deonna Purrazzo

Thunder Rosa was the surprise opponent for Deonna Purrazzo at Slammiversary. She put up a solid outing against the Knockouts Champion but Purrazzo came out the victor with the Queen’s Gambit in the end. Today is the 1 year anniversary of Purrazzo first winning the title. She lost it briefly to Su Yung for a period of 3 weeks but then won it back. She’s been Knockouts champion 49 out of the last 52 weeks.

Mickie James Invites Deonna Purrazzo To NWA Empowerrr

After Deonna Purrazzo had defeated the former NWA Women’s World Champion, Thunder Rosa, Mickie James came to the ring. James invited Purrazzo to be part of the NWA Empowerrr PPV next month in St. Louis. Purrazzo was more upset that James stole her moment, however. The Knockouts Champion told Mickie to grab her trash bag and get out of there.

Chelsea Green Is Back!

Chelsea Green was a surprise at the Ring of Honor PPV last weekend, and now has done the same for Impact this weekend. She was Matt Cardona’s surprise partner against Brian Myers and Tenille Dashwood. Green had teased she would not be there due to her arm, but she found a way to use her injury to her advantage as she hit Dashwood with her cast. Green finished off Dashwood with the UnPrettyHer to cap off her return.

No Way Jose Arrives In Impact Wrestling

No Way Jose was released by WWE last year. After Tommy Dreamer referencing the guy on occasion for the last year, he finally actually arrived on the show. Just wrestling under the name “No Way”, he was Fallah Bah’s surprise partner for the 4-way tag title match.

The Drama King Is On His Way

The former Aiden English was teased in a vignette on Slammiversary. “The Drama King” was revealed to be on his way to the promotion. The former Vaudevillian and Rusev Day member didn’t appear on camera and wasn’t on the show, but appears to be coming to the promotion soon.

FinJuice Returns!

Former Impact Tag Team Champions, Juice Robinson and David Finlay, are back in the promotion. In an impromptu unadvertised match, FinJuice defeated Madman Fulton and Shera. The last time they were in Impact, they defeated the Good Brothers for the tag titles. The Good Brothers just won those titles back.

Kalisto On Post WWE Plans, Potential Return

Anutosh Bajpai
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Kalisto could have been the next big Mexican star for WWE but the company didn’t do much with him during his time with the promotion.

The high-flying star recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he talked about a number of things and opened up about his time in WWE.

Kalisto also talked about his future plans. He was asked about a potential return to WWE. Replying to it, he said that he is not holding his breath and has other plans:

“I’m not going to hold my breath I’m just going to focus on me. I am going to focus on my mental state, which is very important. I’m going to try and fix myself first. I’m trying to see what I can do. I like challenging myself a lot.

I have never boxed before, but I want to box.” said Kalisto, “I’m still going to wrestle here and there. If the time is right, here and there, I am going to give it a shot.”

The former 205 Live star was signed by WWE in 2013 and was released from the promotion in April earlier this year. His career highlight was probably winning the US title in 2016.

Apart from this, Kalisto also revealed the biggest regret of his time WWE was never pitching a feud he had in mind to Vince McMahon. You can check out his comments on the matter here.

Drew McIntyre Recalls Getting Knocked Unconscious During Money In The Bank

Anutosh Bajpai
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Drew McIntyre recently appeared on WWE’s The Bump alongside people such as X-Pac and Liv Morgan. He talked about things like his new discovery show and the upcoming Money In The Bank match.

During the interview, The Scottish Warrior discussed his painful experiences as previous Money In The Bank matches. He recalled how he got a ladder thrown at him in his very first contract match at WrestleMania 26.

McIntyre then remembered another painful spot from the Money In The Bank match of the following year. He revealed that he got knocked unconscious:

“My next MITB match, Kofi [Kingston] jumped off the ladder doing his boom drop through a table and knocked me unconscious. I remember waking up and literally think why are there so many people in my bedroom.

[Then, I was like] wait, I’m in a ladder match. I’ve got some good experiences in MITB [matches],” said Drew McIntyre, “And I have a good feeling about this one, considering that I absolutely have to win.”

Apart from this, the former champion got advice for the ladder match from X-Pac and discussed his strategy for the match at the PPV this Sunday.

