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Jim Ross Reveals Best Opponent for Brock Lesnar

Good Ol’ JR listed out a number of dream matches that he’d like to see today. While talking about it, he revealed who he thinks is going to be the best opponent for Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar is scheduled to face the winner of the Fatal 5-way match between Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns and Finn Balor. However, J.R didn’t have any of the aforementioned superstars in his mind as the ideal opponent for the Beast Incarnate.

Ross said the following (quoted by Inquistr.com):

“I’m a different cat though, man. I’d like to see Braun Strowman – in a big build-up – against [Brock] Lesnar. I think that’d be a nice car crash.”

The good news is that rumours of Strowman vs Lesnar going down at SummerSlam have surfaced recently. This means that Ross and the fans are in for a treat.

You can listen to the entire interview here.

Reason Why Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles Ended In Count-Out

As seen at the Backlash event last week, AJ Styles’s match against Kevin Owens for the United States Championship ended in a count-out. The reason WWE decided on that finish is because they plan to have the two feud in a series of matches.

The belief is that if Owens got the pinfall victory over Styles, it would have left very little ground for a rematch. Styles winning the match would have meant Owens losing the Championship on back-to-back pay-per-views and that would make him look very weak. WWE has also put money into Owen’s “Face of America” gimmick with merchandise, so him dropping the title this soon wouldn’t make much sense.

WWE was left with two options, ending the match by disqualification or count-out. Creative ultimately decided on the count-out decision.

Jim Ross Doesn’t Expect The Rock to Return to the Ring

While speaking to The AV Club, Jim Ross was asked about dream matches that still have a feasible chance on happening. Ross started naming off Superstars and when he mentioned The Rock, he had the following remarks to say:

“I think Rock is probably gonna be out of the equation…f he runs for President, he may come back for one more match to reconnect with that audience.”

Footage of Dana Warrior Honoring Teacher at NXT TV Tapings

As noted in our spoiler results, Dana Warrior appeared at Thursday’s NXT TV tapings in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University to present a WWE Hero award to Orlando teacher Ruby Jibaja for her charity work. Here is footage from her appearance:

Brie Bella on Possible WWE Comeback

Brie Bella posted a video on our YouTube channel talking about her plans to make a WWE comeback. She mentions that her C-section delivery has pushed her timetable back a bit, but that we should see her “Soon, maybe not ‘very’ soon, but definitely soon.”

Lana’s New In-Ring Gear Revealed

WWE released the following photos of their website that reveal Lana’s in-ring gear for when she returns to WWE television on the SmackDown Live brand:

Several websites posted photos last month that displayed Lana wearing a dress and claimed that it would be her ring gear when she returns to WWE television. We knew at the time that she would not be wrestling in that because… well, who wrestles in a dress?

Baron Corbin Rips Independent Wrestler

Baron Corbin got into it today on Twitter with CZW wrestler Geoffrey Bravo. It all went down with Bravo ripped Corbin for his appearance. Here is the exchange:

Trademark Office Rejects Matt Hardy Application for “BROKEN” Gimmick

PWInsider reports that Matt Hardy’s trademark application for the “BROKEN Matt Hardy” has been refused by the U.S. Patent & Trademark office. Matt has six months to respond to the application before it’s abandoned. The refusal reads:

“Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, as used on the specimen of record, identifies only the name of a particular character/personal name; it does not function as a service mark to identify and distinguish applicant’s services from those of others and to indicate the source of applicant’s services.”

Former WWE Superstar Rips Randy Orton Over Negative Indie Remarks

Former WWE Superstar Rene Dupree wrote the following on his Facebook page in regards to Randy Orton’s negative remarks about indie wrestling:

“Randy EVERYTHING was handed to You, from your nicknames To your Finishing Move People Can say the same about me but…. When you were hired You were a Fat slob, I just won The Canadian Bodybuilding Nationals and Qualified for the Worlds You had ZERO matches I had 500+ You Wouldn’t Last 1 Japanese Tour I’m on 49 tours and You counting If HHH wasn’t Such a mark For Your Daddy, You would’ve been FIRED YEARS Ago And You’re NOWHERE near the worker your Father was You’re Bashing indie Guys, Do what I did Grow a set of Balls Go Out And Prove You’re Special Cause I’m Sorry Bud , but The chin lock you use Is BORING as A Shit! BURNING BRIDGES??? I don’t give a **** #TRUTH”

Dupree also posted the following:

“Another thing that i forgot to mention….

