Things Change: AEW May Have Had Very Different Plans For The Tag Team Titles

That would have been different. Title matches are some of the most important parts of any wrestling show. A title changing hands can mean a new direction for the wrestlers or perhaps even the promotion as a whole. It can be a big deal to see a title change hands and that was the case again this week. However, it seems that things did not change as originally planned.
The main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite saw the Young Bucks win the AEW Tag Team Titles from Jurassic Express in a ladder match. The match was originally supposed to include the Hardys but Jeff Hardy’s arrest resulted in the team being pulled. According to Fightful Select, some AEW wrestlers had heard plans of a possible Tag Team Title run for the Hardys before Double Or Nothing. However, Hardy was reportedly intoxicated in the hotel lobby over Double Or Nothing weekend. This combined with the Hardys vs. Bucks match at the pay per view ended any discussion of the Hardys winning the titles.
Opinion: The Hardys are in a..

Viper Down: Randy Orton Might Be Out Of Action For A Long Time

That’s a long time. WWE has a lot of good things going for it at the moment, including some very talented wrestlers. However, their roster is not as deep as it used to be and things can get worse in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you see someone get hurt and it takes them out of the ring for a good while. That is the case again, but it is in a bit of a bigger spot.
Following WrestleMania Backlash and a beatdown from the Bloodline, Riddle announced that his partner Randy Orton would be out of action due to a back injury. According to Fightful Select, Orton’s back injury is worse than expected and he might need surgery, which would keep him out of action for the rest of the year. There is no word on what kind of injury Orton has or what he will do when he gets back. The originally planned Orton vs. Roman Reigns match at Summerslam is no longer part of WWE’s creative plans.
Opinion: This is about as bad as the news could have been for Orton but what matters is that he is able to get thi..

WATCH: The Outsiders vs. Lex Luger, Sting & Randy Savage From WCW Bash at the Beach 1996

New, New, New World Order. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel showing the full match between The Outsiders vs. Lex Luger, Sting & Randy Savage from WCW Bash at the Beach 1996. This marked the beginning of Hulk Hogan’s heel turn and the formation of the nWo.
You can see the match in its entirety below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

From our own Thomas Hall:
The Outsiders, coming to the ring to some generic music (probably for the only time ever in a bit of trivia that no one ever wondered about), have no third man to crank the drama up even higher. Before Team WCW comes out, here is Gene Okerlund to ask the Outsiders what is up. They confirm that the third man is here but they can handle it themselves for now. Tony: “THEN COME OUT HERE AND KICK THEIR TEETH IN RIGHT NOW!!!” Team WCW is all painted up together for a nice touch.
Luger starts with….the yet-to-be-named Scott Hall (“This Outsider” according to Tony) and takes him into the corner where Sting tr..

REVIEW: Money In The Bank 2021: Back To Normal(ish)

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?
Money in the Bank 2021
Date: July 18, 2021
Location: Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton, Michael Cole, Pat McAfee
After Friday’s dress rehearsal, it’s time for the first show of any serious value in front of fans. The briefcases get pulled down tonight and it would not surprise me to see one of them get cashed in, as WWE is going to want to have a big splash going into the Summerslam build. A last minute replacement would not be shocking either. Let’s get to it.
..

Vince McMahon Accused Of Affair With And Payment To WWE Employee, Investigation Underway

This could be big. There is no one in the wrestling world more powerful than Vince McMahon. The owner and Chairman of the Board of WWE, McMahon is able to change the wrestling industry in the blink of an eye. A decision made by McMahon can shake things up in a huge way, but now a decision being made about McMahon might be making quite the wave of its own.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the WWE Board Of Directors is investigating an alleged $3 million payment from McMahon to a WWE employee due to a sexual relationship between the two. The investigation also includes a variety of other possible claims of misconduct against McMahon and John Laurinaitis. McMahon is said to have used his own personal money to make the payments.
The woman was hired as a paralegal in WWE at a salary of $100,000 a year, which was reportedly doubled when her relationship with McMahon began. McMahon then was said to have given her to Laurinaitis “like a toy”. There is no word on what could happen to McM..

New Law Inspired By Wrestler’s Suicide Officially Passed

That’s a big step. Wrestlers are celebrities and that means they are going to be receive attention, at least in some circles. At the same time, they are mainly only going be known for one thing. This can create some issues for wrestlers, especially if they are doing something outside of their norm. That was the case a few years ago and now, after a tragic incident, something is going to change.
Back in May 2020, Japanese star Hana Kimura was a cast member on the Terrace House reality series in Japan. Her appearances were met with a series of online insults and harassment, which led Kimura to commit suicide. Now, according to NBC News, the Japanese government has passed a new law, making online insults punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to 300,000 yen (about $2,260). The law is expected to go into effect this summer.
Opinion: It is always fascinating to see a wrestler make this kind of an impact outside of the ring, though it is a shame that it has to take place due..

