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Mauro Ranallo announced on Instagram that he is back with WWE working under the NXT brand. He wrote the following remarks about his new gig with the company:
THE NXT CHAPTER BEGINS!
WWE and I mutually agreed to end my responsibilities on SmackDown having nothing to do with rumors about disputes. As I remained under contract with WWE, we discussed a variety of options. Despite originally agreeing to part ways, there was always a desire to continue working together. We have come to terms on a new agreement that benefits both WWE and me, and I am thrilled to announce I will now be part of the NXT broadcasting team.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVp4v6IgOoc/
Daniel Bryan announced that The Hype Bros will face The Usos on next week’s episode of SmackDown Live. If they defeat the Usos, they will get a shot at the SmackDown Live championship titles.
The following matches are confirmed for next week’s show:
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Lana vs. Naomi
Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin
The Hype Bros vs. The Usos
Lawler is joined on today’s show by his co-host Glenn Moore.
Lawler informs that he appeared at the Comicon in Washington, DC this past weekend. He says that he had a great time there and he was able to see a lot of old friends. WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and Nakamura even made an appearance on Saturday.
A listener writes into the show and asks Lawler which current WWE Superstar would fit well in Memphis Wrestling back in the day. Lawler says that he worked as the top babyface in Memphis for a long time, so their goal was always to find big, strong heels to work against him. Guys like Kamala and Bam Bam Bigelow fit that mould.
In that sense, there are a number of guys in WWE today that would work out well in Memphis. Lawler says that they would have made a lot of money with someone like Brock Lesnar in Memphis back in the day. They could also do wonders with talents such as Baron Corbin, Bray Wyatt and of course Braun Strowman.
The following are spoilers for tonight’s episode of RAW, courtesy of PWInsider:
Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe is planned for tonight’s main event.
The official return of The Revival. They are set to face Enzo and Cass
Miz TV segment – It will focus on Maryse and the Intercontinental Championship.
Check back here at 8PM ET for our live play-by-play coverage of the event.
Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno).
Russo opens today’s show speaking about the announced match between Conor McGregor and Floyd Mayweather. Russo thinks that McGregor’s youth could play more of a factor in this bout than people think, but Gilbertti says that McGregor has no chance in this fight whatsoever. Mayweather might be 40 years old, but he’s still in terrific shape and his age will not be a factor in this fight.
Russo believes that since this fight is scheduled for August, the hype surrounding it will have a negative impact on WWE and their build towards this year’s SummerSlam. Gilbertti doesn’t believe WWE will be affected by that because they have their niche audience, and those people are going to watch the product anyways.
Even though WWE’s television ratings continue to decline, Gilbertti doesn’t think WWE really cares about the ratings at this point, as long as their WWE Network numbers are still strong. The Network is their new major revenue stream, and the television ratings have taken a back seat. Gilbertti mentions that it’ll be interesting to see what happens to WWE’s shrinking ratings once Brock Lesnar and John Cena retire, because they’re WWE’s two biggest stars right now.
We noted earlier today that Kevin Owens apparently got hurt during the Money in the Bank Ladder Match and was helped to the back following the bout.
In an update, Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that he is fine and there is nothing serious wrong with him. Owens is still scheduled to work this week’s SmackDown Live event in Dayton, Ohio.
Many of you are aware now that John Cena is being billed as a “free agent” and the company plans to have him work both RAW and SmackDown brand shows moving forward.
Cena has just been announced for the first RAW-brand event for July 15th at a WWE Live Event. Cena is scheduled to face Bray Wyatt on the card. It is possible that the company starts adding him to even more RAW and SmackDown events as he gets closer to his July 4th return to the company.
WWE announced on Friday that Seth Rollins would be making an announcement this upcoming Monday on ESPN at 10:30 AM.
Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed this topic on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio. Alvarez said that he’s heard that the announcement will be that Rollins’ is on the cover of this year’s WWE 2K18 video game. Meltzer seemed confused by this move by WWE, considering that Roman Reigns is considered the company guy.
Meltzer also indicated Kurt Angle will still be involved in WWE 2K18 this year in some capacity.
We noted earlier this week that WWE may have spoiled a six participant in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match for Sunday’s event when they mentioned on Twitter that six women would be in the match. Dave Meltzer discussed WWE’s tweet that may have spoiled the match on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio.
Meltzer claims that he reached out to WWE regarding the entry of a six competitor in the match but he said hasn’t received any response back. With the company not responding back to Meltzer, it would be an further indication that a sixth member could be injected into the match. Historically if something is completely false, WWE responds back.
While Meltzer couldn’t specify who the six participant could be, several names speculated for the match include Summer Rae, Page, Lita, Asuka and among others.
The Velveteen Dream revealed on Twitter that his finishing move is called the Purple Rainmaker. This didn’t go over very well with fans from New Japan Pro Wrestling that accused him of ripping off Kazuchika Okada’s Rainmaker.
The NXT Superstar then took a shot at New Japan Pro Wrestling, writing, “They Have Wrestling in Japan!?”
