WATCH: Big Change Teased For NXT

See you later? The authority figure is a long term idea in wrestling and some of them are a lot better than other. It can be a little bit difficult to figure out the right balance to make the idea work but when it works out well, everything can be upgraded. Unfortunately it is fairly well to figure out that balance, and now one of the only great ones might be stepping away from the post. The end of NXT Takeover: In Your House 2021 saw General Manager William Regal leaving the arena. As he left, he said that he had been running the show for seven years now but has never seen it as out of control as this. Regal said that it might be time for a change and then walked away without saying anything else. There is no word on what this means for Regal’s future in NXT. This statement comes amid rising levels of chaos in NXT, including from Karrion Kross as the NXT Champion. Regal was forced to help break up another fight during the show, as Shotzi Blackheart returned and chased off Dakota Kai..

WWE RUMOR: Huge Update On Return To Saudi Arabia

One more time? There have been a lot of changes in WWE over the last year, with some of those changes being based on things that have not been happening. WWE has not been able to do everything that they usually do because of the Coronavirus pandemic but that has begun to change a little bit in recent weeks. Now it might be changing even more later this year. According to Wrestle Club, a Middle Eastern wrestling Twitter account (translated), WWE will be returning to Saudi Arabia in November, with no specific date specified. WWE has been running events in Saudi Arabian since 2018 with two of their events airing around the same time of the year (November 2, 2018 and October 31, 2019). Their most recent event in the country took place in February 2019 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. ??????? ??Wrestling Club?: ???? ??????? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ??? ???????? ?????? ?? ????????. ? pic.twitter.com/H9qyoaIr6c — Wrestling Club (@WrestlinClub) June 12, 2021 WWE in Saudi Ar..

NXT Announces Great American Bash 2021

It’s a summer tradition. Tonight at the 2021 edition of NXT Takeover: In Your House, the company announced the date for its next big special event. Last summer, NXT ran The Great American Bash for two nights, on July 1 and 8, 2020, and this year, the company is doing it again. The 2021 edition of the Great American Bash will take place on Tuesday, July 6, during the company’s regularly scheduled NXT program. No matches have been announced for the show as of now. Check out what the company did last year, as well as the announcement of the show: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Editor’s Opinion: I love the concept of NXT taking special events from WCW’s past and utilizing them as special events in the present. The company has done that with Halloween Havoc, Starrcade and now the Great American Bash and it brings back a sense of nostalgia for the older fans. It also showcases and highlig..

New Champion Crowned At NXT Takeover: In Your House

That’s what titles are for. There are all kinds of titles in the wrestling world today and some of them are a good bit more famous than others. While some titles are going to be recognized for their name, there are a few which are going to be known because of how they look. One of the more famous looking titles in history was brought back this week and now it has a new holder. LA Knight defeated Cameron Grimes at this weekend’s NXT Takeover: In Your House to become the new Million Dollar Champion. The two have been competing to earn Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Legacy. DiBiase had decided that the two of them needed to go for the gold, setting up the ladder match in the process. This is Knight’s first title of any kind in NXT. The Million Dollar Title was introduced in 1989 by DiBiase himself when he could not win the WWF Title. DiBiase would hold it for around two years, save for a reign by Virgil, before deactiving it upon winning the Tag Team Titles. The title has been brought bac..

NXT Takeover: In Your House 2021 Live Coverage And Results

Takeover: In Your House 2021 Date: June 13, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph We’re back to this series but in this case, the card isn’t looking like the strongest in the world. That has been the case for some of the last few of these have not exactly had a great build. I’m not sure what to expect from this one, as the main event is a five way match for the NXT Title. Let’s get to it. The opening video is a pretty standard look at every match on the card. Naomi Fox performs the theme song live. There seems to be a full capacity of fans here. Here’s Todd Pettengill (now with a beard) to welcome us to the show. Tag Team Titles/North American Title: MSK/Bronson Reed vs. Legado del Fantasma Legado is challenging and it’s winner take all. We get a shot of Legado putting their masks on the apron before Lee and Mendoza go with a fast pinfall reversal sequence to start. Lee flips out of a headscissors to land on..

