Bischoff on Wrestling Recap w/ Joe Koff – ROH Talk, Money in the Bank Thoughts, McGregor vs. Mayweather, More!

Bischoff mentions that he predicted months ago that Mayweather vs. McGregor was going to happen, because there was too much money to be made on both sides for it not to happen. He says that while Mayweather might be the favourite, McGregor is not your typical boxer. This might lead to Mcgregor putting Mayweather in some uncomfortable positions in the boxing ring.

Bischoff says that he can’t even compare this bout to CM Punk’s debut UFC outing against Mickey Gall. He says that McGregor has a much better chance to beat Mayweather than Punk had to beat Gall. At least McGregor is a fighter, where Cm Punk is not.

Bischoff informs that at one point he had an opportunity to purchase the UFC for $2 Million. This was ’98-’99, and the UFC brand was in the toilet. He took the call and listened, but he had no interest in the company at that time. The Fertitta brothers and Dana White would soon come into the picture and turn the UFC into a massive organization.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the finish of the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Bischoff thinks all the fan backlash is silly. He says that this is a storyline, and if you’re trying to make some kind of social/political statement from this, you’re going too far.

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Hogan Refusing to Put Over Young Talent, Writing WCW with Bischoff, Relationship with HBK, More!

Russo is joined on todays’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane. They will cover part two of the April 10, 2000 episode of Monday Nitro.

Russo informs that he initially reached out to J.J. Dillon about going to work for WCW after having a meeting with Vince McMahon. Russo stressed that he wanted his wife to be able to move closer to her family, and he wanted to see his children more often. McMahon replied by saying that Russo has enough money to hire a nanny to take care of his children.

Russo did not appreciate that response and reached out to WCW. He knew that once he did that, his time in WWE was limited, whether he got a job in WCW or not. He informs that he doesn’t regret leaving WWE for WCW at this time at all, and he’d do the exact same thing tomorrow.

This episode was the first show that he and Eric Bischoff wrote together, and in spite of their differences, they managed to write some pretty good television together.

Mauro Ranallo Back with WWE

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/

Punjabi Prison Match Returning Next Month?

It looks like the Punjabi Prison match may be making a return to WWE very soon.

There has been speculation that the upcoming match that is rumored to take place at July 29th WWE Battleground event between Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal will be a Punjabi Prison match. It’s being said that staff workers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia did measurements in the arena to fit a large bamboo structure. Word also going around is that employees of WWE have been instructed to take the Punjabi Prison structure out of storage.

Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin mentioned on Twitter that Orton is expected to take time off but he will still be around for the Punjabi match at Battleground:

Tag Team on SmackDown Splitting Up Soon?

It looks like the RAW brand isn’t the only brand that is splitting up tag teams, as it looks like The Hype Bros will be going their separate ways as well.

Bryan Alvarez discussed Zack Ryder’s recent return to SmackDown Live and speculated that Ryder’s days of teaming with Mojo Rawley would soon be ending. The belief is WWE once had plans to push The Hype Bros prior to Ryder’s injury that sidelined him for six months. WWE was forced to change their plans after the injury and decided on new plans that would see Mojo as a singles star.

It’s being said that WWE only put the two back together recently as a way to eventually split them up in storyline. Mojo is expected to continue his path as a singles star after the split.

Rumors on Why WWE Is Splitting Up The Miz & Maryse

There’s a rumor going around on various sites that claim WWE has decided to split The Miz and Maryse up on RAW because they don’t want two power couples in the company. These reports stem from recent comments made by Dave Meltzer’s on Wrestling Observer Radio, where he speculates what he believes is the reason behind the split between The Miz & Maryse.

“The end result is that they’re doing Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas as Miz’s new entourage and they’re dumping Maryse, I guess with the idea that because they’ve got Maria and Mike Bennett on the other brand, they don’t want another husband and wife team or something?” Meltzer said.

When asked if Maryse was done for now, Meltzer replied, “it looks like it.”

It’s pretty obvious by listening to Meltzer’s remarks that what he said is simply speculation only and not fact. He was saying that he believes that it could be a reason, and didn’t specify directly that it is.

