Author: John Bass

Precautions Were Put In Place In Case Brock Lesnar Didn’t Return To WWE SmackDown

After bombshell news of Vince McMahon’s retirement hours before WWE “SmackDown” went on air, several questions were left unanswered. How would the hierarchy of the company change with his exit? How would it affect the WWE superstars, if at all? Reports indicated that one top WWE talent that has been with the company on and off for two decades was heavily impacted by Vince’s announcement: Brock Lesnar.

Shortly after Vince revealed the big news on social media, it was reported that Lesnar walked out of “SmackDown” and was “pissed off,” stating something to the effect of, “If he’s gone, I’m gone.”

Due to the events, “Fightful Select” notes in a new report that a behind-the-scenes source reacted to the situation by calling it “overblown” but admitted they were unsure if he’d end up actually appearing on the blue brand. Creative even produced another script for the show that didn’t feature “The Beast Incarnate” whatsoever, which was reflected in the rundown released before they went live. They decided to leave the last segment of the night open in a way that Lesnar could make his return and be involved if that’s what he chose to do.

The night’s main event saw The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos and Theory team up to face The Street Profits and Madcap Moss. The Profits and Moss were awarded a disqualification victory after Theory used his Money in the Bank briefcase to strike Moss in the head. Theory then continued to attack Moss after the match, but Brock Lesnar would make the save, planting Theory with an F-5 to end the episode.

It appears that Lesnar challenging Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing title match at SummerSlam on Saturday, July 30 is still scheduled to occur. The show will take place from the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennesse.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brock Lesnar Makes Shocking Appearance On WWE SmackDown After Reportedly Walking Out

A night of speculation over the whereabouts and future of Brock Lesnar in WWE ended in spectacular fashion when he made a shocking, surprise appearance to close out Friday night’s episode of “SmackDown”.

The main event of Friday’s “SmackDown” saw the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos and Theory team up to face The Street Profits and Madcap Moss. The Profits and Moss were awarded a disqualification victory after Theory used his Money in the Bank briefcase to strike Moss in the head.

Theory continued to attack Moss after the match. That’s when Brock Lesnar’s music played and “The Beast” made his way to the ring, where he planted Theory with an F-5.

Seeing Lesnar live on Friday’s “SmackDown” was a shock, considering the reports from backstage that surfaced starting earlier in the evening.

News broke shortly before 5 PM ET that Lesnar had walked out of “SmackDown” and was “pissed off”. Details later emerged that Lesnar’s walkout was in response to Vince McMahon’s retirement announcement. Lesnar reportedly said something to the effect of, “If he’s gone, I’m gone.” Promotion for Lesnar’s appearance on “SmackDown” was pulled from WWE’s website, although an email to WWE fans sent out around 5:30 pm ET still mentioned Lesnar would be on the show.

All appears to be back on track for Lesnar to challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing title match at SummerSlam on Saturday, July 30.

McMahon is retiring from his roles as WWE Chairman, CEO, and Head of Creative amid an investigation into a series of hush money payments. McMahon allegedly paid former female employees to silence potential accusations of harassment, misconduct, and abuse against both McMahon and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis has now been removed from his position, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque officially taking over his duties on Friday. Creative duties are now being overseen by Bruce Pritchard.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1550661702278156288
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1550663937871564802

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon Announces His Retirement, Thanks WWE Universe, Stephanie McMahon Opened Up SmackDown (video)

WWE founder Vince McMahon has announced his retirement.

Vince McMahon has officially announced his retirement at the age of 77. The founder of WWE took to social media on Friday, July 22 to break the news and thank the WWE Universe.

“At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe,” McMahon tweeted. “Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/status/1550572700959121408

“As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE,” McMahon later elaborated in a statement released by WWE. “Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand. Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.“

WWE also confirmed that Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan would be assuming the roles of co-CEOs of WWE, effective immediately.

According to journalist Brandon Thurston, Vince will be retiring from all of his WWE duties, including the creative ones.

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1550582194657165313

On Friday, July 8 The Wall Street Journal published a report which claimed McMahon paid off as many as four women going back 16 years. Those payments apparently total $12 million, with one of the four unnamed women included in the report being paid $7.5 million by McMahon. Last month, reports surfaced that McMahon paid a former WWE paralegal $3 million in hush money after the two had an affair.

Source: TheSportster

New Co-CEO of WWE, Stephanie McMahon opened up Friday night’s “Smackdown”, live from TD Garden in Boston, MA. She opened the show just hours after her father, Vince McMahon announced he is retiring. WWE broke the news of Stephanie opening up “Smackdown” just shy of an hour before the blue brand went live on FOX.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1550633156625289219

Big Update On Triple H’s Backstage WWE Position

Triple H is back in the WWE in a big way. “The Game” wasn’t lying when he told the WWE Performance Center that he was excited for what’s to come regarding his future, as it was announced by the company today that Paul Levesque will resume his executive position as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, replacing John Laurinaitis.

“I look forward to returning to my prior position as head of Talent Relations,” Levesque said in WWE’s official announcement. “I’m healthy, fired up, and ready to take charge.” He added on Twitter that he was “Proud and honored to work with the best talent in the world.”

https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/1550485402166988806

Levesque originally took the position as EVP of Talent Relations back in 2011 before being promoted in 2013 and eventually becoming EVP of Global Talent Strategy & Development. He was also the head executive and creative mind behind “NXT,” but was forced to step away after suffering a “cardiac event” in 2021 that was later found to be a genetic heart condition. As a result, he was forced to announce his retirement from in-ring competition by leaving his boots in the ring at WrestleMania. Although his continued role in company remained something of a mystery for the following months, Levesque remained the figurehead for WWE’s “Next In Line” program.