Drew McIntyre will step inside the ring with 7 other superstars for the Money In The Bank. You can check out the updated card for the PPV here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKDUxKPDqIs&t=1s

Beth Phoenix Discusses Potential Retirement Match

Anutosh Bajpai
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Beth Phoenix made her return to WWE after a 6-year hiatus in 2018. She initially worked as a commentator only but the female star has since stepped back inside the ring for a number of times.

Her sporadic matches have made many wonder if we will see the former women’s champion having another run and if she will ever retire officially.

Phoenix discussed these topics during her recent appearance on the Oral Sessions with Renee Paquette podcast. She claimed that you never say never before discussing a potential retirement match:

“As far as coming back to the ring? I say this in every interview, you never say never. If the right opportunity arose and you could do business, that’s really all I would care about.

Because of course, would I love to have a retirement match, a big farewell and give someone a high five and pass the torch? Yes. But there’s only a limited amount of people I can do that for.”

Beth Phoenix On Having A Retirement Match

Beth Pheonix went on to explain that she can put over only one star in a retirement match but as part of the commentary team she can draw positive attention to a lot more superstars.

However, when asked directly about a potential final match, glamazon said that she is not done lacing up the boots forever before saying that she has a feeling about a potential retirement match:

“I have a feeling there will be someone who will be across the ring for me at some point, I don’t want to give any clues on that. But I don’t think Beth Phoenix is done lacing up the boots forever.”

Apart from this, the former champion discussed things such as Edge making his return to WWE, how she was worried about him before his comeback and more.

Watch Jay White Confront Kenny Omega At Slammiversary

Anutosh Bajpai
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AEW champion Kenny Omega had a confrontation with the NJPW’s Never Openweight Champion Jay White during tonight’s Slammiversary PPV event.

The Cleaner defended his title against Sami Callihan in a NO DQ main event during tonight’s PPV. Omega managed to pick up the victory in the bout after delivering a one winged angel to Callihan over thumbtacks.

The world champion was celebrating with his partners in Impact tag champs The Good Brothers and Don Callis when the lights went out. The Bullet Club leader Jay White then made his entrance.

As White got in the ring, the other wrestlers offered up the ‘Too Sweet’ hand gesture. The NJPW champion was still considering his next move when the cameras stopped rolling and the show came to a close.

https://twitter.com/SkullsMedia/status/1416593529082548225

People in attendance noted that after the cameras went out, the team of David Finlay and Juice Robinson collectively known as FinJuice came out and tried to attack Jay White.

However, the Bullet Club member managed to hit his finisher on Robinson before heading back. FinJuice had made their surprise return to Impact Wrestling earlier in the night.

There is no word yet on whether White will feud with Omega or join forces with him. We will have to wait and see what the officials have planned for the two.

TJP Pulled From Slammiversary, Final Card For Tonight

Chris Stephens
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Impact Wrestling has announced a change to tonight’s Slammiversary PPV. It’s a change that opens up another potential mystery spot on the show. Impact has announced that TJP is off tonight’s show but the match he was involved in will still go ahead as scheduled, just without him in it.

“TJP is unable to participate in tomorrow’s IMPACT Wrestling Pay-Per-View event, Slammiversary,” Impact’s update reads. ” The match-up will still go ahead as a four-way attraction.”

TJP was scheduled to team with Fallah Bah in the 4-way match for the Impact tag titles. The other teams were the champions Violent By Design, The Good Brothers Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows, and the team of Rich Swann & Willie Mack. Impact has not revealed if Fallah Bah will be getting a new partner. It’s possible a mystery person could be slotted into the position.

