Author: John Bass

WWE NXT Great American Bash Preview 7/6/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will be the special Great American Bash episode, live from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

NXT Tag Team Titles Match
Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher vs. MSK (c)

NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles Match
Io Shirai and Zoey Stark vs. Indi Hartwell and Candice LeRae (c)

Million Dollar Title Match
Cameron Grimes vs. LA Knight (c)
If Knight wins, Grimes must become his butler.

NXT Champion Karrion Kross comes face-to-face with Johnny Gargano

Hit Row hosts a Championship Cypher

The person behind the battery charger teasers is expected to be revealed (possibly Tegan Nox, who returned last night in a dark match at RAW)

Terry Funk Reportedly Suffering From Dementia

WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk is reportedly suffering from dementia.

It was noted on the latest edition of WWE Hall of Famer Don Muraco’s “Magnificent” podcast that Funk is in an assisted living home and is dealing with dementia. Muraco said Funk is still living in Amarillo, Texas, but is in an assisted living facility.

The health update on Funk was confirmed by PWInsider. Funk has been dealing with health issues for some time, which have gotten progressively worse over the last year following the passing of his wife Vickie in 2019.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jimmy Uso Has Been Arrested For A DUI For The Second Time

Jimmy Uso has been arrested and charged with a DUI. This is the second time he has been arrested under similar circumstances.

Jimmy Uso has been arrested for a DUI for the second time in two years. The SmackDown Superstar’s BAC was more than twice the legal limit.

A report courtesy of TMZ has revealed Jimmy Uso was arrested for a DUI late on Monday night. The WWE Superstar was stopped by police in Florida when he ran a red light while also breaking the speed limit. According to the officers who arrested Uso, he smelled of alcohol and admitted to having drunk multiple beers before getting behind the wheel of his car.

Police tested Uso’s blood alcohol level twice, returning results of .202 and .205. That’s more than double the legal limit of .08 in the state of Florida. After failing a number of sobriety tests Uso was arrested and at the time of TMZ’s report, he remained in jail. As well as a DUI, Uso has also been charged with speeding and running a red light.

This isn’t the first time Uso has been pulled over and charged with a DUI. In 2019, the former Tag Team Champion was arrested under very similar circumstances. However, after standing trial for the misdemeanor, Uso was found not guilty by a jury. Earlier that same year, Uso was arrested for allegedly getting into a drunken dispute with police officers.

Source: The Sportster

NXT Superstar Tegan Nox Returns To Action In Raw Dark Match

In a pre-Raw dark match with Toni Storm, NXT Superstar Tegan Nox returned to the ring for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last August.

After a lengthy injury-induced absence, NXT Superstar Tegan Nox returned to the ring in a dark match prior to the most recent edition of Raw.

According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, Tegan Nox worked a match inside the WWE ThunderDome with fellow NXT Superstar Toni Storm prior to Raw going on the air.

If the report is accurate, the match would be Nox’s first in almost a year. Her last match was a Tri-Brand Battle Royal to determine the number-one contender to the SmackDown Women’s title. The match went down on the August 13 edition of SmackDown which aired live from WWE Performance Center just a few days before WWE moved its on-screen business to the WWE ThunderDome.

Tegan Nox’s WWE tenure has been plagued by injury woes. She signed with the company in 2017 and was scheduled to compete in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, but was forced to withdraw after tearing her ACL before the tournament began.

The Welsh wrestler competed in the second Mae Young Classic in 2018 but was suffered numerous injuries in her quarter-final match with Rhea Ripley. As well as tearing her ACL again, Nox suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament and a patellar dislocation. She eventually recovered and went on to feature in some high-profile NXT bouts. Nox teamed with Shotzi Blackheart in a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match against Sasha Banks and Bayley in June of 2020 before tragically tearing her ACL yet again that August.

Recently, several developmental talents have been featured in main-roster dark matches, as well as appearing on Main Event. Both Karrion Kross and Bronson Reed were backstage on SmackDown a few weeks ago and performed in dark matches. The pair returned for Raw the following week to perform in taped matches on Main Event. Toni Strom, Shotzi Blackheart, and Odyssey Jones have also been participating in main roster activities lately.

Source: The Sportster

Update On Kenny Omega’s Injuries

Last month a report came out about AEW World Champion, Impact World Champion, and AAA Mega Champion Kenny Omega “hurting pretty badly” from a couple different injuries.

