WWE Superstar Shayna Baszler may have found herself a couple of good friends in the form of Zoey Stark and Sonya Deville on “WWE Raw,” but she has been confirmed to be facing a well-respected international performer at an upcoming independent event. Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh Barnett took toΒ X (formerly known as Twitter)Β to officially announce that Baszler would be facing TJPW star Miyu Yamashita at his upcoming “Bloodsport XI” event on July 28 in Brooklyn, New York.Β
“Two fierce warriors of the ring,” Barnett wrote. “Two battle hardened women through martial arts and pro wrestling training. Two meeting for the first time in the hardest hitting event in all of Professional Wrestling. The kicks of Miyu Yamashita taking on the submission holds of ‘The Queen of Spades’ Shayna Baszler at Josh Barnett’s: Bloodsport XI.”
Two fierce warriors of the ring.
Two battle hardened women through martial arts and pro wrestling training.
Two meeting for the first time in the hardest hitting event in all of Professional Wrestling.
The kicks of Miyu Yamashita taking on the submission holds of "The Queen of⦠pic.twitter.com/oPXSB8LZyV
— πΏππ πππππππππ (@JoshLBarnett) July 9, 2024
Eddie Kingston took to Instagram today to announce that he underwent surgery for a torn ACL. It is said that Kingston is likely to be out of action for 9-12 months.
Fresh off their four-way title match at “WWE NXT” Heatwave, Ethan Page, Shawn Spears, Trick Williams, and Je’Von Evans were slated to meet in tag team action, specifically with the former two taking on the latter pair. Ahead of their tag bout, though, the newly reinstated Brooks Jensen attacked Evans backstage, rendering him unable to compete. As such, Williams was then tasked with finding a new tag team partner for the evening. That replacement partner was later revealed to be TNA Wrestling’s Joe Hendry, who marked his first appearance on the “NXT” brand since the June 18 episode of “NXT.”Β
Hendry and Williams proved to be quite successful in their debut as a pair, namely as Hendry laid out Spears with a chokeslam for the win. The duo did find themselves with a significant advantage in the match’s closing moments, however, as Page fled through the crowd after being attacked by Oro Mensah. Regardless of the circumstances, Hendry has now earned his first official victory under the banner of WWE.
Last month, Hendry appeared, albeit briefly, in a 25-man battle royal to determine the number one contender for the NXT Championship. Following this outing, Hendry’s face notably surfaced at the end of the “NXT” Heatwave premium live event, and in a commercial promoting Tuesday’s episode of “NXT.” Recent reports indicated that WWE officials were planning to heavily utilize Hendry on their programming again in the coming months, which has now seemingly begun with an alliance alongside the now former NXT Champion Trick Williams.
Former WWE NXT North American Champion Wes Lee came out to the ring alone, ready to address the fans following his crushing loss to champion Oba Femi at WWE NXT Heatwave, which robbed Lee of further opportunities at the North American Title, when he was surprised by some supportive faces from his past.
Former TNA World Tag Team Champions Trey Miguel and Zachary Wentz, known as The Rascalz, made a surprise appearance on Tuesday, shocking the fans and their former fellow Rascal. The tandem’s appearance is yet another chapter in the cross-promotion between WWE and TNA, where Wentz and Miguel are currently employed, following in the footsteps of Kazarian, Joe Hendry, and TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace. Later in the night, the reunited trio were confronted by the dastardly Gallus, who threw cold water on the group’s reunion, leading to a six-man tag match set for next week’s “WWE NXT.”
AEW and ROH star Maria Kanellis has provided a health update via her social media accounts after experiencing some problems in recent weeks. Kanellis was last seen managing the trio of Anthony Henry, Cole Karter, and Griff Garrison on the June 20 edition of “ROH on HonorClub,” which was originally taped on June 8, and has been absent from tapings as of late.
“So fun story,” Kanellis wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Six months ago I asked to get my adrenal glands checked and blood work done to check hormone levels because of symptoms I had been having. Insurance would not approve the tests. Fast forward today, I had a CT with contrast to check a mass that was found accidentally during another test, that is either on my kidney or adrenal gland. Moral of the storyβ¦ listen to your body.”
“So here is the update,” she wrote.” Yes it is a mass on my adrenal gland. Next step is meeting with an endocrinologist surgeon. It’s inconclusive at this point, if it is cancer. In other news, I ate French fries and a concrete mixer and I feel a little better.”
The adrenal glands, located just above the kidneys, produce hormones which are then released into the bloodstream. Masses on these glands can lead to increased hormone levels that can lead to things like high blood pressure and diabetes, and are often non-cancerous, with around one in ten cases being cancerous.
Bobby Steveson, better known as Damon Kemp to WWE fans, has been a member of the “WWE NXT” roster since 2021, initially debuting as part of RoderickΒ Strong’sΒ Diamond Mine stable and more recently joining the No Quarter Catch Crew. Now, however, it seems his days in WWE are over. On Monday, the 25-year old took toΒ X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal that he has officially left WWE.
“As of today, I am no longer under contract with WWE,” Steveson wrote. “Forever grateful for the people I met and the experiences I’ve had.”
