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Possible Opponent for Kurt Angle’s First WWE Return Match

It was reported a couple weeks back via Wrestling Observer that the storyline plan for Kurt Angle’s text message that Corey Graves received that could “ruin Kurt” would ultimately lead to the return of Stephanie McMahon to weekly WWE programming.

Dave Meltzer indicated on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that the goal for this storyline is to eventual set up a match between Kurt Angle and Triple H. While Meltzer didn’t confirm exactly how it would go down, one could speculate that Stephanie McMahon could return to RAW and there could be a power struggle angle that leads to Triple H’s involvement.

In regards to when the match could take place, it is very unlikely that WWE would have a match of this caliber at one if their “B” pay-per-view events. It’s more likely that a match between The Man of 3 H’s and the Olympic Gold Medalist take place at one of their “Big 4” events — SummerSlam, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble or WrestleMania. It’s just a matter of how long the company wants to stretch this storyline out.

Interesting Fact on Brock Lesnar’s Title Defense at Great Balls of Fire

As seen at Extreme Rules last Sunday, Samoa Joe won the fatal 5-way match against Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt to earn a shot at Brock Lesnar’s WWE Universal Championship title.

The match is scheduled to take place between Joe and Lesnar at the July 9th Great Balls of Fire event. What’s interesting about the match is it’s date, as it is exactly one year to the day after Lesnar returned to the UFC and controversially defeated Samoan knockout artic Mark Hunt at UFC 200.

Unless plans change, Lesnar is expected to go over Joe at the event and move on to a new challenger at the next pay-per-view event.

Jeff Hardy Says “BROKEN” Gimmick Will Be The Most Exciting Thing To Hit WWE Programming

WWE has footage of Matt and Jeff Hardy being interviewed by Corey Graves on the WWE Network. Graves asks about the “Broken Hardys” gimmick and Matt had the following remarks to say regarding the chances of it re-surfacing in WWE:

“I definitely think there is a chance. It’s a work in progress. Unfortunately, because of legal reasons, I really can’t go into it right now but I find it very flattering and humbling that every time we come and wrestle in front of the WWE Universe, they chant and they address it and they acknowledge it.”

Matt added, “When it happens, and I’m not even going to say if, when it happens, it’s going to be the most exciting thing to hit WWE programming in a long, long time. We’ve got to keep people guessing.”

Opening for Tonight’s RAW Revealed

WWE has announced that Brock Lesnar calling out Samoa Joe will open tonight’s episode of RAW. Here is what they wrote on their preview for the event:

Will Brock Lesnar bring the pain to Samoa Joe?

You should never intentionally provoke Universal Champion Brock Lesnar, and you definitely shouldn’t put your hands on his advocate, Paul Heyman. And yet, Samoa Joe accomplished both of those feats last Monday night on Raw when, in a difficult-to-watch show of force, he viciously locked Heyman in the Coquina Clutch.

The Samoan Submission Machine’s message was received by the Universal Champion, who will respond to his No. 1 contender’s sadistic attack tonight when Raw goes on the air at 8/7 C on USA Network. The juggernauts’ Universal Title clash at the debut WWE Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view event is still weeks away, but someone’s going to get burned tonight. Will it be Joe or Lesnar?

The Taz Show Recap – Bringing Actors into WWE, Lesnar Returning to RAW Tonight, Losing is Bray Wyatt’s Job, More!

Blocks 1 & 2:

A listener calls into the show and informs that he recently watched an episode of Lucha Underground and was fascinated by Dario Cueto’s performance. Taz agrees and points out that the actor who portray’s Cueto on Lucha Underground never worked in the wrestling business before, rather he’s an actor who was brought in to play that role.

The caller also asks Taz if he thinks WWE would ever go down the same road, by bringing in actors to play authority figures or managers on WWE programming. Taz doesn’t think WWE would do this because the wrestling business is somewhat of a fraternity, and they like to stick to their own. It would also be a lot of work to train actors into the wrestling business, in terms of how the business works backstage and in front of a live audience.

Taz’s Producer Dennis Jones attended a CZW show this past weekend and although this overly violent brand of wrestling normally isn’t his cup of tea, he had a good time at this show. Taz says that CZW has been around for a long time and while it certainly isn’t for everyone, WWE Superstars such as Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper got their start in CZW.

Bray Wyatt’s Wife Accuses Him Of Adultery with WWE Co-Worker — Files for Divorce

Bray Wyatt’s wife has filed for divorce, according to a report by the Daily Mail.

The story is that Samantha Rotunda filed for divorce in a Florida court after she discovered that her husband Windham Rotunda (Bray Wyatt) committed adultery with WWE ring announcer, Jo Jo Offerman. Samantha’s lawyer told Daily Mail that he has obtained phone records that indicate that Wyatt is still maintaining “continuous contact” with Jo Jo.