NXT Takeover: In Your House Preview, Predictions And Thoughts

It’s that time again as NXT is taking over….well Peacock again, but that might work out just as well. This time feels different though, as I have forgotten that the show is taking place more than once now. This has not felt like the kind of build you get for a Takeover and that is a shame, as the show has earned its amazing reputation. There are matches on the card that look good though so let’s get to it. Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li We’ll start with the only non-title match on the show because NXT has become a promotion that is awash with titles, just like almost every other. Martinez is mostly a monster and Li is running through the entire division. You need to run over some people on the way there though and Li has marked Martinez as her next target. That might be easier said than done. They had a good preview: [This post contains video, click to play] Or maybe not as I’ll take LI to win here. There is little reason to think that Martinez is going to win as, simply put, she doe..

There Was A Subtle Tribute To A Released WWE Wrestler On SmackDown

Subtle but sweet. WWE has released several wrestlers from their contracts this year and that is the kind of thing that is going to shake up the company in a hurry. With so many names leaving, it can leave a lot of people wondering what to think. Most of the time, people are going to be wondering how the released wrestlers are responding, but what about the ones who are still in the company? Now we saw a little tribute from a WWE wrestler to a released name. Liv Morgan paid tribute to the recently released Ruby Riott during her match against Carmella on this week’s edition of SmackDown. Morgan wrestled the match with a band saying “RUE”, a nickname for Riott, on her leg. Riott was one of the wrestlers released on June 2, along with Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Lana and Santana Garrett. Morgan has also sent a tribute to Riott on her Instagram page. ?? pic.twitter.com/mzAjec2dFO — LIV Morgan (@YaOnlyLivvOnce) June 12, 2021 rue:( pic.twitter.com/tz0KQ8v8Pn — alexis ? ..

WWE RUMOR: Top Star Expected To Turn Soon

He can do that too. One of the more common criticisms that you will see about wrestling today is that there is too much content. It can be great to see how much wrestling there is today, but at the same time, it means that you can see some wrestlers a little more often than others. At some point you need to see someone get changed up a bit, just for the sake of having something fresh. That might be the case again in the near future. According to Jon Alba on the Living The Gimmick podcast, Edge is expected to return to WWE as a babyface, including for his match at Summerslam in August. Edge is scheduled to return to WWE on the July 18 SmackDown in Houston, Texas, which will be the first WWE show featuring a full capacity of fans since March 2020. Edge turned heel earlier this year at Fastlane by attacking Daniel Bryan. Reported on @theLTGpodcast Patreon this week Edge is currently penciled in for the SummerSlam card as a babyface on the Smackdown side. Seems to give credence to that. ..

Ronda Rousey Working With WWE Names On Wrestling Project

A hope shot? It is very rare that you see a wrestler become one of the biggest stars in a promotion in the blink of an eye, but that was the case when Ronda Rousey debuted back in 2018. Rousey jumped from the UFC to WWE and was headlining WrestleMania about fifteen months later. She has since left the promotion, though she has seemed open to a return since. Now we might be seeing her doing something at least related to WWE. According to PWInsider.com, Rousey has been filming content for the ESPN+ series Peyton’s Places with WWE’s Paul Heyman and D-Von Dudley. The three filmed content in the 2300 Arena, formerly known as the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of a discussion of professional wrestling in the city. The filming included a wrestling ring and a number of weapons. There is no word on when the episode will air. The three of them have made their impact in wrestling. Check out what they have done in the industry: [This post contains video, click to play] [This ..

LOOK: Seth Rollins Does Something Cool For A Young Girl

That’s just nice. Wrestlers are a weird breed as they are supposed to be able to maintain their characters on television as well as outside of the ring. That is in theory at least, as you do not see wrestlers keeping up the aura of kayfabe outside of the arena very often. While that might go against tradition, there are some instances where it can be rather nice, which was the case earlier this week. Earlier this week, WWE star Seth Rollins was photographed buying lemonade from a girl’s lemonade stand. The girl’s father posted the image to Facebook, saying that Rollins appeared at random to buy some lemonade. The father lives in Davenport, Iowa, which is the same city where Rollins is billed from in WWE. Rollins has been feuding with Cesaro on SmackDown in recent week. This was pretty cool. Check out what other cool things Rollins has done in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opini..