Major Injury Update On Popular AEW Star, Already Set For Title Match

Welcome back. With so many wrestlers around the industry today, it can mean a lot to have one of them show up again. For one reason or another, a wrestler might be gone from their promotion, some of which might not be for the best reasons. That can make for a very nice return, which was the case again this week, as an injured star made his surprise return in a pretty big spot.
Orange Cassidy made an onAEW television this week. Following a victory over Dax Harwood, Will Ospreay and the United Empire came to the ring. Harwood’s partner Cash Wheeler and the Best Friends ran in for a beatdown. This brought out Cassidy, who stared down Ospreay. Later in the show, a match between them was set for Forbidden Door on June 26. Cassidy has been out of action with a shoulder injury since the March 6 Revolution pay per view. Cassidy has appeared since the, but this was first time without his arm in a sling.
Opinion: This is good to see as there is always something positive about a wrestler return..

WRESTLING RUMORS: Roman Reigns’ TV Appearances Not Going As Expected

That wasn’t the deal. There are stars in the WWE and then there is Roman Reigns. After a nearly two year reign as WWE Universal Champion, Reigns has reached the elite level of title runs in WWE’s history and there is nothing to suggest he is losing the title anytime soon. That makes Reigns all the more valuable, which is why he is wanted on multiple shows. However, that is not the case despite a previous agreement.
According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, the idea behind unifying the WWE Title and the Universal Title under Reigns was to have Reigns appear on Monday Night Raw and SmackDown more frequently. However, this has not been the case, as Reigns has rarely appeared on Monday Night Raw since unifying the titles. Reigns is not currently set for any upcoming Monday Night Raw’s and there is nothing to suggest this will change in the future.
According to a source, the creative decision to unity the titles was with the understanding it would allow Roman Reigns to appear on BOTH..

It Grows: Three New Matches Added To AEW Forbidden Door

The card grows. We are coming up on a special event for AEW as they are running their first ever June pay per view. The show, Forbidden Door, will feature a variety of matches between AEW and New Japan Pro Wrestling stars. There will be some other matches on the card though, including some between only AEW stars. Several of them were added to the card this week.
There were three matches added to the Forbidden Door card during this week’s edition of Dynamite. First up, Chris Jericho announced that he would team up with Sammy Guevara and Minoru Suzuki to face Wheeler Yuta, Eddie Kingston and Shota Umino. Next, the returning Orange Cassidy will challenge Will Ospreay for the IWGP United States Title. Finally, Thunder Rosa will defend the AEW Women’s Title against Toni Storm.
Opinion: This is the kind of series of announcements that needed to be made as you need a middle of the card to make a show work. That was the case here as they added in three more matches on top of the two already ..

Double History: Title Change And Betrayal Take Place On AEW Dynamite

Double history has been made. AEW has only been around for a little over three years now and that time has seen the company build up its own history. The company has a series of championships and stars in its time and that means they are able to put together some very good things. That was the case again this week as history was made in more ways than just one.
The main event of this week’s AEW Dynamite saw the Young Bucks regain the AEW Tag Team Titles from Jurassic Express in a ladder match. This makes the Bucks the first ever two time champions in the company’s history. Following the loss, Christian Cage, who had been serving as a mentor to Jurassic Express, turned on the team by attacking Jungle Boy. The match was originally scheduled to include the Hardys but they were removed following Jeff Hardy’s DUI arrest earlier this week.
Opinion: I’m not entirely stunned by the Bucks getting the titles back, as they are the most famous team AEW has ever had. That should open up some poss..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE May Have Released Sasha Banks

That would be the ending. The WWE women’s division has come a long way in the last seven years, as it has gone from little more than a side show to one of the biggest parts of the company. A lot of this has been due to the talent involved, as some of WWE’s women are among the top stars in the company. However, we might not be seeing another of them again.
According to Raj Giri of Wrestlinginc.com, WWE may have releases Sasha Banks, though it is not clear if it was a request or a flat out release. It is also not clear where Banks would be going if she had been released from her deal. Banks has not appeared on WWE TV since May, when she and Naomi walked out on Monday Night Raw, vacating the Women’s Tag Team Titles in the process.
I'm hearing Sasha Banks has been released. I don't know if it's he requested it or if it was on WWE's end
— Raj Giri (@TheRajGiri) June 16, 2022
Opinion: Something like this would have to happen to end this whole situation as Banks does n..

Maybe Later: Upcoming WWE Tour Postponed (Again)

Maybe next time. WWE runs quite a few shows on any given week from around the country. In addition, the company also goes international with several of its shows, including multiple annual tours outside of the United States. More often than not, these are some of the most successful events that WWE runs every year, but that is not always the case. That seems to be true with some shows that are not going to be happening.
Teg Dainty, an Australian entertainment company, has announced that WWE’s upcoming tour of Australia and New Zealand, originally scheduled for August, has been postponed with no reason given. There are currently no dates given for the rescheduled shows. The tour has already been postponed multiple times, including more than once due to the Coronavirus pandemic and again this year, with the July date being pushed back to August.
Opinion: This is a bit of a confusing situation as the tour seems to have been moved around so many times already. I’m curious to know what is..