Author: John Bass

Update On Seth Rollins And Riddle’s WWE SummerSlam Match

The biggest party of the summer will have to party on without one of the marque matches.

During today’s episode of “WWE’s The Bump,” Kayla Braxton broke the news that Riddle is currently dealing with a brachial plexus injury. The injury occurred when Seth Rollins brutally attacked him on Monday Night Raw, leading to their WWE SummerSlam match having to be postponed. The injury was described by Braxton as “a really bad stinger that’s resulted in some weakness,” and Riddle is “medically disqualified” until he’s strong enough to return.

The brutal attack by Rollins sent “WWE Raw” off the air Monday night, as Rollins hit Riddle with his patented Stomp on the arena floor and the ring steps. The show closed with Rollins laughing at an injured Riddle, with commentary stating “How will Riddle be ready for Saturday?”

The feud between Rollins and Riddle took place both on television and, supposedly, in real life, dating back to 2019 when Riddle’s former wife body shammed several female WWE superstars on social media, including Rollins’ wife, Becky Lynch. Riddle confirmed the disdain between the two in 2021, stating that he doesn’t think they like each other and that they’re just “two different people.”

It’s unclear at this time whether or not the Riddle injury is legitimate or part of a storyline, but it’s hard to imagine a star as big as Rollins not having any involvement in SummerSlam this Saturday. This weekend’s event is still set to feature eight matches, headlined by Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match for both the WWE and Universal Championships, which Reigns unified by defeating Lesnar at WrestleMania 38. The card will also see both “Raw” and “SmackDown” Women’s Champions defend their belts, and will include Logan Paul’s first match since signing his WWE contract.

UPDATE

New information has started to trickle out regarding the postponement of the match, not all is as it seems.

According to Fightful Select, Riddle’s injury is in fact not a real injury, but a kayfabe one, written to explain why the match will not be taking place this weekend. Sources told Fightful that there are still plans to do the match down the line, and that the change was made due to “creative adjustments.”

Fightful would go on to reveal that Rollins and Riddle were informed of the change Monday before “Raw,”which saw Rollins attack Riddle at the close of the show. As of now, the tentative plan is for the two to wrestle at WWE’s next Premium Live Event, Clash At The Castle, in September, but those plans aren’t final due to the changes that have occurred in WWE over the past week, with Paul Levesque, fka, Triple H, taking over as new head of creative and EVP of Talent Relations.

Despite this, fans can still expect to see Rollins this weekend, as Fightful noted the former WWE Champion is expected to travel to Nashville for SummerSlam weekend and is still booked for certain media obligations before the event. Fightful had no information regarding whether Riddle would also be traveling to Nashville or would remain home to sell the injury.

Even with Rollins vs. Riddle now off the card, SummerSlam will still feature eight matches, headlined by Roman Reigns defending the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing match. As always, the Premium Live Event will air on the Peacock streaming service.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Introduces Trios Titles, Champs To Be Crowned At All Out

AEW will hold a tournament to crown its first-ever Trios Champions at All Out 2022.

AEW has announced that it will crown the first-ever All Elite Wrestling Trios Champions. The inaugural championship team will be decided via a tournament that will culminate at All Out, which goes down on September 4 at the Now Arena in the Chicago suburb of Hoffman Estates.

The announcement was made by the AEW Dynamite announce team of Jim Ross, Excalibur, and Taz on last nights edition of AEW Dynamite on TBS, during which the three championship belts were also unveiled.

https://twitter.com/AEW/status/1552450803998285825

AEW Dynamite “Fight For The Fallen” Preview 7/27/2022

Three title matches and some major returns are set for tonight’s special Fight For The Fallen episode of “AEW Dynamite”.

Bryan Danielson will return to in-ring action for the first time since AEW’s Double Or Nothing pay-per-view last May. An undisclosed injury has kept Danielson sidelined and forced him to bow out of a match against Zack Sabre Jr. at the Forbidden Door pay-per-view. Danielson is set to face Daniel Garcia tonight in the latest clash between the Blackpool Combat Club and the Jericho Appreciation Society.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • AEW Interim World Championship Match: Rush vs. Jon Moxley (c)
  • AEW Women’s World Championship Match: Miyu Yamashita vs. Thunder Rosa (c)
  • FTW Championship Match: Danhausen vs. Ricky Starks
  • Bryan Danielson vs. Daniel Garcia
  • Dante Martin vs. Sammy Guevara
  • 2-On-1 Match: AEW World Tag Team Champion Swerve Strickland vs. Mark Sterling & Tony Nese
  • We hear from Jungle Boy

Nick Wayne Gives Update After Being Detained In Bomb Threat Investigation

Nick Wayne provided an update this evening via Twitter after news of he and his mother were detained due to a potential bomb threat.

Wayne tweeted, “Made it back to Seattle I appreciate all of you for everything.”