Updated Card For Slammiversary

  1. Impact World Championship
    No Disqualification
    Kenny Omega (c) vs Sami Callihan
  2. Knockouts Championship
    Deonna Purrazzo (c) vs A Mystery Opponent
  3. Impact Tag Team Championships
    Violent By Design (c) vs The Good Brothers vs Willie Mack & Rich Swann vs TJP & Fallah Bah
  4. Matt Cardona & ??? vs Brian Myers & Tenille Dashwood
  5. X-Division Championship
    Ultimate-X
    Josh Alexander (c) vs Rohit Raju vs Chris Bey vs Trey Miguel vs Ace Austin vs Petey Williams
  6. Moose vs Chris Sabin
  7. Eddie Edwards vs W. Morrissey
  8. Knockouts Tag Team Championships
    Fire N Flava (c) vs Rosemary & Havok (Kickoff show)

WWE Supershow Event In Gainesville, FL Canceled

Chris Stephens
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Yesterday, the State Farm Arena in Atlanta noted on its website that a planned Smackdown event on 9/17 will no longer be taking place from the venue. Today, the Stephen O’Connell Center in Gainesville, Fl has announced that a WWE house show event scheduled for August 8th, 2021 has also been canceled.

“The WWE Supershow originally scheduled for August 8 in Gainesville will no longer be taking place. Refunds are available from original points of purchase,” the venue’s website reads.

The show had 2,233 tickets distributed and it is believed the venue was set up for 3488 fans.

Second show canceled in as many days.

Atlanta’s State Farm Arena posted yesterday that the planned Smackdown on September 17th will no longer be taking place there. WWE has not provided any updates on this. As of this writing, WWE.com still lists the Smackdown for that day as taking place in Atlanta.

“Friday Night Smackdown on September 17 will no longer take place in Atlanta. Refunds are available at all points of purchase,” the State Farm Arena update reads. 

WWE had 14,000 fans in the Toyota Center in Houston last night for Smackdown. They are expected to have around 10,000 for Money in the Bank on Sunday. Around 8000 fans are then expected for RAW on Monday.

Stephanie McMahon spoke to Variety recently about what going back out in front of live audiences means for the company.

“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” she said. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”

PROGRESS Chapter 115 Full Card on Peacock and WWE Network

Jake Skudder
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PROGRESS Chapter 115: For The Hearts That Never Played In Tune will be taking place today on Peacock, WWE Network and demandPROGRESS.

The card has three major Championship matches, with Cara Noir, Kanji and Lykos Gym all putting their gold on the line during the show.

Cara Noir will be facing British wrestling legend Jody Fleisch on the show, with the ‘Phoenix’ Fleisch having two impressive wins under his belt since returning to the promotion this year. Fleisch is most known for his appearances in ROH in the early 2000s and PWG Battle of Los Angeles entry in 2019.

Kanji will also be defending her title against Gisele Shaw and Laura Di Matteo in a triple threat match. Shaw attacked both Kanji and Di Matteo at the end of the last Chapter show, leading to this three-way for the belt.

The PROGRESS Tag Team Championships will also be on the line this weekend as Lykos Gym (Kid Lykos and Kid Lykos II) will be defending against Big Money Gun Dogs (Gene Munny and Big Guns Joe) in a Doghouse Rules match.

PROGRESS Chapter 115

Here’s the full card for the show:

  • PROGRESS World Championship Match – Cara Noir (c) vs Jody Fleisch
  • Malik (w/Kosta Konstantinou) vs Ethan Allen (w/Luke Jacobs)
  • Chris Ridgeway vs Warren Banks – No Rope Breaks
  • PROGRESS Tag Team Championship Dog House Rules Match – Big Money Gun Dogs vs Lykos Gym (c)
  • Greedy Souls vs Sunshine Machine
  • Taonga vs Alexxis Falcon
  • PROGRESS Women’s Championship Match – Kanji (c) vs Laura Di Matteo vs Gisele Shaw
  • Mercedez Blaze (w/Taonga) vs Roxxy Hellz Belle
  • Nick Riley vs Charlie Sterling – PROGRESS Championship #1 Contender’s Match

WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH: 

WWE Network (worldwide)

demandPROGRESS (worldwide)

Peacock (US only)

VOD Platforms

Update On The Rock vs Roman Reigns for WrestleMania 38

Jake Skudder
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WWE have been hoping to get a WrestleMania main event of The Rock vs Roman Reigns for years, and now it appears as though the contest will be taking place at WrestleMania 38.

In the most recent edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer would claim that WWE are looking at a potential tag team match including the two megastars just in case they’re unable to get The Rock in a singles match for insurance or worries surrounding health.