Samantha and Windham were married back in 2012 and separated in March after Wyatt allegedly walked out on her and their two daughters, 6 and 4.

Windham’s attorney made the following remarks regarding the divorce:

“I do represent Mr. Rotunda in his dissolution of marriage case in Hernando County, Florida. As you know, these cases involve the private lives of the participants and sometimes unpleasant disputes. I would ask that you respect the privacy of both litigants in this matter and I have no other comments to make.”

In his counter-petition for divorce, Windham requested an injunction to force his wife to keep quiet about the situation. He claims she made ‘defamatory statements about the husband to several people in the community in an effort to ruin his reputation.’

WWE Monday Night Raw Results – 12 June 2017

Welcome to what promises to be an explosive episode of Monday Night Raw!

WWE.com has already confirmed that tonight’s show will open with Brock Lesnar, who will look to confront Samoa Joe! Last week Joe choked-out Paul Heyman and made this title match a lot more personal. Lesnar is liable to be fuming tonight and we could see a knock-down drag-out brawl between these two behemoths, although I think WWE should look to keep them apart.

Also on tonight’s show, The Hardy Boyz will get a Tag Team Championship rematch against Sheamus & Cesaro. Can Matt and Jeff win the titles back, or will Shesaro win by hook or crook? This could serve as the end of the feud tonight, or a simple roadblock on route to their next big encounter. It’s a little too soon to end this feud, especially when there’s no viable contender’s in the immediate background.

The Miz and Dean Ambrose are still embroiled in a feud over the Intercontinental Championship, although last week The Miz angered his wife Maryse. Ambrose is deep inside Miz’s head and I would expect that to continue here tonight. Elsewhere, Nia Jax got screwed out of a proper title match with Alexa Bliss last week and she will no doubt be on the hunt for revenge. And then we have Enzo and Cass, who are still getting attacked on a weekly basis. Are The Revival really the culprits? That seems far too obvious at this point, but we will hopefully find out tonight just who is behind the attacks.

That’s the preview for tonight’s show! What do you think is going to go down? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check out the awesome Ringside News app, enjoy the show!

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Russo as WCW Champion, Changing Landscape of the Wrestling Business, Undertaker Returning? More!

Russo is joined on today’s show by his co-host Jeff Lane and Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno).

Russo comments on the growing speculation online, that WWE’s promotional image for the upcoming ‘Great Balls of Fire’ PPV resembles a penis and two testicles. Sasha Banks even tweeted this week that she actually agrees with the speculation and can see the resemblance. Russo doesn’t understand why WWE would blatantly do this given their ‘PG’ environment, and the fact that their target fanbase is mostly children.

Gilbertti points out that there was a recent study which concluded that the median age of WWE’s fanbase is 54. Russo is shocked by this news but it proves what he’s been saying for a long time now, that WWE isn’t making new fans. Gilbertti says that this number has nearly doubled from 28 in 2000, and today’s fans are mostly attitude era leftovers. He adds that WWE’s fans are literally dying off.

Russo says that wrestling isn’t ‘cool’ anymore, and teenagers aren’t watching today’s product. In turn, WWE is unable to generate and maintain new fans. Gilbertti says that WWE had the biggest increase of median fan age from 2000 to 2017 out of the 25 sports that were studied.

Several Spoilers for Tonight’s Episode of RAW

The following are a couple of spoilers heading into tonight’s episode of RAW:

The Hardys’ rematch against Shesaro has been announced as two out of three falls.
Bayley is scheduled to speak out about her Extreme Rules loss.
Gallows & Anderson vs. Enzo Amore & Big Cass is set for tonight.
Heath Slater & Rhyno vs. The Miz & a special “mystery partner” is also expected to take place.

Check back here at 8PM ET For our live play-by-play coverage. You can join us on RingsideTalk.net for our live fan discussion!

John Cena to Appear on Both RAW & SmackDown?

As previously reported, John Cena is slated to make his return to WWE television for the July 4th episode of SmackDown Live.

According to PWInsider, it appears that the company has been talking about presenting Cena as “free agent” once he returns to the company. This storyline would allow him to appear for both RAW and SmackDown.

We noted earlier today that Cena could possibly be facing Jinder Mahal soon after his return. Those plans may or may not change. We will keep you updated.

Dash Wilder Cleared to Return to Action

Dash Wilder has been cleared to return to action, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.

For those that don’t remember, Dawson suffered a fractured jaw back in April and was expected to miss up to six weeks of action. He is now healed and returning slightly ahead of scheduled. Both members of Revival have been appearing on RAW in recent weeks with Wilder being close to recovered from injury.