TNA

Five Potential Opponents for Kurt Angle

Rumours have surfaced this week that Kurt Angle’s current storyline is going to result in a match-up between Kurt Angle and Triple H somewhere down the line.

While from a storyline point of view, this definitely makes the most sense, the rumour has been met with a mixed response from the WWE audience. Fans have dreamed of an Angle return for years and a match with Triple H was never near the top of their wish-list.

Angle’s return to the ring is really a case of if and not when, but fans would much rather see him do battle with a younger star or a more active one at the very least.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at 5 potential opponents for Kurt Angle who would be a better option than Triple H.

Brock Lesnar 

Okay, so I know that Brock is no spring chicken himself these days and that this match has been seen plenty of times before in the WWE. The last time these two wrestled, though, things were very different. Both stars have changed a lot since their last match and the two could no doubt produce something just as special as their old matches but still manage to add something new and exciting to it.

The two also share an amazing chemistry in the ring,  the kind that only really comes around once in a generation. Having the two square off would also prove to be box office gold for the company, with both men being household names around the world.

In terms of setting this up- a feud between a GM desperate to keep his job, and a champion who just refuses to perform really shouldn’t be too difficult to get off the ground- add in the pair’s history and this one pretty much writes itself.

Possible Change to the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match

There may be plans to add a six person into the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match at Sunday’s Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.

The official Twitter account posted a tweet proclaiming that six women will be vying for the briefcase at Sunday’s event. This may have been a blunder made by the social media team for WWE but they’ve accidentally given away things in the past by mistake.

While all the females are already in action at Sunday’s event, there is the possibility that they could bring someone up from NXT. Dave Meltzer hinted the possibility of someone being called up on a previous installment of Wrestling Observer Live but that was prior to WWE’s official announcement of the match.

Guess we will find out on Sunday… Hit up the comment section below and sound off on who you would like to see injected into the match.

New Match Added to Money in the Bank

WWE has announced that Zack Ryder will team with Mojo Rawley to take on Primo and Epico at Sunday’s Money in the Bank event in the kickoff pre-show. Here is the updated card:

WWE Title match
Jinder Mahal (c) (with The Singh Brothers) vs. Randy Orton

MITB ladder match
Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles vs. Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Smackdown tag team titles match 
The Usos (Jey Uso and Jimmy Uso) (c) vs. The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and/or Xavier Woods)

Women’s MITB ladder match 
Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya vs. Tamina vs. Carmella (with James Ellsworth)

Smackdown Women’s title match 
Naomi (c) vs. Lana

Kickoff match 
Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley vs. Primo and Epico

Former WWE Superstar Evan Bourne Claims He’s the Best Cruiserweight In The Business

While speaking to Chris Van Vilet, former WWE Supestar Evan Bourne commented on his position within the cruiserweights and claimed that he was the best out there. Here is what he said:

“I’m the best Crusierweight, X Division, Junior Heavyweight wrestler whatever you want to call it. The way that everybody tries to put their matches on, they’re basically just trying to do what I do. It’s as simple as that. I was just lucky to be there ahead of the curve to be the driving force behind bringing this amazing style of wrestling from Japan that combined Lucha Libre, American professional wrestling, Canadian professional wrestling and Japanese wrestling all into one beautiful mix that fans worldwide absolutely can’t get enough of.”

You can check out footage of him making those remarks in the video below:

WWE Planning Huge Segment for Sunday’s Money in the Bank Event

WWE is reportedly working on putting together a segment at Sunday’s Money in the Bank evebt that will feature several legends.

The Wrestling Observer claims that Ric Flair, Bob Orton Jr., Larry Hennig, Baron Von Raschke and Greg Gagne are all confirmed to appear on the show with Gerald Brisco, Rocky Johnson and Ted DiBiase all mentioned as possibilities.

As of this writing, we are unable to confirm the exactly specifics of the segment, but we will keep you posted if we hear anything.