With WWE wanting to continue The Bloodline/Family storyline with Reigns and The Usos; The Rock may be teaming with Jey Uso and Roman teaming with Jimmy Uso. The reverse of this has also been considered, depending on which of the Usos is a babyface or heel before the match.

The Rock vs Roman Reigns

WWE do prefer the idea of having The Rock vs Roman Reigns as a singles match on the card, however having Dwayne Johnson on a WrestleMania marquee is better than not having Dwayne Johnson on a WrestleMania marquee. So if the company have to run with a tag team match it is worth it.

Dave Meltzer would also claim that The Rock may be weary of making a return for a singles match. The 49 year old megastar has a strong history with wrestling across his family dynasty and he does not want to look bad in a potential return.

“Obviously the singles match is the preferred match but any involvement of Rock is preferred over him not doing the show” Meltzer wrote in the Observer. “Because at 49, the idea of him coming back would lessen each year because he doesn’t need it, but he always has a soft spot in his heart for wrestling and family but he’s also not going to do it if he’s going to look bad because I don’t think he wants that Undertaker-Goldberg moment.”

Do you think we’ll see The Rock vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 38? Let us know in the comments

Chris Jericho Says That Conor McGregor is “Done, and he knows it”

Jake Skudder
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AEW star and former WWE/WCW legend Chris Jericho recently appeared on the Keepin It 100 with Konnan podcast. ‘Le Champion’ and leader of The Inner Circle discussed a number of topics during the show, including last weekend’s UFC 264 event that saw Conor McGregor lose to Dustin Poirier.

McGregor lost the fight due to doctor stoppage, with the Irish fighter’s ankle breaking towards the end of the first round, thus meaning he could not continue. Although Jericho doesn’t appear to be working an angle, he said that McGregor is ‘done’ in the sport of MMA.

“Conor’s done and I think everyone knows it,” Chris Jericho began on Konnan’s podcast. “I think he knows it. I think the best thing that could’ve happened is that he snapped his ankle, because he would’ve lost in the second round.”

Chris Jericho Talks Conor McGregor

“Herb Dean almost called it at the end of the first, but he was letting it go because it was towards the end and it’s a championship, million dollar fight” the former Y2J continued. “Not a championship but it was a million dollar fight. Those elbows in the corner man, once you get a guy down like that he’s finished.”

“So I think it was actually a stroke of fate that’s going to end up making them all more money that Conor broke his ankle” Jericho added. “Because he would’ve been done in about another two minutes anyway.”

“The only thing I would say for Dustin, if he’s going to take a number four, which I would say ‘go f**k yourself, I’m not doing it.’ I’d say ‘okay, you want number four? I want a 50-50 purse split with Conor.’ See what happens” Jericho would then conclude.

Would you like to see Conor McGregor have a run in pro wrestling? If so, would you rather he be in WWE or AEW? Let us know in the comments

WWE SmackDown Results (7/16): Reigns & Edge, Finn Balor, MITB Go-Home Show

Robert Lentini
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WWE SmackDown aired live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. It was the first time in 70 weeks that there was a live crowd in attendance for SmackDown. Tonight’s episode of SmackDown was the final show before WWE Money in the Bank this Sunday night.

https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/status/1416183364781060097?s=20

SmackDown Results (7/16)

  1. Roman Reigns & The Usos def. Edge, Dominik, Rey Mysterio
  2. Shotzi & Nox def. Natalya & Tamina
  3. Bianca Belair def. Carmella to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
  4. Cesaro def. Otis via DQ
  5. Seth Rollins def. Big E, Kevin Owens, Shinsuke Nakamura in a Fatal 4-Way

Here are the takeaways from this week’s show:

Edge Made Reigns Tap

Vince McMahon kicked off the show and welcomed the crowd back. Vince simply said “where the hell have you been?” and exited.

Universal Champion Roman Reigns then made his entrance to a some loud boos and cheers. Reigns got two pyros during his entrance, one at the top of the ramp and one in the ring. Reigns and The Usos faced Edge and The Mysterios in the first match of the night. Edge got an incredible pop from the crowd.

Edge controlled the action early and lifted Jimmy up in the corner. Rey tagged in and hit a Senton. Dominik tagged in and hit Jimmy with a springboard Moonsault for a near fall. Jey tagged in and took control before tagging Reigns in. Roman dragged Dominik out of the ring as the crowd booed.