Omega was said to be dealing with an athletic hernia, a deep bone bruise near his tailbone, and general wear/tear on his knees. He was also coming off a stomach virus, and a sliced hand that required seven stitches. Omega himself said at the AEW Double or Nothing Fan Fest that there were days he considered retiring from wrestling, but the crowd always made him feel better while performing.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it was reported the champion has been doing better — as seen in his title match victory against Jungle Boy on last Saturday’s Dynamite.

The biggest issue had been his athletic hernia, but stem cell treatment and PRP (Platelet-rich plasma) therapy have helped make “a world of difference.”

Omega has some big defenses lined up, beginning on July 17 at Impact Slammiversary against Sami Callihan. He’ll also be heading to Mexico City, Mexico on August 14 at AAA TripleMania XXIV to defend the AAA Mega Championship against Andrade.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Zelina Vega Returns To WWE on SmackDown, Enters Money In The Bank Match

Seven months after being released, Zelina Vega returned to WWE television on the latest edition of SmackDown.

Zelina Vega is back on the WWE payroll seven months after she parted ways with the company.

Vega made her surprise return on the most edition of SmackDown after Sonya Deville revealed that Vega would be entering the upcoming Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match.

As you might recall, Zelina Vega was released by WWE in November of 2020 following a dispute regarding her personal Twitch channel which occurred soon after the company introduced new policies regarding employees’ use of third-party sites.

“I’m sad and I’m completely heartbroken,” Zelina said of her release shortly after it was made official. “Obviously, this isn’t the last that you are gonna see of me…I love you all though and I’m really really thankful to every single one of you. If I go down as someone who stood up for themselves, so be it. I’m still thankful, I’m not angry. I’m just heartbroken because doing this, being a wrestler is all I ever wanted to do. I don’t really know what to say, there’s so many things I want to say but I don’t know how.”

Following her release, there were rumors that Vega could be heading to AEW, which heated up after AEW’s president Tony Khan confirmed that he had been waiting for her 90-day non-compete clause to lapse before reaching out to her.

Vega’s real-life husband Tommy End (aka Aleister Black) was released by WWE last month as a result of budget cuts necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vega, real name Thea Trinidad Büdgen, started out on the independent and had a stint with Impact between 2011-2013. She made sporadic appearances for WWE before signing a contract in 2017. She performed on the NXT brand as an in-ring performer as Andrade’s manager. Andrade captured the NXT Championship under Vega’s guidance.

Vega has signed a long-term deal with WWE.

PWInsider has since revealed more details regarding Vega’s deal and how it came about. Apparently, the returning star has penned a long-term deal and won’t just be sticking around for a little while providing all goes to plan. She was also backstage on SmackDown last week but not used. Kudos to WWE for managing to keep Vega’s imminent return under wraps.

Vega has since tweeted a reaction to her own return. “I’m back. I’m going to be in the MITB ladder match. ..and I will win. Period. Everything else is irrelevant,” Vega tweeted. Presumably a message to anyone who might want to know the finer details of how her return came about and how long it has been in the works that she isn’t going to be talking about it publicly.

Vega was spotted at the WWE Performance Center two months ago, fueling rumors that she might have struck up a new deal with the company. However, her husband Aleister Black has been released since then and there has been no mention of a Vega return since, official or otherwise. Clearly, Black’s release didn’t sour the repaired relationship between WWE and Vega.

While it was never confirmed that a disagreement over the new regulations was why Vega left, that’s assumed to be the case as Vega tweeted that she supported unionization as news of her release made headlines. That is now all water under the bridge and it will be interesting to see if Vega’s work on Twitch continues now that she is once again under a WWE contract.

Source: The Sportster

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/2/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature more build for the upcoming Money In the Bank pay-per-view.

WWE has announced a Last Man Standing Money In the Bank qualifier for tonight’s show with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The winner will join Big E as the second blue brand entrant confirmed for the Men’s MITB Ladder Match. There will be two spots open for the men’s match after that. RAW Superstars confirmed for the match are Riddle, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet and John Morrison.

WWE Hall of Famer Edge will also be on tonight’s show as a follow-up to last week’s attack on WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

WWE noted that Reigns will respond to Edge’s return during tonight’s show. Edge vs. Reigns has been announced for Money In the Bank, with the title on the line.

Mercedes Martinez Reportedly Suffers Concussion On WWE NXT

Mercedes Martinez reportedly suffered a concussion on Tuesday’s WWE NXT show.

As noted, Martinez was legitimately knocked out during Tuesday’s mixed tag team match, which saw Xia Li and Boa defeat Mercedes and Jake Atlas. Li delivered a roundhouse kick to Martinez, which knocked her out and caused some blood to come from her mouth. Martinez immediately went down and the referee stopped the match.

