KB’s Review: They Just Ran Out

Things are starting to get back to normal in WWE and that is a very good thing to see. The Coronavirus has shaken up the company in a huge way over the last year and a few months but now it is time for things to settle back down. This includes bringing the shows back to the road, but there are going to be a lot of wrestlers missing, but that might not be the worst thing in the world. Probably the biggest stories in WWE this year has been the string of releases that has seen dozens of wrestlers leaving the company. That is not the kind of thing you usually expect to see, as WWE has not been releasing huge numbers of wrestlers in recent years, and even then they never came close to doing it like this. Some of these releases have been more surprising than others, but not all of them are the worst changes. This week we’re going to take a look at some of the releases and go into why some of them were both necessary and long overdue. I’m not going to break them down and go over them one by..

Upcoming WWE SmackDown Airing From Two Venues

Double it up. The biggest wrestling story of July will be fans returning to the venues, both for AEW and WWE. Things are going to change again and this time in a more positive direction. There is something very cool about seeing wrestling companies going back on the road, as the energy will be boosted up all over again. It turns out that the boost is coming from two places at once in one instance. WWE has announced that SmackDown will air from two venues on July 23, which will be the second edition of the show featuring fans in attendance. The show will be split between the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio and the Rolling Loud Festival in Miami, Florida. There is no word on if the show in Cleveland will have additional matches to make up for part of the card taking place elsewhere. There have been some split location shows before. Check out a few of the past versions: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..

Surprising Update On CM Punk’s UFC Career

I hope you used an erasable pen. Some wrestlers have a hard time figuring out what to do after they leave the ring and that can create some problems. Every now and then you do find someone who can get out on their feet though and that makes for some interesting situations. Occasionally someone tries their hand at another sport and fails, but now one of them might have done a bit better than previously thought. According to MMAJunkie.com, CM Punk’s loss to Mike Jackson at UFC 225 has been overturned and reversed into a no contest. Jackson failed a post fight test for marijuana, resulting in Punk’s decision loss being overturned. There is no word on why it took so long to announce the result, as the fight took place on June 9, 2018. As a result, Punk’s mixed martial arts record is now 0-1-1. Punk has yet to comments on the change. Following his exit from WWE in 2014, Punk eventually tried his hands at mixed martial arts and fought twice in the UFC. Punk lost his first fight to Mickey G..

REVIEW: Bash At The Beach 1996: The Turning Point

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Bash at the Beach 1996 Date: July 7, 1996 Location: Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida Attendance: 8,300 Commentators: Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Dusty Rhodes This is one of the first non-WWE reviews I ever did so it is LONG overdue for a second try. I’m pretty sure you know this one, as it is built around the question of who is the third man. The Outsiders arrived about a month and a half ago and are now ready for their first match, but they need a partner. Now who is that going to be? Let’s get to it. I do mi..

AEW Dynamite Results – July 7, 2021

Dynamite Date: July 7, 2021 Location: James L. Knight Center, Miami, Florida Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur We’re officially back on the road and that means there are fresh fans in attendance. That is certainly a good thing and something that did not feel possible over the last year plus. First up we have Road Rager, featuring the Tag Team Titles on the line, a strap match and the debut of Andrade El Idolo. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Cody Rhodes vs. QT Marshall South Beach Strap Match with the four corner version. Cody dives on him before the bell and the fight is on with Cody pulling Marshall into the ropes. We look at various UFC fighters at ringside as Marshall gets in a shot to the ribs. A moonsault only designed to get knocked out of the air gets knocked out of the air and Cody hits a few buckles. Aaron Solow breaks it up but Dustin Rhodes fights him into the crowd to get rid of one goon. Nick Comoroto follows and Cody gets three buckles, only to get..