As reported, the flight traveling from Frankfurt, Germany, to Seattle, Washington, was diverted when a bomb threat was written on a bathroom mirror. A decision was made for the plane to be diverted to Keflavik, Iceland, where the entire passenger manifest were detained.

It was reported that Wayne’s mother was interrogated for “quite some time” due to the fact that she had an item of make-up that could have been used to write the bomb threat in the bathroom.

The 17-year-old was in London, England for Progress Chapter 136: 24/7, where he defeated Robbie X in his debut match.

This weekend for Starrcast V in Nashville, TN, Wayne will be facing Alex Zayne at GCW: The People Vs. GCW and on the card for Ric Flair’s Last Match event, Wayne is set to face Jonathan Gresham, Konosuke Takeshita, and Alan Angels in a fatal four-way match.

AEW had signed Wayne back in February 2022 and is set to make his debut when he turns 18.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Location For WrestleMania 40

WrestleMania 39 is now less than a year away, with both nights scheduled to take place in SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on April 1 and April 2. But that doesn’t mean WWE can’t start getting ready for the 40th iteration of WrestleMania in 2024, which they are doing by announcing the location, and dates, for the historic event.

“BREAKING NEWS,” WWE tweeted. “Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will host WrestleMania 40, on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2024, as first reported by Philadelphia Inquirer and Sports Business Journal.”

Shortly after the announcement, WWE also issued a press release regarding the blockbuster news.

“Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, PHL Sports, and WWE are proud to announce that Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania 40, on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, 2024,” the statement read. “WrestleMania is more than a two-day event; it’s a week-long celebration.

“In addition to WrestleMania, other events will include ‘Friday Night SmackDown’, the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony, and ‘Monday Night Raw’ at Wells Fargo Center as well as other fan events at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. In addition, WWE will also host multiple community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.”

This will be the first WrestleMania to take place in the Northeast since WrestleMania 35 in 2019, which emanated out of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It’s been an even longer wait for Philadelphia wrestling fans, who last experienced a WrestleMania in their city back in 1999 with WrestleMania 15. The event, which took place at the height of the Attitude Era, saw Steve Austin defeat The Rock for the WWE Championship in the first of three major WrestleMania events the two stars would have over the next four years.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 7/26/22

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

Cody Rhodes Willing To Pay $1000 Fine Each Time For Banned Term

Cody Rhodes has previously indicated that one of the traits of his American Nightmare character is to go against the grain and challenge WWE’s time-honored verbiage.

On the April 11 “WWE Raw” episode, for example, Rhodes would refer to “Superstars” as “Wrestlers” and “Titles” as “Championship Belts” during a Miz TV segment, for which he was corrected on live television by The Miz.

Turns out, Rhodes is fine being charged a $1,000 fine every time he uses a banned word on WWE TV.

Rhodes made his intentions known during Mattel’s recent WWE San Diego Comic-Con 2022, where panelist Steve Ozer pointed out how “title belts” were being added to the 2-pack WWE figures before he quickly corrected himself to say “championship titles.”

This promoted Rhodes to ask the Mattel employee to continue saying whatever he wishes.

“Buddy, you can say belts,” Rhodes said. “If they fine me $1000 every time I say belts, I’m fine with it. Belts. It can be a title belt, sure, it’s a championship. But it also physically goes around your waist. It’s a belt. So, those are great belts [in the new Mattel figures].”

Earlier this year, Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer released WWE’s updated internal list of over 30 banned terms.

Wrestling

Wrestlers

Belt

Blood

Choke

Diva

Strap

Kayfabe

Mofos

Head Shot

Trauma

DQ

The Anti-Diva

Spinal Injuries

Victim

Violence/Violent

WWF

Wifebeater

Curb Stomp

Strangle

Kill

Murder

Kayfabe

House Show

Push

Being Over

Babyface

Heel

Job/Jobber

Card

Non-Title

There is also speculation that the word “attacked” was added to the list following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine earlier this year. This is supposedly why announcer Jimmy Smith corrected himself to say “assaulted” after using the term “attacked” while describing Seth Rollins’ backstage fight with Cody Rhodes following their match at WrestleMania Backlash in May.

Rhodes, currently sidelined with an injury, is the early odds-on favorite to make a triumphant return at next year’s Royal Rumble. During the same Comic-Con panel, Rhodes discussed the possibility of his comeback at January’s annual battle royal.

“[My doctor] told me flat out that he’s not going to give me a timeline because he’s afraid I’m going to try and jump it,” Rhodes said. “So I’m still going to try and jump it.”

Rhodes added that his recovery is “ahead of schedule” but also noted that he “couldn’t win an arm wrestling contest” right now.

