media

It’s a change. With so many wrestlers on the WWE roster, it takes something special to make you stand out. This could be based on how someone looks, how well they can speak or what kind of character they have. If you find a mixture of all of them, you might be onto something, but at some point a change is needed. That was the case again this week, with two changed at once.
This week on SmackDown, the New Day dressed up as the Viking Raiders to taunt them out to the ring. The Viking Raiders did come to the ring, where Jinder Mahal and Shanky attacked them, allowing New Day to stand tall. After the attack, Shanky and New Day danced, while Mahal looked on. This comes after Mahal and Shanky have had issues over Shanky’s lack of seriousness in recent weeks.
Opinion: It’s certainly a way to go, though I’m not sure how well the whole thing is going to work. Mahal is only so interesting in the first place but maybe changing him around could let him break out a little bit. He has the potentia..

Smackdown
Date: July 15, 2022
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
We have about two weeks to go before Summerslam and the question for tonight is “does anything besides Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns matter”. WWE has turned Summerslam into a one match show and that doesn’t leave much for this week. We are getting a Street Profit vs. an Uso though, just in case you wanted some variety. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Michael Cole is in the ring to open things up and introduces Pat McAfee, who has signed a multi year extension to remain in WWE. McAfee talks about how special it is to be here for him because he loves this so much. After a rather pro-Pat chant, McAfee thanks the fans for putting up with Corey Graves for two weeks while he was gone. That included BUM A** CORBIN being an idiot last week, complete with video.
McAfee talks about how he and Corbin knew each other before they even came to WWE. They were roommates together as rook..

It seemed to work. With so many wrestlers around today, it can be a little bit difficult to find time for everyone to make an impression. One of the easiest ways is to put people together in a team, but even then they have to be established in some way. This can be tricky to do as well, but AEW pulled it off this week. It turns out they had a pretty long term plan in mind.
Keith Lee and Swerve Strickland won the AEW Tag Team Titles in the main event of this week’s edition of Dynamite. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the title change was a long term plan and the match was designed to elevate Lee/Strickland and Team Taz up to the next level. This came as the Hardys, Santana and Ortiz and Jurassic Express are all gone for the time being for various reasons. Strickland and Lee’s tension over the last few weeks was included as a way to continue teasing a possible breakup and make their win a surprise.
Opinion: The best thing that can be said about the title change is that ..

That would be a way to go. WWE has a lot of television time to fill every week and that can mean seeing a lot of the same wrestlers on a regular basis. That might not be the best idea in a lot of cases as a wrestler can burn out their welcome in a hurry. In such a situation, some kind of a change is the best way to go. Now we might be getting ready for something like that again.
Over the last few weeks, Judgment Day has been recruiting Dominik Mysterio to join their ranks. Mysterio has turned them down, instead deciding to stick with his father, Rey Mysterio, instead. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there is a chance that a Dominik heel turn may be coming on the July 25 edition of Monday Night Raw from Madison Square Garden. The show is likely to be full of major angles and storylines, including Rey’s 20th anniversary in WWE, which could result in the turn. This is considered speculation at this point and is not set in stone.
Opinion: This is something that h..

NXT UK
Date: July 14, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd
We are in for a big time title match this week as the Heritage Cup is on the line. Noam Dar has dominated the division for such a long time that he is starting to repeat challenges, which will be the case this week as Mark Coffey gets another shot. Other than that, we have the continuing adventures of just about everyone else around here. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Oliver Carter vs. Teoman The rest of Die Familie is here with Teoman. They go technical to start until Teoman elbows him in the face. It’s too early for a wristlock though and Carter takes over on the arm instead. That’s broken up as well and Teoman hits a neckbreaker onto the knee for two.
We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by some slow stomping to keep Carter down. Carter fights up and hits a quick springboard moonsault to start the comeback, including an elbow to the face. Another neckbrea..

Not so fast. WWE has been around for a very long time and the company’s history can be broken up into various sections. Some of these are a lot more well defined than others, but there are some that are among the most popular and successful times the company has ever had. This week, a story broke suggesting that we might be moving a bit back towards one of those eras, but that may have been jumping the gun.
On Thursday, Andrew Zarian reported that a USA Network memo announced that Monday Night Raw would be rated TV-14 again starting on July 18. However, Zarian has since updated the story, saying that while the memo was correct, it was sent out early, meaning that the date of the TV-14 rating is currently up in the air. Fightful Select is reporting that Zarian’s update is accurate. There is no word on what kind of content a TV-14 show would contain.
There was a memo within USA Network that went out this morning regarding WWE Raw changing to TV-14 on July 18th.Apparently that was sent ..