WWE Has Plans To Push This Re-Signed Star

The future is bright. One of the things that almost every wrestling fan does at one point or another is fantasy book. There is something fun about writing out your own ideas and seeing what kind of shows and matches you would put together. WWE does the same thing, and it can be interesting to see what they come up with, as well as who they choose to push. Now we know a bit more about someone they want getting the next shot. According to Fightful Select, WWE is planning to push Roderick Strong as a focal point in NXT, with a focus on helping to boost the Cruiserweight division. Strong returned from a hiatus in June as part of the Diamond Mine, followed by winning a match over Asher Hale. During his time away from NXT television, Strong signed a new deal with the company, which has been the case with other missing wrestlers in recent memory. Strong is worth the effort. Check out what NXT is focusing on: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to pl..

WATCH: Charlotte And Andrade Train Together In The Ring

You have to practice. It is pretty rare to have two wrestlers in a romantic relationship but it does happen occasionally. What is even rarer is to have them be two top level stars who can train with each other, as there are often various issues to prevent it from taking place. It is the case with a current major WWE star and an AEW star, who recently got in the ring together. WWE’s Charlotte has tweeted out a video showing her and AEW’s Andrade El Idolo, her fiance, training together in a ring. In the video, Charlotte is shown practicing a move of some sort on him as she rolls him around the ring. There is no word on where or when the video was shot. El Idolo was released from WWE earlier this year and debuted in AEW in June. This is quite the pairing. Check out the two of them in the ring together and on their own: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of those things t..

Title Match Set For Next Week With Special Stipulation

You need to make it special. This week’s edition of NXT is the Great American Bash special and that means viewers are in for a big night. NXT knows how to fill out major cards, but there is not room on them for everything. Sometimes you need to save something for later though and that is what we are going to be seeing next week as there is going to be a huge main event. During this week’s edition of NXT, Johnny Gargano and NXT Champion Karrion Kross had a face to face meeting in the ring. General Manager William Regal announced that the two would meet in a title match the following week, with Samoa Joe as the guest enforcer. The two have been feuding in recent weeks, including Kross defeating Gargano and three other challengers in a title defense at Takeover: In Your House 2021. It should be a big one. Check out how we got to the title match: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: T..

Sad News Regarding Terry Funk’s Health

It’s so sad. While there are all kinds of wrestlers throughout history, you are very rarely going to find someone who is truly unique. On those rare occasions where you do find them though, it can be amazing to see just how good they are. It can make it even harder to see them fade away though, and now it seems that we might be getting close to losing one of the best ever. This week, rumors began circulating that Terry Funk has been living in an assisted living facility due to mental health issues. These stories were confirmed by a post on Funk’s official Twitter account, saying that Funk is receiving residential care for both mental and physical issues. Funk is also said to have some days that are better than others, but there is no word on any specific issues. Funk, 77 years old as of last month, began wrestling in 1965 and wrestled his most recent match in 2017. He wrestled or appeared in nearly every major wrestling promotion over the course of his career, including winning World..

VIDEO: Surprise Return Takes Place As NXT Battery Is Fully Charged

The surprise. There are a lot of reasons a wrestler might be gone from television for any given amount of time. One of the biggest is an injury, which is the kind of thing that can derail a career in a hurry. One of the few silver linings is to find a way to have a huge comeback, which can be set up in a variety of ways. That was on display this week and it worked rather well. This week on NXT, Tegan Nox made a surprise return to television, following a ten plus month absence. Nox was revealed to be behind the battery charging vignettes which aired throughout June and showed a battery rising from 0%, with the total reaching 100% this week. The return took place during a Women’s Tag Team Title match, which saw the Way lose their titles partially due to Nox’s distraction. Nox suffered a torn ACL in August 2020, forcing her out of action to undergo surgery. The injury was explained by an attack at the hands of Candice LeRae, who Nox attacked as she returned this week. It was Nox’s third..

Hand It Over: Title Change Takes Place On NXT

History has been made again. There are so many titles under the WWE banner today and that means you can see titles changing hands a bit more often than back in the day. This may or may not be a good thing, as you get the instant boost from a title change, but at the same time the amount of changes dilutes the impact that they can have. That might have been the case this week. During this week’s edition of NXT, Io Shirai and Zoey Stark won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles by defeating The Way, Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell. Shirai and Stark won the titles after a distraction from the returning Tegan Nox, allowing Stark to pin Hartwell. The win makes Shirai and Stark the fourth champions in the titles’ history, after they were introduced in January of this year. The division has come a long way. Check out how we got here: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This may seem like a lo..