Reigns planted Dominik with a Suplex and shoved him back out of the ring. Roman Powerbombed Dominik onto the announce table but it did not break as SmackDown went to a break. When SmackDown returned, Edge tagged in and got in some offense. Edge leveled Reigns with a Clothesline outside the ring and then tagged in Rey.

Mysterio planted Jey with a Tornado DDT and went for the cover but Jimmy broke it up at two. Dominik hit Jimmy with a Splash outside the ring but got launched into the ring post by Reigns. Rey went for the 619 on Jey but Reigns blocked it and slammed Mysterio into apron. Edge came out of nowhere and leveled Reigns with a Spear. Jimmy hit Rey with a cheap shot and Jey rolled him up while using the tights for leverage for the pinfall victory.

After the match, a brawl broke out and The Usos beat down the Mysterios in the corner. Edge brought a chair into the ring and beat the hell out of Jimmy and Jey. Roman hit Edge with a Superman Punch and posed as the crowd booed. Reigns then took a look at the chair and broke off a piece of steel. Before Reigns could do anything, Edge decked him with another Spear.

Edge then crawled towards the steel and grabbed it with an insane look in his eyes. Edge got Reigns in a Crossface with the steel across his face and Roman tapped. The Rated R Superstar posed with the Universal Championship before tossing on top of Reigns. Roman Reigns will defend the Universal Championship against Edge this Sunday at Money in the Bank.

Seth Rollins Mocked Edge

Kayla Braxton interviewed Edge backstage and he said that making Roman tap out like a bitch just now won’t make a difference this Sunday. Edge stated that he has to do whatever it takes to beat Roman. Seth Rollins interrupted by cackling behind Edge in a ridiculously awesome suite. Rollins said that Edge cannot beat Reigns but hopes that he does win so he can cash in on. Seth said he wants to finish the job he started 7 years ago when he couldn’t pull the trigger.

Finn Balor Returned

Sami Zayn came down to the ring and complained about the conspiracies against him. Sami tried to get the crowd on his side but they rejected him. Finn Balor made his return and joined Sami in the ring. Zayn tried to attack him but Balor fought him off. Finn then hit Sami with a Dropkick and the Coup de Grace before posing for the crowd.

Shotzi & Nox Pinned The Champs

Shotzi & Nox battled Natalya & Tamina tonight. Zelina Vega & Liv Morgan joined commentary for the match. Tamina connected with a Body Slam and then sent Shotzi to the corner. Natalya tagged in and stomped Shotzi down to the canvas. Shotzi battled back with a slam and started to climb the ropes but got distracted by Tamina.

Natalya and Tamina isolated Shotzi in the corner of the ring and took turns beating her down. Shotzi hit some kicks and finally was able to tag in Nox. Nox sent Natalya to the corner and leveled her with an uppercut.

Nox hit a Senton and followed it up with a Shining Wizard. Nox went for the cover but Tamina broke up at two and the match continued. Liv and Zelina started trading punches outside the ring. Liv leaped off the steel steps and hit a Clothesline as Natalya was rolled up in the ring.

After the match, Tamina and Natalya attacked Zelina and Liv. Morgan battled back and sent Tamina into the steel steps. Liv then slammed Natalya to the mat and pointed at the MITB briefcases above the ring as the crowd cheered.

Bianca Belair Retained

Bianca Belair defended the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Carmella tonight on SmackDown. Belair leveled Carmella with a shoulder tackle and followed it up with a Dropkick. Carmella battled back with some elbows to the face and then a Bronco Buster for a one count.

Carmella slammed Belair’s shoulder into the ring post and then launched the SmackDown Women’s Champion into the barricade. Back in the ring, Carmella went for the cover but Belair kicked out at two. Carmella threw Belair into the barricade again as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Belair connected with a Moonsault and went for the cover but Carmella kicked out at two. Bianca made her way to the top rope but Carmella tripped her up. Carmella connected with a Hurricanrana off the top rope for a near fall.