Enzo Amore Reacts to Big Cass Attacking Him on RAW

Enzo Amore took to Twitter for the first time since being attacked this past Monday’s on RAW and made mention of the attack and Conor McGregor:

WWE Announces NXT Championship Title Match

WWE announced that NXT Champion Bobby Roode will defend his title against Roderick Strong at the July 5th NXT episode. Here is the announcement:

Bobby Roode to defend NXT Championship against Roderick Strong on July 5 episode of NXT
NXT Champion Bobby Roode will defend his title in a huge head-to-head showdown against Roderick Strong on the July 5 episode of NXT.

The Glorious One’s rivalry with Strong has intensified rapidly, with tensions reaching their boiling point on June 21 when a photo shoot erupted into a brawl between Roode and Strong.

This came after the titleholder and Strong had a war of words two weeks prior on NXT. Strong bared his soul to the NXT Universe, opening up about his journey into fatherhood and his desire to become NXT Champion, only to be met with ridicule and disrespect from Roode, who verbally tore down Strong’s title aspirations.

Following their backstage photoshoot throw down, the heated foes will now settle their differences inside the squared circle with NXT’s most prized possession on the line. Don’t miss this epic NXT Title contest on Wednesday, July 5, at 8/7 C, on the award-winning WWE Network.

Vince Russo Files Restraining Order Against Jim Cornette

Well the on-going real life feud between former WWE creative writer Vince Russo and Jim Cornette continues. This time around, Vince Russo has filed a restraining order against because he feels that he is being stalked by Cornette.

For those not following the drama, Cornette made an offer to meet up with Russo at an undisclosed location with $5,000 in hand. Cornette said Russo can have the money if he can take it from him. Russo then issued a sarcastic apology video, which Cornette responded to with his own video as well. The two have continue to trade shots between each other on various wrestling podcasts. This all started when Eric Bischoff and Cornette decided to continuously bring up Russo on the the WWE Network’s “Table for 3” show.

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – RAW Analysis, Jobbers in Bear Suits, Cass & Enzo Split, More!

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Rue from ‘Rue TV’.

Russo opens today’s show by informing that Bruce Prichard has denied his invitation to appear on this show. He now lumps Prichard in the same category as Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff, of people who love to talk crap behind his back but refuse to discuss it with him in person.

Rue asks Russo about his connection to Bruce Prichard’s arrival in TNA years ago. Russo says he doesn’t like to talk about this much, but he played an instrumental part in bringing Prichard into TNA. Prichard was released from WWE because he and Stephanie McMahon didn’t see eye to eye, but Prichard had two small children and his wife was sick at the time, so Russo went to work and found a position for him in TNA.

Russo informs that Wade Keller appears to be getting his own podcast on PodcastOne in the near future, and someone has already reached out to him about being a guest on that show. Russo said he’d absolutely appear on that show as a guest because he has no issue debating their opposing wrestling philosophies, even though they’ve had their differences in the past. Russo is interested to see whether Keller actually agrees to have him on as a guest.

The Ross Report Recap w/ Jason Powell – MITB & RAW Analysis, A.J. Styles vs. Nakamura, Lesnar’s Expiring Contract, More!

Ross congratulates Seth Rollins on being named as the cover Superstar for WWE 2K17. He says that’s a big deal for Rollins personally and professionally, and it’s a big deal in the WWE locker room as well. Ross has heard that the two finalists for the cover were Seth Rollins and A.J. Styles, and he thinks Styles would have been very deserving of the cover as well.

Speaking about Sunday night’s Money in the Bank PPV, Ross thought the St. Louis crowd loved the legends sitting at ringside. He also thinks that Naomi is a very talented performer, and her athleticism allows her to continue to grow as a performer in the ring. It was nice to see her continue her Women’s Championship run at Money in the Bank with a win over Lana.

Ross liked that Mahal got some heat by defeating Randy Orton in his hometown on Sunday. The distraction finish protected Orton and allowed Mahal to continue his momentum. Ross does feel that Mahal needs to pick up a few convincing wins as some point where he can show off his aggressiveness, and he needs to vary his style from time to time.

However, Ross does like where Mahal is headed, and he credits WWE for putting their Championship on him to help build his credibility as rises to prominence within the company.