He’s saying never. Wrestlers have a strange career trajectory as they have to get out of the ring one day, but it is easy for them to stick around for one more match. Several wrestlers over the years have done just this for a very long time, but there are others who are able to get out of the ring for good. It might not be their choice though, and that seems to be the case again.
AEW’s Sonjay Dutt appeared on the AEW Unrestricted podcast to discuss his current role in the company and his own career. Dutt mentioned that he now works full time behind the scenes for AEW, as well as acting as Jay Lethal and Satnam Singh’s on-screen manager. As for wrestling a match, Dutt said there will be “zero chance” that he will ever wrestle again. Dutt mentioned that he had a variety of physical issues that were keeping him out of the ring. Dutt’s most recent match took place on December 28, 2017.
Opinion: It’s nice to see someone with this kind of a perspective on wrestling, as well as someone who ..

Nice to meet you? There are a lot of ways to make a wrestler stand out and one of the easiest is to give them the right name. Having a wrestler with a standout name is something that has worked for years and that is still the case to this day. WWE has had some issues with getting names right though and now they might be doing that all over again.
According to PWInsider.com, the Grizzled Young Veterans will both be undergoing name changes. Going forward, Zack Gibson will be named Rip Fowler and James Drake will be named Jagger Reid. The team will continue to be part of the NXT roster once they return, as they have not wrestled since April. There is no word on when the team is expected to be back on television.
Opinion: If you have been watching NXT in recent weeks, you might be able to guess what the Veterans are going to be doing. The last few weeks have seen Joe Gacy’s Dyad become more of a regular team, with Gacy saying that their identities will be revealed next week. That might n..

Can you blame him? NXT is a pretty unique wrestling show, as it is designed to be both WWE’s developmental territory as well as its own promotion. That can make for some odd moments, as you will see wrestlers who have no business being in a minor league on the show for a very long time. It seems that one wrestler who has been in NXT for a long time is trying to get out but can’t make it work.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, NXT’s Roderick Strong is “pretty beaten down” by the way he is booked on television and has attempted to get out of the promotion. Strong has not been allowed out though, leaving him in a situation where he does not want to be there but is stuck doing so for the time being. There is no word on when Strong’s NXT deal expires.
Opinion: Can you blame him for wanting out? Strong has been in NXT for more than a few years now and there is nothing to indicate that he is going to be moving up the card. I would assume that WWE thinks he is too small to be treated as..

That could be worse. Injuries are one of the few universal issues in wrestling, as anyone can go out of action at any time. It can be quite the ordeal waiting on them to recover, as any storyline could be stopped out of nowhere. That can hurt all kinds of things in a wrestling promotion, but sometimes the injury is part of the storyline. Thankfully that is the case again.
Last week on AEW Dynamite, the Jericho Appreciation Society slammed Ruby Soho’s hand in a car door, seemingly breaking it. Soho appeared on this week’s show but did not wrestle, with Eddie Kingston swearing revenge against Chris Jericho for causing Soho’s injury. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Soho’s injury is not legitimate and is only a way to extend the Kingston vs. Jericho feud. Soho wrestled a match for Wrestling Revolver over the weekend with no issues.
Opinion: That is a relief after AEW has suffered so many injuries in recent months. Thankfully Soho should be back in the ring in no time, as the injur..

They did it again. Wrestling is a rather dangerous sport no matter how it is presented. The amount of time in the ring, training and experience that someone has does not make someone immune from an injury and it can happen at any time. There are injuries that are built up over time and there are injuries that take place all at once. The latter was the case this week.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks suffered a stinger during the main event of this week’s edition of Dynamite. The match was a triple threat with the Young Bucks defending the AEW Tag Team Titles against Keith Lee/Swerve Strickland and Team Taz. Early in the match, Lee and Powerhouse Hobbs suplexed Jackson, resulting in him jarring his neck and causing him to wrestle slowly for the rest of the match. There was nothing wrong with the suplex, as Matt has a history of neck issues due to years of wear and tear. There is no word on how long he might be out of action, if at all.
Opinion: Th..

It’s almost time to get ready. Just over three months ago, WWE presented WrestleMania 38 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The two night spectacle showcased the best that WWE had to offer, all in front of the biggest crowds of the year. Those are some special moments to see in front of your eyes, and now you have the chance to see it again, albeit in an even bigger city.
WWE has announced that WrestleMania 39 tickets will go on sale on August 12, with special Priority Passes going on sale on July 22. According to PWInsider.com, the top package will include a tour of Mattel’s design center, a backstage tour at WrestleMania before the show begins, dinner with a WWE star, a tour of El Segundo Brewing Company, where Steve Austin’s Broken Skull IPA is made and priority seating at WWE Axxess sessions. WrestleMania 39 takes place at SoFi Stadium on April 1 and 2.
Opinion: This is one of those times that can be very exciting for fans. It means that it is already time to start getting re..