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That would be a loss. There are a lot of talented stars in WWE, to the point where the roster has been split into a variety of groups. This includes NXT, which may be the official developmental program but it still contains a wide variety of incredible stars. Now though, it seems that WWE could be in danger of losing one of those stars, even if she has not been around much lately.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NXT’s Io Shirai has not signed the latest contract that WWE has offered her. Her current WWE deal expires next month and if she does not sign a new deal, she will become a free agent. Shirai has reportedly been telling others that she wants to return to Japan to be near her family. There is no word on where she would wrestle next should she leave NXT. Shirai has not wrestled in NXT since being injured at Stand & Deliver on April 1.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that is going to happen at one point or another and that is something WWE has to deal with when..

Hold on for a second. There are very few stars in the history of wrestling who have reached the heights of John Cena. While he might not be the most popular star among all fans, Cena has become one of the biggest names ever in WWE and the company certainly values what they can get out of him. That seems to be the case again, but it might be a little while before Cena is back between the ropes.
This week’s Monday Night Raw was focused on twenty years of Cena in WWE. Cena appeared on the show and got into a backstage confrontation with Theory. This comes after rumors of Cena vs. Theory at Summerslam have been circulating. However, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the match might be postponed until WrestleMania. Cena is one of WWE’s biggest draws and they would want to promote the match as far in advance as possible but not mention was made on Monday Night Raw. Cena also made it clear that he would wrestle again, but he said he did not know when.
Opinion: This makes sense..

Another few on the list. Stables have been a huge part of WWE for a long time now and that is likely to continue for a good while to come. It makes sense to put a bunch of people together in a group to maximize the amount of television time that they are receiving. WWE has a pretty strong track record of doing this and now we have seen their latest concept come to life.
This week on SmackDown, Max Dupri debuted his Maximum Male Models stable, consisting of ma.cé, formerly known as Mace, and mån.sôör, formerly known as Mansoor. The models walked down the aisle and posed for photographers as Dupri listed off their various attributed. This comes after weeks of Dupri attempting to debut his team but not being able to due to various reasons.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that can fit in very well if WWE embraces the goofiness of the idea. I don’t think anyone is thinking this is going to be the idea that relaunches WWE into the stratosphere but it’s ok to have something that is nothi..

They might want someone else. NXT is a unique promotion as the show Is supposed to both stand on its own as well as develop new stars for Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. That can make for some tricky situations as stars are build up in short order and can be sent to the main roster in a hurry. It may be the case again, as WWE has its eye on another NXT star.
According to Fightful Select, there have been serious discussions about bringing Solo Sikoa up from NXT to the main roster. Sikoa is a member of the Anoa’i family, which includes Roman Reigns and the Usos, but it is not clear if he would be joining them should he be called up. There is no word on when this call up would take place, or if WWE has come to a final decision on moving Sikoa.
Opinion: I don’t think there is much of a surprise to WWE considering this as Sikoa is kind of perfect to bring up to the main roster. He has the look and could easily be put into the Bloodline, or he could do something on his own. At the end of t..

Smackdown
Date: July 1, 2022
Location: Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole
It’s the go home show for Money in the Bank and that means we probably need a lot of talk about the percentages of wrestlers who successfully cash in. I for one could go for some good old statistics to make me care about the show, as it isn’t like there is much else to say. Maybe they can surprise us though. Let’s get to it.
The participants in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match are on ladders in the ring (save for Omos) and talk about how they want to win on Saturday. It means they can cash in, with Seth Rollins saying Summerslam sounds like a good idea. Sami Zayn says he’ll win and keep the contract in the Bloodline’s house. MVP laughs off the idea of anyone but Omos winning and there is no one who can do anything to stop them. Sheamus wants to beat Brock Lesnar, though Drew McIntyre says he has already done it.
Cue Miz (Drew: “The frickin MIZ?”) to says he is a t..

They have plans. NXT has a unique setup in wrestling as it is not only WWE’s official developmental territory, but also a promotion of its own. The show runs for two hours every week on national TV and that means they need a lot of content to fill in that time. Now we might have an idea of what some of those people will be doing and it could involve a few changes.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NXT may be planning some changes for some of its women’s division. First up, Tatum Paxley and Ivy Nile have been rumored as a tag team. This has been hinted at for several weeks but the team has never officially come together. In addition, there has been a discussion of Cora Jade turning on Roxanne Perez. The two are scheduled to challenge for the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles on Tuesday at the Great American Bash.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that has to be done at some point, though I’m not sure if I would have Jade turn on Perez so fast. They haven’t been a team for tha..