What Randall Doesn’t realize (BECAUSE HE NEVER WORKED OUTSIDE OF THE STAMFORD Company) Is That most independent wrestlers Rely on Selling their Own Merchandise to make $$$ He Wouldn’t know Would He??? So Putting on Exciting High Risk matches Is What They Need to do I have an Valid Opinon on this Because Ive Done Both Am I Right or Wrong???”

Matt Hardy Continues to Tweet About Dealings with Impact Wrestling

Matt Hardy sent another tweet in response to Ed Nordholm’s communications logs and Impact contract that he leaked online Tuesday night:

“I wanted to move on peacefully & keep our incredibly unprofessional contract negotiations silent, NOT NOW.”

Matt also wrote the following Tuesday night regarding the situation:

“I tell the truth & I don’t need to desperately overcompensate to prove my public credibility. My facts will be shared via the correct venue.”

Things don’t appear to be simmering down at all between The Hardys battle with Impact over the ownership of the BROKEN gimmick. We noted earlier today that the U.S. Patent & Trademark office rejected Matt’s application to trademark the name. It’s not looking good for The Hardys.

Why Jinder Mahal As Champion Is Fine

As most of you know by now, WWE pulled the trigger on Jinder Mahal and he is now WWE Champion. It’ll surely go down as one of the most shocking and unexpected victories in professional wrestling history. Sure it was met with harsh criticism, but others seem to think it was the right move. From a business standpoint, it was.

WWE is in the process of expanding its brand to India. Mahal winning the championship was the edge they needed to promote it and expand even more. It was a smart business decision, but don’t let that take away anything that Jinder has done to get to this point. He earned his match against Orton in the upcoming weeks to Backlash. His victory in the six-pack challenge and over AJ Styles showed that Mahal should be considered a true player.

Sunday night was just the coronation of his arrival to the spotlight, one that I’m perfectly fine with him having.

Mahal is considered a jobber by most of the WWE Universe. After being fired back in 2014, Mahal was brought back just to fill up the roster holes the brand split would create. The Mahal we saw in 2016 was different. Much different. He is built like a brick house. Maybe it’s the steroids, but nonetheless he changed his look. He also changed his character to a degree. No longer was he a founding member of 3MB. This Mahal was serious, ready to knock down anyone that stood in his way to success. It still didn’t change how he would be booked. By definition, Mahal was a jobber. That would all change at Wrestlemania 33.

Mahal was a finalist in the Andre the Giant battle royal, losing to Mojo Rawley with help from New England Patriots Tight End, Rob Gronkowski. Fast forward a little bit and we see him in the ring with a returning Finn Balor. The match was anything great, but what got people talking was the forearm shot by Mahal. It was viewed as stiff, unnecessary, and dangerous. Even though it got people talking bad about Mahal, it got them talking about Mahal nonetheless.

Jinder then shows up on Smackdown Live and does what every superstar plans to do, seize the opportunity before him. Thanks to The Singh Brothers (formally known as The Bollywood Boys), Mahal was able to pin Sami Zayn in the six-pack challenge and become the number one contender for Randy Orton and the WWE Championship. The rest, we say, is history. Mahal seized his opportunity and became the man of Smackdown Live.

The reason I love this so much is because Mahal has seized his moment, capitalized on every opportunity given before him, and took advantage where necessary. Smackdown Live is “The Land of Opportunity”, and Mahal is now the face of that moniker. Just three years ago Mahal was receiving his termination papers. Today, he holds the most coveted belt in all of professional wrestling.

If that isn’t perseverance, I don’t know what is.

People are going to hate the fact he is champ. They are going to say he hasn’t earned it, or that he doesn’t have enough credibility to be champion. The fact of the matter is, Mahal proved then wrong. He said he would become champ and everyone laughed at him. Now he’s the one holding the gold, laughing while people sit in unbelief.

Anything can happen in the WWE. It’s what makes it a great product. The unpredictability captivates audience or sours them, but either way it’s being talked about. I applaud WWE for making this happen. It was a shocking moment, and it was the right move to make.