Cover Up: Why Monday Night Raw Opened With A Brawl Already In Progress

The people let them know. There is an old Lance Storm line about wrestling audiences: there are a lot more people on the other side of that camera. That is certainly true, but there are often a good number of fans in the arena. While their numbers may be smaller, the feedback is instant, as a live crowd can tell you something in person. That was the case this week, but not in the most positive way.
This week’s Monday Night Raw opened with a brawl in progress between the Miz and Logan Paul. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, this was done to prevent the live fans from booing Paul to open the show. Paul is being presented as the babyface in the story but is still being booed by the fans in attendance. He would appear later in the night, with the hope that fans would have the booing out of their system by booing him before the show began. Paul is expected to face Miz on Saturday at Summerslam.
Opinion: I’m curious to see how Saturday is going to go at this rate, as Paul is the kind ..

Opinion: With One Tweet, Tony Khan Has Foretold The Downfall of AEW

Perhaps the top story in professional wrestling in the last 20 years took place last week as Vince McMahon announced that he was retiring and stepping away from WWE. This means that for the first time in 40 years, there will be new leadership in the most profitable wrestling company in history.
Naturally, this decision would lead to several mixed responses from all different members of the wrestling community. Current and former wrestlers, employees, dirt sheet writers, and fans have different memories, thoughts, and feelings about the legacy Mr. McMahon will leave behind.
Not to be outdone, AEW President and CEO Tony Khan also chimed in and gave his thoughts on the landscape of professional wrestling. However, in doing so, he may have unintentionally done something that will spark a chain of events I have seen coming for about three years.
In my opinion, with one single tweet, Tony Khan has shown the world what really matters to him and, in doing so, has foretold the demise and dow..

REVIEW: Armageddon 2007: They Need Something New

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 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?
Armageddon 2007
Date: December 16, 2007
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 12,500
Commentators: Michael Cole, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Taz
It’s the final pay per view of the year and it’s more or less a one match show. While there is a Raw main event of Chris Jericho challenging Randy Orton for the Raw World Title, the real main event here is Smackdown World Champion Batista defending the Smackdown World Title against Undertaker and Edge in a triple thr..

WRESTLING RUMOR: Interesting Name May Gain Power With Vince McMahon Gone

He might be next in line. There are a lot of changes taking place in WWE at the moment and they very well could rock the company for a long time to come. That is the kind of thing that you do not get to see happen very often and it is a rare situation where a lot of movement could take place as a result. It seems possible that one person in particular could benefit behind the scenes.
According to a Pro Wrestling Torch VIP Audio show, Paul Heyman may be set to move up in WWE’s creative due to Stephanie McMahon becoming the co-CEO of the company. Heyman and Triple H are said to be close and Heyman’s relationship with McMahon has improved over the years. Heyman was in charge of Monday Night Raw for several months starting in 2020 before being replaced by Bruce Prichard.
Opinion: Now this is intriguing as the power vacuum left by Vince McMahon’s absence begins to be filled. Vince ran the company for such a long time that there were very few people with significant authority. Things seem ..

It Might Help: WWE Talent Meeting Held Before Monday Night Raw, Changes Coming

It might be in order. There have been a lot of changes to WWE in the last few weeks and those changes are likely to continue for the time being. The company has undergone a series of major shakeups behind the scenes which could cause a lot of changes in front of the camera. That meant that an explanation was in order and that was the case this week before Monday Night Raw.
According to Fightful Select, there was a talent meeting held before this week’s Monday Night Raw with Triple H in charge. Triple H announced that he wanted to have a new level of transparency in WWE and for work to be more fun than it was before. The meeting was said to have been positive, as it looked to reverse the issues of wrestlers having to wait a long time to meet with Vince McMahon if necessary. Triple H took over as head of creative and Head Of Talent Relations in the last few days following the departures of John Laurinaitis and Vince McMahon.
Opinion: This is one of those things where it sounds great on..

She’s Different: Monday Night Raw Star Returns From Injury

Welcome back. Wrestling is built on the idea of long term stories and that means things can be shaken up in a big way if someone is taken out. One of the most common ways this happens is through an injury, as a wrestler can be put on the shelf for a period of time. That was the case with a Monday Night Raw star, but now she is back and already getting physical.
Rhea Ripley made her return to television on this week’s Monday Night Raw. Ripley appeared in a backstage segment to distract Rey Mysterio, allowing the rest of her Judgment Day teammates to attack him. Later in the show, Ripley appeared again and kicked Mysterio in his injured arm. This was Ripley’s first appearance since June 13 as she was pulled due to a variety of medical issues.
Opinion: It’s great to have Ripley back as you never want to see someone go on the shelf for any length of time. Ripley is someone who could be inserted into the Raw Women’s Title picture without much trouble and it would be nice to have some fres..