Carmella slammed Belair’s face off the turnbuckle and applied a Guillotine choke but Belair showed off her power with a vertical Suplex for a near fall. Belair went to whip Carmella with her hair but she avoided it. Carmella connected with a Superkick for a near fall. Carmella started to boot Belair in the face while holding her hair. Belair broke free and whipped Carmella. Bianca followed it up with the KOD for the pinfall victory. Bianca Belair is still the SmackDown Women’s Champion.

Alpha Academy Beat Down Cesaro

Alpha Academy cut a backstage promo tonight and Gable claimed that Otis was going to defeat Cesaro tonight. Gable asked what that smell was and Otis said “fear”. Cesaro showed up and Otis attacked him as SmackDown went to a break.

Cesaro held his ribs on the way down to the ring as WWE rolled highlights of Otis and Cesaro. Otis went right after Cesaro and beat him down in the corner as Gable cheered him on. Cesaro connected with some uppercuts but got distracted as Gable hopped on the apron. Otis capitalized with a slam and charged at Cesaro but it backfired.

Cesaro sent Otis into the ring post and then out of the ring. Gable interfered and hit a German Suplex to end the match in DQ. Cesaro got up and leveled Gable with an uppercut and followed it up with The Swing. Otis broke it up with a shoulder tackle and then hit Cesaro with a Splash in the corner as the crowd booed. Otis climbed to the middle rope and hit Cesaro with a Vader Bomb to end the segment.

Baron Corbin Needs Your Money

Baron Corbin somberly walked down to the ring to a chorus of boos as SmackDown went to a commercial break.

When SmackDown returned, Corbin was standing in the ring as highlights of Nakamura winning the crown from Baron and the series of unfortunate events that have happened to Corbin in recent weeks. Corbin had a stain on his shirt and said that he has lost all of his money and the bank is threatening to foreclose on his house.

The crowd chanted “what?” as Corbin said his two year old is sick because she has to eat spaghetti out of a can. Corbin added that they might have to move in with his wife’s parents. Baron said that everyone can help him out of these dark financial times and revealed that he has started a crowd funded site. The site is corbinfund.com and Baron asked for $100,000. Corbin then got on his knees and begged everyone before Kevin Owens’ theme hit before the main event.

Corbin told Owens that he wants to believe that Kevin is out here because he wants to help him. Corbin added that if Kevin and other superstars help him the fans will fall in line. Baron said Owens has a heart but everyone knows that Kevin doesn’t spend money on his wardrobe. Owens booted Corbin in the midsection and followed it up with a Stunner to end the segment.

Rollins Picked Up A Win Heading Into Money In The Bank

Big E interrupted a Paul Heyman interview backstage. Big E vowed to win the Money in the Bank contract and joked that Edge “has a hold” of Roman Reigns. Big E, Shinsuke Nakamura, Kevin Owens, and Seth Rollins battled in a Fatal 4-Way

Rollins was about to leave but Big E hit him with a Spear off the apron. Kevin Owens hit Big E with a Senton and Nakamura followed it up with a knee to Owens as SmackDown went to a break.

When SmackDown returned, Big E hit Owens with a Clothesline and kicked him out of the ring. Big E sent Nakamura to the outside and battled with Owens again. Kevin climbed to the top rope and traded punches with Big E. Nakamura joined Big E on the top rope and planted Owens with a Superplex. Rollins missed with a Frog Splash and battled with Nakamura.

Shinsuke kneed Seth in the ribs and sent him out of the ring. Nakamura booted Owens in the face and followed it up with an Exploder Suplex. Shinsuke went for the Kinshasa but Big E got in the way. Big E hit the Big Ending on Nakamura but Rollins broke up the cover.

Rollins grabbed a ladder from outside the ring and brought it inside. Seth bashed Shinsuke with the ladder and knocked him out of the ring. Rollins cleared off the announce table and put Nakamura on top of it. Seth climbed a ladder but Owens knocked him down. Owens climbed to the top of the ladder and hit a ridiculous Elbow Drop through the table. Big E and Rollins traded punches in the ring. Seth connected with a Stomp on top of the ladder and pinned Big E for the victory. Rollins climbed the ladder and posed with the MITB briefcase to end the show.

Finn Balor Returns On WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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As expected, Finn Balor made his return on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. 