Impact Wrestling Fires Former World Champion

That could mean something. As is the case in most jobs, wrestlers come and go from various promotions all the time. You never know when a wrestler might be done with a company, either by their own decision or on the company’s orders. What makes it even more interesting in wrestling is the fact that you might be seeing a storyline taking place. That seems to be the case this week. The main event of this weekend’s Impact Wrestling Against All Odds event saw Kenny Omega successfully defend the World Title against Moose. Following the match, Sami Callihan appeared and attacked Omega and the Young Bucks. Callihan attempted to attack Omega with a baseball bat, but Impact Wrestling executive Don Callis, who manages Omega, fired Callihan to end the show. This comes as Callihan is scheduled to challenge Omega for the World Title at Slammiversary on July 17. There is no word on whether Callihan is still expected to wrestle the match or if a replacement challenger will be named. Callis has rece..

Universal Championship Match Set For Hell in a Cell 2021

It’s all about family. Since becoming the Universal Champion last year, Roman Reigns has made a big deal about the importance of family. He will have the opportunity to show that at the upcoming 2021 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, which happens to take place on Father’s Day. This past week on Smackdown, Rey Mysterio challenged Roman Reigns to a match for the title at Hell in a Cell. This morning on Talking Smack, Paul Heyman accepted the challenge on behalf of his client. You can see the clip below: [This post contains video, click to play] From WWE.com: The elder Mysterio confronted The Head of the Table on SmackDown after the Universal Champion’s brutal attack on his son Dominik. Father and son launched a Kendo stick attack that Reigns narrowly escaped. The Mysterios have carried a target on their backs as SmackDown Tag Team Champions, but the father-son duo always head into battle shoulder to shoulder. On the other side, Reigns has seen the reemergence of Jimmy Uso draw a line b..

He Said They Said? Braun Strowman Denies Reports Of High Appearance Fee

He’s worth it? Several WWE wrestlers have been released from the company this year and the series of moves have changed the way the company looks. That is the kind of thing that you do not get to see take place very often, but it makes for some interesting changes. Some of these changes involve the wrestlers themselves, and now we know how one of them seems to be moving forward. According to PWInsider.com, former WWE star Braun Strowman’s asking price for an independent wrestling appearance is in the “five figure range”. Strowman has responded to the report, saying that he has not spoken to anyone about bookings and “thanking” the reports for causing confusion. However, PWInsider is standing by their reporting, saying that Strowman’s agent has quoted the price of, $20,000 – $25,000 for a three hour Strowman appearance, plus first class airfare, two nights hotel stay, plus meals and transportation. Let me just get this FYI out. I have not spoken to anyone about bookings. But if you wa..

REVIEW: WCW Monday Nitro Extra: It’s Free!

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? Monday Nitro Extra Date: November 24, 1998 Location: Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Michigan Commentators: Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Heenan This is a special one hour episode on a Tuesday. I guess three hours a week isn’t enough for all of the AWESOME action that you get on a Nitro so we get a bonus tonight. Hot dog indeed. Anyway there aren’t any announced matches and Tony just casually mentioned this so I can’t imagine it’s going to be much to see. Let’s get to it. Nitro Girls. Scott Norton..

WWE Hoping To Get The Rock For Survivor Series Appearance

It’s worth a try. There are very few instances where a wrestler becomes bigger than the promotion they are in. Every now and then though, it becomes clear that a wrestler has nothing left to accomplish in the sport and it is time to move on. That has only taken place a handful of times in wrestling history but now one of the biggest names of all time might be heading back to the wrestling world. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is hoping that this year’s Survivor Series will be a major show. The company is hoping to hold the event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, as well as having the Rock appear at the show. There is nothing to suggest that a deal has been made at this time and it is not clear if Rock would be available for the show in the first place. The Rock made his WWE debut at Survivor Series in 1996. Should this happen, there is a chance that it could be part of the build towards a Universal Title match between the Rock and Roman Reigns. WWE ha..