Laurinaitis, meanwhile, was on leave from the position following a Wall Street Journal report alleging that the former Johnny Ace played a role in Vince McMahon’s “hush money” payments. Longtime WWE executive Bruce Prichard temporarily stepped in the role over the course of the last month, and Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics has noted that Laurinaitis is still considered on administrative leaving following the allegations. McMahon himself stepped down as WWE CEO and Chairman while the company’s board investigates the Wall Street Journal allegations, with his daughter, Stephanie McMahon — who is also married to Levesque — taking up those duties in the interim.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

ROH Death Before Dishonor 7/23/2022

DATE: July 23, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: Tsongas Center, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
AVAILABLE ON: Pay-Per-View, FITE TV, Bleacher Report

CARD

ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Claudio Castagnoli vs. Jonathan Gresham (c)

ROH WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Jay Lethal vs. Samoa Joe (c)

2 OUT OF 3 FALLS – ROH WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
The Briscoes vs. FTR (c)

ROH WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Serena Deeb vs. Mercedes Martinez (c)

ROH PURE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta (c)

ROH SIX-MAN TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Dalton Castle & The Boys vs. The Righteous (Vincent, Bateman & Dutch) (c)

Dragon Lee vs. Rush

“ZERO HOUR” PRE-SHOW
Allysin Kay vs. Willow Nightingale

“ZERO HOUR” PRE-SHOW
Anthony Henry vs. Colt Cabana

“ZERO HOUR” PRE-SHOW
Brian Cage & Gates of Agony (Toa Liona & Kaun) vs. Tony Deppen, Alex Zayne & Blake Christian

“ZERO HOUR” PRE-SHOW
Shinobi Shadow Squad (Cheeseburger & Eli Isom) vs. Trustbusters (Ari Daivari & Slim J)

AEW Rampage “Fyter Fest” Week 2 Preview 7/22/22

AEW taped the 7/22 episode of “AEW Rampage: Fyter Fest Week 2” from the Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia.

The following lineup has been announced for Friday’s show:

* Adam Page & John Silver vs. The Butcher and The Blade

* Christopher Daniels vs. Jay Lethal

* Britt Baker and Jamie Hayter in tag action

* Lee Moriarty vs. Dante Martin

* Max Caster and Austin Gunn compete in a rap battle

We may learn about new matches for Death Before Dishonor during tonight’s “Rampage”. ROH owner Tony Khan stated during his media call on Thursday that not all of the matches for the card have been announced yet.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1549952312226942977
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1549954063885733888

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/22/22

WWE SmackDown, tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.

Chris Jericho Confirms He Broke His Nose During Barbed Wire Everywhere Match

Chris Jericho has confirmed that he suffered a legitimate injury during the Barbed Wire Everywhere match on Dynamite this week.

In a match full of crazy and dangerous spots involving barbed wire, tables, and chairs, it was a seemingly innocent move that might have dealt one of the wrestlers in the match the most painful blow. Chris Jericho has confirmed on social media that he suffered a broken nose during the main event of Wednesday’s Dynamite, Fyter Fest Week Two.

Jericho and Eddie Kingston fought in a match that featured barbed wire wrapped around almost everything close to the ring. But, it was a Codebreaker and a chair that fell awkwardly that got him. Jericho went to deliver the move to Kingston while Kingston was going for a chair shot. As the two were falling to the mat, the chair came down with it and the leg hit Jericho across the bridge of the nose, breaking it. On Thursday night, Jericho said via Twitter, “Just left the doctor’s office. It’s official….that SAVAGE @MadKing1981 broke my nose last night. #barbwireeverywhere @AEW”

https://twitter.com/IAmJericho/status/1550250415756873728

In the tweet, there is a video showing multiple angles of the moment when Jericho was injured. He immediately turns away and when his face is shown again to the camera, it’s clear he busted his nose. He continued on with the match, eventually winning thanks to help from the Jericho Appreciation Society. Ultimately, Kingston put him through a barbed wire stage and Jericho was stretchered out of the arena.

A broken nose wasn’t about to stop Jericho from finishing the match. There were a number of spots to get through and while the match hasn’t been well received by all, it was clear both Kingston and Jericho were willing to put themselves through a lot of pain in order to entertain the fans. Jericho toughed it out for the sake of finishing the bout. This isn’t the first time and it won’t be the last something goes wrong in a match and The Sports Entertainer has to battle through.

It doesn’t appear he’ll miss any time.

Source: TheSportster

IMPACT Preview 7/21/22

A new #1 contender for Josh Alexander’s Impact World Championship will be revealed on tonight’s “Impact on AXS TV”.

The following line-up is announced for tonight’s episode:

  • Impact World Championship #1 Contender’s Match: Alex Shelley vs. Chris Sabin
  • Impact X-Division Championship Match: Deaner vs. Mike Bailey (c)
  • Masha Slamovich vs. Madison Rayne
  • Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace & Mia Yim vs. Chelsea Green & Deonna Purrazzo
  • Honor No More – OGK (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Bullet Club (Ace Austin & Chris Bey)

AEW Dynamite “Fyter Fest” Week 2 Preview 7/20/22

Week 2 of Fyter Fest kicks off tonight on AEW “Dynamite” from Duluth, GA

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • Barbed Wire Everywhere Death Match: Chris Jericho vs. Eddie Kingston
  • Brody King vs. Darby Allin
  • AEW Interim World Champion Jon Moxley & Wheeler Yuta vs. Best Friends
  • Christian Cage & Luchasaurus vs. Varsity Blonds
  • TBS Champion Jade Cargill, Kiera Hogan & Leila Grey vs. Kris Statlander, Willow Nightingale & Athena
https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1549725812370288640