As of today I am no longer under contract with WWE. Forever grateful for the people I met and the experiences Iβve had. For business inquiries – damonkempmgmt@gmail.com
Contrary to what many initially assumed, Steveson was not released by WWE.Β A report from Fightful SelectΒ revealed that WWE simply chose not to renew Kemp’s contract; he signed a multi-year deal in the summer of 2021. Fightful was told that Kemp was informed ahead of time that his contract would not be renewed, and that this was not part of a new round of talent cuts. Kemp was last seen on the June 25 edition of “WWE NXT,” where he lost an initiation match to Tavion Heights, who has since taken Kemp’s place in the No Quarter Catch Crew alongside Charlie Dempsey and Myles Borne.
Steveson is the older brother of controversial Olympian Gable Steveson, who was also signed by WWE in 2021 and was released back in May. Fightful noted that Bobby made a much better impression than Gable did on coaches, fans and backstage officials during their three years with the company.
The Wyatt Sicks continue to terrorize Chad Gable, complete with a third VHS tape delivery to commentary from NikkiΒ Cross/Abby the Witch, after Bo Dallas revealed why the stable was going after the Alpha Academy leader in a video segment with his UncleΒ Howdy alter egoΒ last week on “WWE Raw.”Β Last week, Dallas called Gable a “false prophet” who was belittling his family for his own gain. This week, the stable’s front man took things a step farther, appearing on “WWE Raw” for the first time without the Uncle Howdy mask since 2019 in a backstage segment.
As Gable was fighting fellow Money in the Bank ladder match contender Jey Uso following in the first match of the night, some of the lights in the arena went out while Gable had Uso in an ankle lock. Thanks to the distraction, Uso hit a spear and got the victory, then “yeeted” to the crowd and ran back in the ramp in the dark. All the lights in the arena then went out, the jarring piano tune signaling the arrival of the Wyatt Sicks began, and smoke filled the ring with Gable still in it. Cross/Abby then rose from underneath the ring once again, and Gable followed Uso up the ramp in complete darkness while the apparation once again put the box on the commentary desk, to be played later on the show.
When Michael Cole threw to the video from the commentary desk later in the night, Dallas delivered a monologue to the camera about his new family. He said he took in those that “no one wanted,” the discarded and forgotten. He said he gave them a purpose.
“They are so happy you remembered them,” Dallas said, as the video cut from the Firefly Funhouse characters to those who portray them behind the masks. Huskus the Pig was officially revealed to be the former Joe Gacy; Mercy the Buzzard, Dexter Lumis; Rambling Rabbit, Erick Rowan; and Abby the Witch, Nikki Cross.
“For grief is the price we pay for love,” Dallas can be heard saying as the video cut between characters. “So now we must set the captives free, so they need no master.”
The video of Dallas then kept cutting to show him as Uncle Howdy as he delivered the line, “Do you think we are sick?” and the over-modulated voice of Howdy from the tapes of weeks prior responded, “Yes, I do.”
“Then sick is what we’ll be,” Dallas said.
After the video, the broadcast cut to Gable backstage with “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce. Gable lamented to Pearce that he was being targeted by the Wyatt Sicks, to which Pearce responded, “If they’re coming after you, did you stop and think why that might be?” Gable said he would deal with the Wyatt Sicks himself. Pearce turned to walk into his office, where he found Dallas waiting for him. The last thing viewers saw was Pearce walking into his office and shutting the door.
Former Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley returned to “WWE Raw” on Monday following Dominik Mysterio and champion Liv Morgan’s mixed tag team victory over the LWO’s Rey Mysterio and Zelina Vega. Ripley had been out of action due to injury at the hands of Morgan, and was forced to vacate her championship. Prior to Ripley’s departure, Morgan declared her “Revenge Tour,” and after she won the championship from Becky Lynch at Crown Jewel, she set her sights on Ripley’s boyfriend, Dominik. Earlier in the night, Judgment Day’s Damian Priest was seen backstage taking a phone call, and asked whoever was on the line (presumably Ripley) where they were, foreshadowing her return to TV.
Dominik was initially reluctant to team with Morgan, who once again got him into compromising positions through the show, but they managed to pick up the win after Morgan threw a chair in the ring to distract the referee, then helped Dominik knock Rey from the top rope, allowing Dominik to hit the frog splash and get the pin, his first victory over his father. Dominik impulsively hugged Morgan in the ring before pushing the women’s champion away, but Morgan jumped into his arms, knocking them both down with Dominik on top. At long last, Dominik seemed about to give in to Morgan’s seduction efforts β which was when Ripley’s music hit, causing both Dominik and Morgan to go wide-eyed with terror.
Ripley stormed down the ramp while Morgan scurried off through the crowd, leaving Dominik in the ring to face “Mami.” The USA Network feed cut off before the segment could be resolved, but footage from after the cameras went dark show Ripley speaking angrily to Dominik before storming right back out of the ring and up the ramp, while a hapless Dominik attempts to follow her and explain himself. Interestingly, a video posted to WWE’s social media afterward shows Morgan watching the confrontation from behind the curtain before turning away with a smile on her face.
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