Commentary Team Revealed for Slammiversary

Impact Wrestling announced the following today:

IMPACT Wrestling Taps MLB/NHL Announcer Robert Flores For Slammiversary
Don West Comes Back For Color Commentary Duties

NASHVILLE (June 13, 2017) — IMPACT Wrestling is dipping into the high-profile sports world for a little broadcasting help at Slammiversary 15, a pay-per-view extravaganza on July 2 in Orlando, Florida.

IMPACT has signed Robert Flores to be the lead announcer for Slammiversary, to work alongside longtime IMPACT color commentator Don West, who is making a one-night return behind the microphone.

IMPACT faced an announcing dilemma for Slammiversary as broadcasters Josh Mathews and Jeremy Borash are wrestling in a tag-team match as the animosity between the two has boiled over in recent weeks. Borash and Joseph Park will team up against Mathews and “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner, one of the most powerful and feared wrestlers of all time.

Flores is a studio host appearing across MLB Network’s programming, including MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning daily studio show, MLB Tonight. In addition to MLB Network, Flores is a studio host for NHL Network and contributes across MLB Advanced Media’s digital properties, including MLB.com and Sports On Earth.

Flores joined MLB Network and NHL Network in 2016 from ESPN, where he most recently anchored SportsCenter, ABC’s college football studio updates and ESPN2’s Fantasy Football Now. Flores joined ESPN in 2005 as an ESPNews anchor and later contributed to a variety of studio shows, including Baseball Tonight, NBA Fastbreak and Friday Night Fights.

Flores is a lifelong pro wrestling fan.

“I’m excited to have a part in this year’s Slammiversary and grateful to Jeff Jarrett for this unique opportunity,” Flores said.

Flores said the match that he’s most excited to announce is for the X-Division Championship. “I’m a fan of high-flyers,” Flores said.

A Texas native, Flores earned his bachelor’s degree in radio and television from the University of Houston in 1992. Flores attended J. Frank Dobie High School in Houston and is a member of their JFD Hall of Fame. His wrestling roots are engrained in his Houston childhood.

“To play a role in Slammiversary alongside Don West is really cool,” Flores said. “Slammiversary is an event 15-years in the making, and the best always separate themselves on the biggest stages – be it the in the wrestling ring or the World Series.

“I can’t wait to see what the IMPACT Wrestling stars do on July 2nd at Slammiversary.”

Don West broke onto the broadcasting scene in the 1990s on the Shop At Home Network. He was the popular, loud, energetic, abrasive salesman, pitching countless products on late-night television – and he even was in a parody video (portrayed by actor Will Ferrell) during a segment of Saturday Night Live.

West spent about 10 years as a color commentator for IMPACT Wrestling, dating back to the company’s first-ever event on June 19, 2002.

“I am so excited to be a part of IMPACT again and to be a part of the great Slammiversary weekend,” West said. “As an avid sports and baseball fan, it will be a great honor to work next to Robert Flores as I have admired his professionalism for years. When Jeff Jarrett asked me to do this, I had only one response, ‘YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!’”

“It will be great to see and hear Don West back on an IMPACT Wrestling broadcast; no one brings more energy and excitement to a broadcast than Don,” said Jeff Jarrett, the Chief Creative Officer for IMPACT Wrestling. “Having a broadcaster on Slammiversary at the level that Robert Flores has achieved is unbelievable. We are so excited to have RoFlo in the IMPACT family – and broadcast booth.”

Lana Shoots Down Rumors of Her Inheriting Eva Marie’s Gimmick

While recent reports would suggest that Lana inherited the gimmick that was originally planned for Eva Marie, Lana is saying otherwise. During an interview with USA Today, she claims that she is still using the “Ravishing Russian” gimmick she previously had while she was managing Rusev.