Li and Boa won the match due to referee stoppage, and the finish was reportedly a shoot. Martinez was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation, but was said to be doing better by Wednesday morning.

It was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Martinez suffered a concussion from the kick. There is no word on how long it might be before Martinez is medically cleared to compete, but she will likely be out of the ring for a few weeks, if not longer.

Martinez has not commented on what happened as of this writing, but has re-tweeted a few clips and tweets from the match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Martinez was taken to a local hospital

Paul Wight Responds To Shaq’s Challenge For AEW Match

A match between NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal and Paul Wight [fka The Big Show] has been rumored for years. But aside from a brief encounter during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32, the two giants have never truly locked horns inside the squared circle.

As reported earlier, Shaq told PopCulture.com in a recent interview that his match with Wight could happen “really, really soon” in AEW

“I hear Paul Wight is still talking trash,” O’Neal said. “So I’m going to work out really hard this summer and maybe we can do something really, really soon.”

Shaq added that nothing would prevent the match from happening this time around.

“There shouldn’t be any problems for us getting together now,” O’Neal said of his potential match with Wight. “Last time there was a lot of bureaucracy and red tape. Now there is no red tape. I’m still kind of sore from that table so I’m going to work out during the summer, pump these muscles up and I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Former WWE Star ‘The Patriot’ Del Wilkes Passes Away At

Former WWE star ‘The Patriot ‘ Del Wilkes — most famous for his 1997 feud with Bret Hart — has tragically passed away at the age of 59.

Former WWE Superstar ‘The Patriot’ Del Wilkes has tragically passed away a the age of 59 according to a report from Mike Mooneyham in the Charleston Post & Courier.

Wilkes was born and raised in South Carolina and has a successful college football career in his home state as one of USC’s Gamecocks. When his football career came to an end, he pursued professional wrestling and went on to work for WCW and WWE, and All Japan Pro Wrestling.

To wrestling fans, Wilkes is best known for his two stints in WWE. Wilkes first began working with WWE in 1991 but parted ways with the company the following year. He rejoined WWE in 1997 but left again in 1998.

Wilkes often performed as his patriotic alter ego ‘The Patriot’ who wore a mask emblazoned with the stars and stripes and carried the American flag. Wilkes also used a rousing entrance theme that would later be repurposed for another American hero, Kurt Angle.

In 1997 while performing as his patriotic alter ego, Wilkes challenged the anti-American Bret Hart for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at Ground Zero: In Your House where Hart forced him to submit with the Sharpshooter.

In a 2019 episode of his Something To Wrestle With podcast, WWE executive Bruce Prichard spoke about how Wilkes’ relationship with WWE came about.

“I called Del,” Prichard revealed. “His deal in Japan was coming to an end, and he was getting ready to renegotiate. I said, ‘Before you do that, come up and talk to us.’ So, Del came up, and Vince really liked him and thought, ‘With this Patriot gimmick, with everything we have going, this may be one of those situations where we can bring a guy in, slide him right in on top,” he added. “He had the look. He could work. And let’s try it out. And that’s how Del came in at the time, and Jim Cornette was a big proponent for Del. Jim also was a Del Wilkes fan and thought The Patriot coming in would also be a good opponent for Bret. So, that’s how all that happened.”

WWE Comments:

Del Wilkes, known to WWE fans as The Patriot, passes away

WWE is saddened to learn that Del Wilkes, known to WWE fans as The Patriot, has passed away at the age of 59.

Before making a name for himself in the squared circle, Wilkes was a standout on the football field for the University of South Carolina, where he earned the distinction of being voted a consensus All-American. After making the switch to sports-entertainment, Wilkes competed all over the world before arriving in WWE in 1997 as The Patriot.

A Superstar quickly on the rise, The Patriot proudly donned the red, white and blue of America in the midst of a rivalry with The Hart Foundation, leading to a memorable match against Bret Hart for the WWE Championship at In Your House: Ground Zero just two months after his WWE debut.

WWE extends its condolences to Wilkes’ family and friends.

Wilkes began wrestling in 1988, and had runs with WWE, WCW, AWA, promotions in Japan, and more. He is a former two-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, and a former AWA World Tag Team Champion. Wilkes last wrestled for WWE in October 1997, losing to WWE Hall of Famer Jim Neidhart on Shotgun Saturday Night. He was released in early 1998.

Wilkes leaves behind a wife of more than 40 years, named Cathy. He retired from pro wrestling due to a triceps injury, shortly after leaving WWE. Wilkes had worked for the past 16 years as a car salesman in Columbia, South Carolina, but still made the occasional wrestling-related signing or appearance.

Sources: The Sportster and Wrestling Inc.