The former Universal Champion did so when he interrupted Sami Zayn on the show that was held from Houston, Texas. Zayn was in the ring talking about conspiracy theories and he tried to get the fans to rally behind him. Zayn tried to attack him but Balor countered and hit the coup de grace.

Balor returned to NXT in October 2019. This came after he asked for time off after he lost to Bray Wyatt at the SummerSlam pay-per-view event. WWE never intended for Balor to continue his feud with Wyatt. Instead, Balor was supposed to be moved from Raw to SmackDown once he returned after taking time off. 

However, plans changed when NXT moved from the WWE Network to the USA Network in September 2019. After getting beat in the ratings when they went head-to-head with AEW Dynamite on TNT in the same time slot, WWE decided to move him to NXT with the idea that his star power could make more of a difference there.

Balor won the NXT Title for a second time in September 2020 by beating Adam Cole for the vacant title. Balor lost the NXT Championship to Karrion Kross at TakeOver: Stand & Deliver in April and then lost the rematch a few weeks later.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. Works Dark Match At WWE SmackDown

Andrew Ravens
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Davey Boy Smith Jr. is back with WWE as he worked a dark match before Friday’s episode of SmackDown went live on FOX. 

Smith teamed up with Austin Theory to beat Odyssey Jones and Xyon Quinn in a tag team bout from Houston, Texas at the Toyota Center. These NXT stars were there as part of the ongoing tryout process to see if they’re ready for the main roster. 

WWE hasn’t announced that Smith has signed with the company, but this would imply that he has done so. There’s no word yet on when he’ll make his TV return. 

His first run with the company came from 2006-2011 and then went to work for various promotions such as NJPW and MLW. Smith confirmed in an interview this past February that he had talks with WWE and the plan would see him work on the NXT UK brand.

Smith inducted his father into the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame class this past April over WrestleMania 37 weekend. It was most recently reported by Dave Meltzer in April that Smith was still in talks with WWE to return, but hadn’t reached an agreement at the time. 

Four NXT Stars Reported Backstage at WWE SmackDown

Kristen Ashly
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Details have surfaced stating four NXT Superstars are present backstage for Friday’s WWE SmackDown.

Friday, Xyon Quinn, formerly known as Daniel Vidot, tweeted a picture of him and NXT Superstar Odyssey Jones backstage in Houston. Later Friday afternoon, PWInsider reported that Xia Li, Austin Theory and Aliyah were also backstage.

Prior to their debut on main, Shotzi, Toni Storm and Tegan Nox all showcased their skills in dark matches, for WWE management’s consideration. It’s likely these four NXT Superstars are also wrestling in dark matches for similar reasons.

Wednesday, WrestleVotes disclosed that a trade had happened between rosters, landing Mandy Rose back on WWE NXT and moving Aliyah up to WWE Raw. Multiple outlets confirmed that Aliyah impressed management during a scouting trip.

These reports also follow the rumored return of Finn Balor on tonight’s Money In The Bank go-home show.

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Impact Wrestling Is Making A Major Play For Ex-WWE Star

Andrew Ravens
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Impact Wrestling is interested in signing one former WWE star and that’s Buddy Murphy. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Impact is making a “major play” for Murphy.

Murphy was thought of highly in WWE among his peers for being an excellent worker and someone who wasn’t used to his full potential while with the company. 

WWE did have plans last year to give him another push, but it was nixed. This was around the time that Murphy was involved in a storyline with the Mysterio family and Seth Rollins then was paired with Aalyah Mysterio. 

The former WWE star recently did an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he talked about a wide range of topics including Bruce Prichard telling him that plans for this storyline were dropped cold only for a few months to pass with WWE teasing going back to Murphy being paired with Rollins and them being back on good terms. However, that was dropped and eventually, Murphy got released by WWE. 

Murphy’s non-compete clause expires on August 31st. Thus, while some former WWE stars are expected at Slammiversary on Saturday night, Murphy won’t be one of them.

Potential Spoiler On Another Big Return For Tonight’s WWE SmackDown

Kristen Ashly
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Another speculated WWE return has surfaced, this time rumored to happen during Friday’s SmackDown.

A tweet posted by WrestleVotes on Friday hints at the possible return of Finn Balor for Friday’s episode of Smackdown in Houston. The tweet states Friday’s “SmackDown will be #2Sweet & #4Everyone“, referencing Balor.