WWE Scrapped Plans For A Pair Of New Championships

What could have been. There are all kinds of titles in the wrestling world and that can create a bit of a problem at times. With so many titles out there, it can be easy to have the title scene over saturated with champions. If a good percentage of wrestlers have a title, then the championships don’t mean as much. That has been a common criticism of WWE for a long time now and it was almost worse. In a post on his Instagram account, former WWE wrestler Jack Gallagher revealed that WWE had Cruiserweight Tag Team Titles created and ready from the time 205 Live debuted in 2016. The titles were purple and gold and were found on the prop truck which was brought to weekly television. They were never officially introduced either backstage or on television. Rules suggested for the titles included lucha libre rules for tag matches, meaning both feet touching the floor allowed the partner to come in, or trios titles. There is nothing to suggest that these titles will be introduced at any point ..

NXT Live Coverage And Results – July 6, 2021

NXT Date: July 6, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph It’s the Great American Bash due to reasons of….I’m not sure why we needed a special show this week but that’s what we have here. The card is stacked as you might expect, with a main event of Kyle O’Reilly vs. Adam Cole II. Other than that, the biggest deal is Johnny Gargano and Karrion Kross talking, as I’m not sure why the title match isn’t taking place here. Let’s get to it. The opening video looks at the card, of course featuring comments from Dusty Rhodes. Tag Team Titles: MSK vs. Timothy Thatcher/Tommaso Ciampa Thatcher and Ciampa are challenging. Ciampa shoulders Carter over to start but a headscissors sends Ciampa into the corner. It’s off to Thatcher for a chinlock/ripping at Lee’s face before Ciampa grabs his own chinlock. Lee fights up and gets over to Carter to kick Ciampa out to the floor. That means a middle rope moonsault but Thatcher shoves..

Impact Wrestling Results – July 1, 2021

Impact Wrestling Date: July 1, 2021 Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: D’Lo Brown, Josh Matthews We are less than three weeks away from Slammiversary and things are starting to pick up. The main event is already set with Sami Callihan vs. Kenny Omega, but there is still time to change things up. That is still a possibility this time around as Callihan faces Moose, with the chance to make the match a triple threat. Let’s get to it. Opening recap. Opening sequence. Eddie Edwards vs. Satoshi Kojima They’re cool with each other but Edwards wanted to face Kojima before he went back to Japan. Hold on though as here is W. Morrissey to say that Kojima is alone, just like Edwards was when Morrissey jumped him in the parking lot. Cue Brian Myers with Sam Beale, who Myers refers to as his young boy. Myers says Beale can’t learn anything from Kojima and calls out Jake something, but Kojima doesn’t care for that. The beatdown is on with Something running out for the s..

WWE RUMOR: Backstage Reaction To Jimmy Uso’s Arrest

As they should be. Wrestlers are some of the biggest and loudest personalities that you will see around the entertainment world, but there is another side to everyone involved. While fans see one part of the wrestlers on television, there is another side that we do not get to see very often. That was on display this week and now WWE is not exactly happy with what happened. As previously reported, Jimmy Uso was arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this week. This is Uso’s fourth arrest for alcohol related issues in less than three years. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE officials are said to be “extremely disappointed” in Uso’s actions. It is no longer seen as bad luck or a mistake but rather personal judgment. There is no word on what this will mean for Uso’s future in the company. I’ve spoken to two sources this morning on the Jimmy Uso news. I can say with certainty that a few “high level people in power” are extremely disappointed & legitimately pissed off over t..