Top Independent Manager May Be Heading To WWE

Welcome to the team? WWE is the biggest and most powerful wrestling company in the world but there are only so many spots available in the promotion. A wrestler trying to get into the promotion has to have something going for them to get in, but WWE will hire them if they have proven their worth. It seems that WWE might have found someone who has done just that. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Natalie Class, formerly known as Salina de la Renta in Major League Wrestling and on the independent scene, will be closing her online store at the end of the summer. While not confirmed, this could mean that Class has come to an agreement with a promotion who does not allow such stores. WWE has been interested in Class in the past. Class announced her departure from Major League Wrestling earlier this year. Note that there is no guarantee This could be a very nice get for any promotion. Check out what Class can do in wrestling: [This post contains video, click to play] [This..

Samoa Joe May Be Returning To The Ring In A Familiar Setting

He would be welcome. WWE has released several wrestlers from the company this year in a few different waves. With so many people leaving WWE in such a short amount of time, it opens up more than a few possibilities of where they could wind up. One of the places might be WWE all over again, as the company could change their minds. Now one name might be coming back to WWE in a specific way. According to Fightful Select, there has been a discussion in NXT about Samoa Joe returning to the promotion in a wrestling capacity. Over six names have mentioned the possibility, with some going so far as to say that it will take place. However, there is nothing to suggest that anyone in a position of authority in WWE is behind a push to bring him back to the company. Samoa Joe wrestled in NXT from 2015-2017, during which he became the first ever two time NXT Champion. His main feuds in NXT were against Finn Balor and Shinsuke Nakamura, both of whom he defeated to win the championship. Following hi..

Two WWE Wrestlers Injured Friday Night

It can happen to anyone. Injuries are a horrible thing to see in wrestling as they can change a wrestler’s career in the blink of an eye. Some injuries are a lot worse than others but it is never a good thing to see a wrestler get injured in any way. Unfortunately there is no way around them, and there were a pair of them in a single night in a single company this week. Two WWE wrestlers were injured on Friday night. WWE has announced that Montez Ford suffered a partial rib fracture and torn cartilage due to an attack by Otis during SmackDown. Otis attacked Ford after interfering in a match between Ford and Chad Gable. This was not announced during SmackDown and may be a storyline to advance the Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy feud. The second feud took place on 205 Live, as Sunil Singh was injured during a match against Grayson Waller. Singh announced via Twitter that he had dislocated his right shoulder during the match and included photos of himself holding his shoulder and sitti..

WWE Enforcing New Rule With Released Wrestlers

Make sure you leave it there. This year has seen a lot of changes to the WWE roster, with several names taking their leave from the company. Some of these have been a bit more surprising than others, but what matters is that the wrestlers are no longer part of the WWE. That means a few changes for everyone involved, including something that might impact them later. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, released WWE talents will not be allowed to sign autographs under their WWE names following the end of their ninety day no compete clauses. The wrestlers would have to sign either their real name or another ring name that they come up with later. There is no word on what sort of penalty they could face should they be caught. Signed items can be rather cool. Check out some WWE instances: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is something that makes sense in the legal de..

Update On What Might Be Next For Aleister Black

That’s a place to go. Earlier this year, several names were released from WWE in a few strings of roster shakeups. Some of these names were rather surprised, but it was pretty clear that a lot of the wrestlers would wind up going somewhere sooner rather than later. With some, it was a matter of when their no compete clause would expire, and now we know where one of them will be heading when their time is up. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, former WWE star Aleister Black is expected to sign with AEW when his ninety day no compete clause expires. However, the deal is not a guarantee. It is believed that Black’s no compete clause expires on August 31, which would make him available for AEW All Out on September 5. Black was released with WWE along with five other wrestlers on June 2, 2021. This could be interesting. Check out what Black can do outside of WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video..