“I’m the same ‘Ravishing Russian’ that you’ve always known. It’s funny to me when I hear people say that it’s a new character. I embody ‘Ravishing.’ I come out in the most ravishing dress. I have a ravishing entrance. I’m ravishing people’s hearts. I was managing Rusev and wearing a suit because if you’re managing someone or an agent in real life, you are going to wear a suit to work. Right now, I’m the focal point, I’m the one competing. If people know anything about Russians, we do things really over the top. We wear high heels everywhere. We show up in the most extravagant outfits. I am just embodying how I was raised and what I grew up in. Some people might think we’re extra, I just think we’re ravishing. I’m the same woman, I’m just going to be crushing people myself.”

You can check out her full interview at this link.

Rumored Matches for This Year’s SummerSlam Event

The following matches are being rumored for this year’s SummerSlam event, courtesy of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman
John Cena vs. Jinder Mahal
Triple H vs. Kurt Angle

With WWE holding for back-to-back shows in the row at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, they are expecting to make this show as big as possible. Those events include NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III on August 19th, SummerSlam on the 20th, RAW on the 21st and SmackDown Live on the 22nd.

How Each Money in the Bank Contestant Should Cash In

There are different types of cash-ins when it comes to the Money in the Bank briefcase. Some people do it like Edge and pick up the pieces after a grueling match. There’s also the RVD method, where you announce when and where you will be cashing in. If you’re truly a mad lad, you can do what Seth Rollins did and insert yourself into a match that’s already happening. There’s a decent amount of variety.

Each contestant in the match is different. They have different agendas, different ways of doing their thing. Not everyone will do it the same way. I hope to show the potentially best way for each man to cash in their contract.

6. Dolph Ziggler

I have a higher chance of meeting pretty much anyone on the WWE roster than Dolph Ziggler does of winning Money in the Bank again. Bear in mind, I live on a completely different side of the globe from pretty much everyone in the WWE. What I’m trying to say is this: Dolph Ziggler is not winning.

However, for the purpose of this article, let’s assume he does. It would be hard to top his original cash-in in 2013. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. For the newer fans who wonder why so many people still love him, check out when he won the World Heavyweight Championship.

Right now, Dolph is lacking in the heat department. Lots of people simply don’t care. So if he should win (he won’t, though), he needs to cash in on a beloved babyface. Cashing in on a wounded AJ Styles or Sami Zayn could be the spark to rejuvenate Ziggler’s heel turn.

5. AJ Styles

Honestly, AJ Styles doesn’t need Money in the Bank. He’s done so much for Smackdown that he could just say “Hey Shane, could I have a title match?” and we’d all buy it. We’d eat it up. So in my honest opinion, I do not want AJ Styles to win. And I say this as a fan of the guy.

If Styles does win, I wouldn’t be mad. Not at all. However with Styles now acting as a face, that does limit his options somewhat. However, he is still an arrogant guy, so it makes total sense for him to announce when and where he is going to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.

There are so many great opponents for Styles, because he’s had great matches with almost everyone. Styles v. Orton would be must-see. So would Styles v. Zayn. Hell, imagine the anticipation for Styles v. Nakamura. Even something a bit more out-there like Styles v. Rusev or Styles v. Corbin would be a treat to watch.

If Styles wins, expect him to announce when he’ll have his match, and expect a lot of hype and anticipation.

4. Kevin Owens

Kevin Owens is one of the most fleshed-out characters on the roster today. He’s a heartless psychopath who only wants to do what is best for his family. He will destroy anyone and everyone who gets in the way of that. There are a lot of ways that his cash-in could go down, but there’s one idea in particular that I really love, and I found it on Reddit.

Imagine this. Kevin Owens wins Money in the Bank. A few months later, Sami Zayn becomes the number one contender. Come the pay-per-view, Zayn has the champion pinned. 1, 2, 3! Before Sami Zayn’s music can play, Kevin Owens’ music hits, and he strolls to the ring, laughing like a maniac because he once again gets to dick Sami Zayn over.

Of course, this idea isn’t perfect, as it would require Owens to drop the title back to Zayn in a few months, or Zayn losing to Owens again. Still, the heat from that would be like a thousand suns. It’s such an evil thing to do, which is why Kevin Owens would do it.