Balor returned to NXT in October 2019 for a stint, winning the WWE NXT Championship from Adam Cole almost a year later in September 2020. Balor successfully defended the title several times before losing it to the current WWE NXT Champion Karrion Kross in April at NXT TakeOver: Stand & Deliver.

Now it appears Balor is back to the main roster as WWE returns to the road during the big push to SummerSlam.

The rumor of Balor’s SmackDown return joins several others during the final weeks leading up to August’s event.

According to a report on Thursday from PWInsider, Becky Lynch is set to make her return from maternity leave this weekend at Money In The Bank.

Also on Thursday, Fightful reported that WWE had plans in place for Goldberg to return to challenge WWE Champion Bobby Lashley in a title match at SummerSlam. Additionally, Fightful reported on Tuesday that John Cena was to appear on WWE programming over the next two weeks.

All of the reports and rumored returns line up with Stephanie McMahon’s promise in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated that the company had surprises in store for their return to the road.

Top AEW Star Ready To Return After Several Months

Michael Reichlin
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Rey Fenix will soon return to action for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

The high-flying luchador has been sidelined since April with a groin injury. His most recent match was a win over Chuck Taylor on the April 21st edition of Dark: Elevation.

With Rey Fenix out of action, his partner Penta El Zero Miedo has teamed with PAC and Eddie Kingston. Penta and Kingston recently made a run at the AEW tag titles and even scored a victory over the champions in a non-title match.

Expect to see the Lucha Bros. and Death Triangle reunited in the weeks ahead – just in time to start a new program with a very tranquilo individual.

This past week on AEW Dynamite, Andrade El Idolo stated that he’s looking for Death Triangle (PAC, Pentagon & Fenix). It’s unknown exactly what Andrade’s motives are, but we do know Andrade will be at Dynamite next week in hopes of meeting with Death Triangle.

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WWE Smackdown 9/17 Show In Atlanta Canceled

Chris Stephens
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The State Farm Arena in Atlanta has posted that the scheduled WWE Smackdown show from the venue on 9/17 has been canceled.

“Friday Night Smackdown on September 17 will no longer take place in Atlanta. Refunds are available at all points of purchase,” the website’s update reads.

WWE Ticket Sales News

WWE ticket sales for the company’s return to the road have not been selling as well as expected. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, some shows do have good numbers, however. For tonight’s show in the Toyota Center, the venue is sold out and 14,000 fans are expected. Money in the Bank has almost 10,000 tickets sold. The RAW show in Dallas on July 19th has 7300 tickets sold as of this writing.

In a recent interview with Variety, Stephanie McMahon spoke about WWE going back out on the road.

“I think I can speak for everybody that touches the WWE Universe — whether it is our fans, our Superstars, our employees, or our partners — we absolutely cannot wait to get back together and come back home where we belong,” she said. “And even though we never went off the air and we continue to produce our content, even though we brought in nearly a million virtual fans over this time period through the ThunderDome with over 70 plus live shows, there’s still just such a huge component missing without fans physically in attendance.”

First Look At The New Set For WWE Smackdown

Chris Stephens
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WWE will be revealing a new set for Smackdown tonight. The company’s first show back on the road will take place tonight from Houston’s Toyota Center. An image of the new set that will debut tonight is below:

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WWE Hyping New Sets

According to comments Stephanie McMahon made recently to Variety, the new set for RAW will be the same as Smackdown’s. She also went into greater detail regarding what fans can expect from the new set up.

“We’re going to have a new set design, a new presentation of our talents, different locations, and arena setups,” McMahon said. “We’re going to be utilizing augmented reality in a way that we never have before. We experimented with it a lot during Thunderdome, but it is now going to be incorporated into our talent entrances. There’s also going to be animated graphics. It’s going to be so exciting and so different than anything we’ve done before.”

3 matches have been announced for tonight’s Smackdown. Bianca Belair will defend the Smackdown Women’s Championship against Carmella. Edge will team with the Mysterios to take on Roman Reigns and the Usos. Also Shinsuke Nakamura will team with Kevin Owens to take on Seth Rollins and Big E.

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