NXT UK
Date: June 30, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd
We’re back in England and the big story this week is the explanation from Trent Seven, even if it might seem pretty obvious why he turned on Tyler Bate. Other than that, we have Fallon Henley vs. Emilia McKenzie, as the NXT invasion continues. I’m sure this won’t be anything that annoys long term NXT UK viewers so let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter vacating the NXT UK Tag Team Titles last week, with Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen winning them in the show’s main event.
Opening sequence.
Blair Davenport vs. Angel Hayze This is Davenport’s first match since injuring her ankle in November. Davenport throws her down to start but Hayze grabs a front facelock. That doesn’t last long as Davenport hits a basement dropkick and we hit the chinlock. Some running knees give Davenport two as Nigel gets in a Chamber of Secrets reference. Hayze c..

He’ll get there. WWE has undergone quite a few backstage shakeups in recent months and there is nothing to suggest that they will not continue. There have been bosses coming and going backstage and that can make for some major changes. However, that is not always the case, as one recent change does not seem to have had the impact it was expected to bring so far.
Last week, a rumor broke that Triple H had returned to the WWE Performance Center and said that he was “back”, though it was not clear what that meant. However, according to Post Wrestling, Triple H was not backstage at this week’s NXT and the show was run by the usual group. There is no word on what Triple H might be doing in NXT or with the Performance Center going forward.
Opinion: This is one of those things where it might be too early for anything to be clear just yet. Triple H said that he was back but that does not necessarily mean that he is going to be doing anything immediately. Maybe this changes in the near future..

Welcome back. With so many wrestlers on the AEW roster, it can be difficult for someone to stand out. It is nice to see someone break through to the next level and show what they can do on the big stage, which is where AEW has shined. They have found lesser known names and brought them into the company for the biggest exposure of their careers. Now someone they have done that to is back as well.
According to F4WOnline.com, former AEW Women’s Champion Hikaru Shida returned to action this week in a tag match on Dark: Elevation, which is taped before Dynamite. This is Shida’s first match in AEW since April, as she was competing in Japan and was unable to make it back for the Owen Hart Foundation tournament, meaning she had to be pulled. Shida has been regularly wrestling in Japan during her AEW absence.
Opinion: It’s great to have someone like Shida back as she has been pushed as one of the top stars in the women’s division. The division is far from in trouble, but you can always use so..

Welcome back. There are a lot of people who work together to many any wrestling show work and WWE is certainly no exception. The company has a backstage staff that helps make their events as good as they can be. That is a lot easier said than done and having the right group of people together helps. Now one of the veteran backstage workers is back on the job.
WWE Hall of Famer D-Von Dudley has announced that he returned to work as a producer at this week’s NXT taping. This is Dudley’s first time back at work since he underwent back surgery in October. Dudley said he is happy to be in his new role in NXT and is enjoying working with the new talent. He also thanked God for the opportunity. Dudley has been working as a WWE producer since retiring in 2016.
This pass Tuesday night was the first time back at work since my back surgery that took me out last October. Feeling great and Glad to be back, but even more glad to be back in my new role in NXT. Love working with the new talent now. ..

Change of call. Commentary is one of the most important parts of any wrestling show as the commentary team is your guide for the night. They are there to tell you what is going on, why you should care and what matters with everything you are watching. That can be easier said than done in a lot of cases, so finding the right lineup matters. AEW seems to be shaking things up a bit.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, AEW will be changing the commentary lineup around. Jim Ross will now be calling Rampage, which also calling the second hour of Dynamite. That was the case this week, as Ross will be calling Rampage while also calling the Blood & Guts match, which took up the second half of Dynamite this week. There is no word on why AEW made the change.
Opinion: This is something that makes a bit of sense, as Ross is in a place where he can be more effective in spurts rather than calling the whole show. Maybe the break in between for him helps as well, though it is still the same amount..

That’s one of the worse ones. Injuries can happen at any time in wrestling and you never know when you are going to see something take place. It can happen from anywhere, with something as simple as a basic move going the wrong way. Unfortunately that seems to be the case again, and now the early prognosis of how bad things are is about as awful as it could be.
This week’s AEW Dynamite featured the second Blood & Guts match, with Santana seeming to suffer some sort of leg injury. Santana was removed from the match and did not return, including not being present for the post match celebration. According to Wrestling Observer Live, the early word is that Santana might have suffered multiple torn ligaments, including his ACL and MCL, though this has yet to be confirmed.
Opinion: I’d like to say that this is a surprise but that looked like the kind of knee injury that could wipe someone out for a long time. What makes it more frustrating is the fact that it came on a pretty standard move..