WATCH: WWE Teases Never Before Seen Match At Live Event

That could be a big way to go. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster and that opens up a lot of doors. It can be a lot of fun to see a new combination of wrestlers put together and find out what they can do. With so many interesting potential matches out there, you get to see some surprises every now and then. That might be the case again as WWE teased something new.
Over the weekend, WWE ran a live event in Bridgeport, Connecticut. During the show, Intercontinental Champion Gunther defeated Ricochet to retain the title. After the match, Gunther continued to attack Ricochet but Drew McIntyre came in for the save. Gunther ran as McIntyre got in the ring and helped Ricochet to his feet. The two have never met before in WWE.
It was an interesting showdown. Check out how things went:
[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: This is the kind of thing that can be interesting in WWE. You have two guys who could put on an interesting match together and now WWE is teasin..

New Report On How Unhappy Vince McMahon Was With His Son Shane

Call it an in the air future? WWE, and the wrestling world, have been shaken up by the retirement of Vince McMahon. Despite what you might think of him, McMahon was the driving force in wrestling for a very long time and what he said or did could change the industry in an instant. That was the case on both the large and small scales, which seemed to be the case with a popular name.
Shane McMahon returned to WWE back in January at the Royal Rumble and was one of the final entrants in the match. Reports at the time indicated that Shane had suggested that he be a focal point of the match, which resulted in him no longer appearing on WWE TV. According to a new report from Fightful Select, Vince said that after the Royal Rumble, Shane “would never get another pop in this company as long as I’m around”, suggesting that Vince would not allow Shane to return to television. It is not clear if Shane will return now that Vince is out of power.
Opinion: I’m not sure how long this decree would ha..

That’s The Ticket! WWE Gets Some Good News About Monday Night Raw

Things are looking up. To say WWE is in a state of flux would be a huge understatement as there have been all kinds of changes taking place in the last few weeks. Those changes could have some very long term implications for the company and some individual people, but how positive they are remain to be seen. There is however some good news for WWE, at least in the short term.
According to PWInsider.com, this week’s Monday Night Raw from Madison Square Garden was a sellout and had been for several days before the event. While there were tickets available on the secondary market, wrestlers and crew were told that there were no complimentary tickets available leading up to the day of the show. WWE has not run Madison Square Garden since a live event on March 5.
Opinion: There was an old saying in WWE that amounted to as the Garden goes, so goes business. While it might not be the same as it was before, the Garden is still one of the most important places in all of wrestling, especially ..

Vince McMahon Now Under Federal Investigation; Hastened His Retirement

It had been previously reported that WWE had made a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, announcing that Vince McMahon had paid $14.6 million that were not recorded as company expenses. According to a report from the Wall Street Journal, the SEC and federal prosecutors have launched inquiries into payments made by McMahon to settle allegations of sexual misconduct.
The report states that the payments were made from 2006 through 2022. WWE has said McMahon “has or will pay” all the expenses personally, and it expects to revise previous financial statements going back to 2019 to reflect the payments. WWE also said that an internal board investigation “expects to conclude that its internal control over financial reporting was not effective as a result of one or more material weaknesses.”
WWE has lucrative licensing deals with entertainment giants such as Fox Corp. and NBCUniversal, which could be at risk due to these allegations. The company is also seeking new busines..

RUMOR: Kevin Dunn Most Likely Done In WWE

This is only a rumor, so take it for what it’s worth. According to a report from Cageside Seats, Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics said on Busted Open Radio that longtime WWE producer Kevin Dunn will most likely be finished with the company. This comes after the announcement that Vince McMahon was retiring and on his way out of WWE.
Thurston said that he has heard that Dunn and new Co-CEO Stephanie McMahon “don’t like each other,” while Wade Keller of PWTorch states that Dunn is not a “Triple H guy.” Keller thinks that Dunn will be out “about a year from now.”
Dunn has been employed by WWE for almost 40 years and has grown from Associate Producer to Executive Producer & Chief, Global Television Distribution. However, he is generally not spoken of very highly by current and former talent, current employees, and wrestling fans in general.
We will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they are made available.
Editor’s Opinion:
This doesn’t surprise me, and I think thi..

Take Three: New Grudge Match With Special Stipulation Added To WWE Summerslam

Put it on the card. We are less than a week away from Summerslam and that means most of the card is set. The majority of the show is ready and now WWE has to build up what they have. There is still a little more time to add something else though and that is what they did this week, as a new grudge match was added to the show. This time though, there is a bit of a twist.
This week on Monday Night Raw, a No Disqualification tag match between the Mysterios and Judgment Day was added to the Summerslam card. The match was added after the Mysterios defeated Judgment Day in a regular match earlier in the show, only to have Judgment Day attack Rey Mysterio later in the night. This will be the third match between the teams, with the Mysterios having won the first two.
Opinion: I’m not sure how much need there is to have this match added to Summerslam after the Mysterios defeated Judgment Day again this week. Maybe the stipulation can add in something new, but there is a very good chance that ..