BREAKING: Jimmy Uso Arrested For DUI Again

According to a report from TMZ, Jimmy Uso was arrested last evening in Pensacola, Florida, for driving under the influence of alcohol. He has been charged with a misdemeanor DUI. Uso, whose real name is Jonathan Fatu, was pulled over at around 10:35 PM on Monday in Pensacola after police say that he ran a red light after being clocked going 50 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. During subsequent questioning, they smelled alcohol on him, so they asked him to exit his Dodge Charger and gave him a field sobriety test, which he failed. Official police records state that Uso’s Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) breath tests came back at .202 and .205, which is well above Florida’s legal limit of .08. His bond is currently set at $500. This is not Uso’s first DUI; he was arrested in July 2019 for a similar offense. He was later found not guilty of the charges. He has been featured in prominent storylines as of late, with his cousin Roman Reigns: [This post contains video, click to play] We will continue ..

WATCH: Jinder Mahal vs. Randy Orton From Money in the Bank 2017

The Maharaja defends his title. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel in which they show the full match between Jinder Mahal and Randy Orton for the WWE Championship at the 2017 Money in the Bank pay-per-view. You can see the match in its entirety below: [This post contains video, click to play] From WWE.com: The Modern-Day Maharaja didn’t just defeat The Apex Predator to retain the WWE Championship he won in shocking fashion last month at WWE Backlash, he did it in front of Orton’s hometown crowd and a cadre of “St. Louis Legends” at ringside that included Greg Gagne, Larry “The Axe” Hennig, Baron Von Raschke, Sgt. Slaughter, Ric Flair and The Viper’s father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton. With that kind of support, Orton was feeling it from the second he walked through the curtain, and the crowd’s chants of “RKO” very nearly willed The Viper to hit his fearsome finishing move just seconds into the match. But thanks to an assist from The Singh Brothers, Orton found himself flip..

Major Update On NXT’s Battery Charge Reveal *POSSIBLE SPOILER*

Call it a positive charge. There are all kinds of ways to bring someone onto a wrestling television show. One of the better options to choose is to have a series of vignette promote a return in a way that makes is clear that something is getting closer. It is a great way to build up anticipation and NXT has been doing it again. Now we know who to expect at the end. Over the last few weeks, NXT has aired a series of vignettes showing a battery charging. The battery has slowly recharged and stood at 80% last week. According to PWInsider.com, the battery recharging will lead to Tegan Nox returning. Nox has been out of the ring since August when she suffered a torn ACL. Nox has all the potential in the world. Check out some of her time in NXT and in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: Nox is quite the surprise and I’m not sure if I ever would have guessed her. If nothing else, t..

RUMOR KILLER On SmackDown Contract Status

Not so fast. WWE has undergone all kinds of changes over the course of this year. The company has seen dozens of wrestlers released, which has shaken up the way the roster looks and works. There are still several wrestlers who could be released in the future, though now we know one name who will be sticking around, despite some rumors to the contrary. According to Fightful Select, Chad Gable’s WWE contract is not expiring anytime in the near future. This comes after AEW’s Dax Harwood said in May that he would see Gable soon, though this was little more than a joke. It is not clear how long Gable has left on his WWE deal, though AEW would be interested in him when his contract expires. Gable has been teaming with Otis as the Alpha Academy as of late. I can see why both promotions would want him. Check out what he can do in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: Gable is som..

VIDEO: Hollywood Steve Austin Is Ready For NWO Week

This kid has potential. There are very few names in the history of professional wrestling who can come close to Steve Austin. Despite having a relatively short main event run at the top of the company, Austin became one of the biggest stars in the history of professional wrestling. While he is a six time WWE World Champion, he is probably better known for his talking skills, and those were on display again. As part of NWO Week in WWE, Kevin Nash will be appearing on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions. In an effort to promote the appearance, Austin has released a promo as Hollywood Steve Austin, including NWO style presentation and graphics. Austin also uses various NWO catchphrases from different members. The interview airs on Sunday on the WWE Network and on Peacock. Austin has hosted the Broken Skull Sessions since November 2019 with episodes airing every few months. This has replaced his Steve Austin Show podcast, which ended airing new episodes in 2019. During his career, Austi..