“My Royal Rumble stats are top 10, they’re phenomenal,” Rhodes added. “So if I was to come back at that event, there is a chance I could actually get up in the top five and I’m all about that …. You never know! We’ll see.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Upcoming Story Said To Be ‘Damning’ For Vince McMahon

In the aftermath of two explosive stories from the Wall Street Journal, other mainstream outlets have reportedly begun fishing into Vince McMahon’s past transgressions. In the coming week, HBO Real Sports is set to drop a story on McMahon that is said to contain “damning” details.

On Monday’s Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez noted that McMahon’s retirement was likely a preemptive move as WWE was aware of the details in the upcoming stories.

“I will say that there are rumors that the HBO Real Sports story on Vince is – one person used the term ‘damning’ and that there might be another Wall Street Journal article coming out this week,” Alvarez said [H/T WrestlingNews]. “They may have gotten ahead of things with this resignation on Friday.”

McMahon is currently under investigation by not just WWE’s Board of Directors, but also federal prosecutors and the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) for a series of payments he made between 2006 to 2022.

In their 8-K filing with the SEC, WWE stated that they had received “regulatory, investigative and enforcement inquiries, subpoenas or demands” in connection with “Unrecorded Expenses” made by McMahon between 2006 and 2022. WWE announced they are currently revising previous financial statements to record these expenses for the end of 2019, 2020, 2021 and Q1 of 2022, with the goal of issuing new statements by August 9. The “Unrecorded Expenses” were disclosed to be a sum of $14.6 million, which WWE mentioned have either been paid or will be paid personally by McMahon.

According to a WSJ report published Monday, the ongoing federal investigation essentially hastened McMahon’s decision to retire from all duties, corporate and creative. McMahon initially stepped down as CEO & Chairman last month but continued to overlook the creative end of WWE. All that changed last Friday when McMahon announced his retirement from the company.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

17-Year Old Prodigy Nick Wayne Reportedly Detained In Bomb Threat Investigation

It was set to be a trip that 17-year-old prodigy Nick Wayne would never forget — venturing across the pond for the first time to perform in the United Kingdom. However, after a serious incident took place on his flight home, it will be a jaunt to remember for somewhat less expected reasons.

Wayne, along with his mother, became suspects in a potential bomb threat aboard their flight back to the United States, according to Wrestling Observer Radio. The flight, traveling from Frankfurt, Germany,to Seattle, Washington, was diverted when a bomb threat was written on a bathroom mirror. A decision was made for the plane to be diverted to Keflavik, Iceland, where the entire passenger manifest were detained, with their luggage and personal items being thoroughly searched by local authorities.

According to the Observer report, Wayne’s mother was interrogated for “quite some time” due to the fact that she had an item of make-up that could have been used to write the bomb threat in the bathroom. Wayne’s mother was said to have been “in a panic” by the whole ordeal while being detained.

The airplane, operated by Condor, was passing over Greenland at 36,000 feet, according to FlightRadar24, when the threat was discovered. It was said passengers were allowed to use bathrooms, but were not allowed to charge their phones during the process. It was noted by AirLive that an aircraft was sent later that night for the passengers to resume their journey. As of this writing, it is unclear if the passengers are still being detained, or if they have already been sent on their way across the Atlantic. Notably, Wayne retweeted a tweet this morning, which could suggest that the situation has eased somewhat.

Wayne was in the United Kingdom performing for Progress Wrestling in London, England, where he defeated Robbie X in a one-on-one match. The young upstart, who signed for All Elite Wrestling earlier this year, will also be in action this weekend during Starrcast in Nashville, TN, taking on Alex Zayne at GCW: The People vs. GCW this Friday night.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Triple H Promises More Transparency With Talent Moving Forward

As WWE’s new head of creative, Triple H hopes to make communication easier for talent.

For the last month, the pro wrestling world has been rocked by on major scandal. Vince McMahon was revealed to have paid over $14 million in hush money following sexual misconduct with employees. Last Friday, McMahon announced that he would be retiring from his position as CEO of WWE. In his place are his daughter Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan, WWE’s new co-CEOs.

Paul Levesque, better known by his ring name Triple H, is now leading WWE’s creative team. While it’s yet to be seen how exactly the WWE will look under Triple H’s control, he reportedly already has a vision for how the company will operate in the future.

Ahead of last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Triple H held a meeting backstage with the roster. According to Fightful Select, the meeting laid out the groundwork for Triple H’s intentions with the main roster going forward.

Triple H promised talent more transparency in the future, including open lines of communication. This has been an issue for the WWE in recent years; talent would sometimes have to wait for hours outside of Vince McMahon’s office in order to talk with him. Triple H also told talent during the meeting that he wants work to be fun.

According to Fightful’s report, the meeting went smoothly and was well-received. Talent is said to be feeling optimistic now that Triple H is in charge.

If Triple H means what he said to WWE’s talent tonight, then things could be looking up for the company. Hopefully, WWE’s new regime is able to make it through this rough patch and find brighter days ahead.

Source: TheSportster