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Not So Fast: WWE Changes Upcoming SmackDown

July 16, 2021 • Admin

Turn around WWE. The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up WWE for over a year now and it is time to start getting things back to normal. Starting this week, WWE will be back on the road full time and that means there are going to be a lot of changes taking place at once. However, it seems that one of those changes will already be changed as well for some reason. The State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia has announced that the September 17 SmackDown will no longer be held at the venue, with refunds being available at the point of purchase. There is no word on why the change has been made and no new location has been announced for the event. WWE will begin holding events on the road again starting on July 16 in Houston, Texas. SHOW UPDATE: WWE Friday Night Smackdown on September 17th will no longer take place in Atlanta. Refunds are available at all points of purchase.https://t.co/MOXb9O2WeX pic.twitter.com/kXqdKTfrnz — State Farm Arena (@StateFarmArena) July 16, 2021 There have been ..

NXT UK Results – July 15, 2021

July 16, 2021 • Admin

NXT UK Date: July 15, 2021 Location: BT Studios, London, England Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness It’s a double title week as both the Heritage Cup and Women’s Title are on the line. That alone should be enough for a huge show, but it is also time to hype up the United Kingdom Title match for next week, which should be a candidate for match of the year. This show has a tendency to be good lately so maybe they can keep that up here. Let’s get to it. In Memory Of Paul Orndorff. Opening sequence. HHH joins us to hype up Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov II for the United Kingdom Title next week. Walter has been champion for over 800 days but Dragunov is an enigma. NXT UK is proud to present it and it is going to be amazing. We go to the ring, with Walter and Dragunov set up for a press conference. First up is Alex McCarthy from talkSport, who asks if Walter thinks his title reign is under threat. That’s a no, because Walter is here for the long term. It’s true that Dragunov is an..

VIDEO: Vince McMahon Sends Out Thank You To Fans

July 16, 2021 • Admin

It’s good to be home. The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up a lot of things, including the wrestling industry. For over a year, no major promotion has had a full compliment of fans in attendance for regular shows and it has been quite the noticeable departure. There has always been a light at the end of the tunnel though and now we are about to reach it. WWE sees it too and have put out something pretty nice to celebrate. Vince McMahon has tweeted out a video, thanking WWE fans for sticking with them and being ready to return. The video contains various classic and modern clips of WWE, from the Hulk Hogan years to Drew McIntyre and Becky Lynch while thanking the fans for always being there. WWE is scheduled to be back on the road this Friday with SmackDown in Houston, Texas This is pretty awesome. Check out the video, plus some other WWE history packages (which they do very well): [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..

Huge Return Possible For WWE Money In The Bank

July 16, 2021 • Admin

Yeah that’s a big one. There are a lot of changes taking place in WWE at the moment and some of them have been more positive than negative. The biggest difference will be the return of fans to the arenas, which will begin later this week with SmackDown. That opens a rather large door for WWE and it would make sense for them to do something special. We might be seeing that soon. According to PWInsider.com, Becky Lynch is scheduled to be at the Dickie’s Arena in Fort Worth, Texas for Sunday’s Money In The Bank pay per view. There is no word on if she will be appearing or wrestling in any form. Lynch has not appeared on WWE television since the Monday Night Raw after last year’s Money In The Bank due to maternity leave. Her most recent match took place at WrestleMania 36. Lynch is a one of a kind star. Check out what might be on its way back to WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinio..

AEW Beating WWE In WWE’s Backyard

July 16, 2021 • Admin

I’d call that a success. One very important aspect to a wrestling event is the arena itself. The show needs a good, solid place to take place and when it is not working, you can tell rather easily. Some arenas are certainly better than others, or at least more famous. Almost every major promotion has had a home base of some sort, but one of them is not doing so well at the moment. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, as of Thursday July 15, the upcoming AEW Dynamite event on September 22 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City is outselling the September 10 SmackDown in Madison Square Garden. The special edition Dynamite, which will be dubbed Grand Slam, has 8,000 seats filed at the moment, with 6,600 paid, only from the pre-sale. On the other hand, SmackDown has sold about 4,500 tickets after a week on sale. One important detail to the ticket sales is the ticket prices. According to Ticketmaster, the highest priced ticket for the AEW event is $250 and the lowest is $25. The highes..

WWE High On Somewhat Surprising SmackDown Star

July 16, 2021 • Admin

You need someone new. Like any other sport, professional wrestling has a “next one up” mentality. There are going to be people in their spots, but sometimes you are going to need someone to take a spot. Someone might need to be moved into a new role for a variety of reasons, occasionally out of nowhere. That was the case last week and it seems to be rather telling about a certain star. Last week, Bayley tore her ACL, putting her out of action for nine months. As a result, a replacement was needed for Bayley’s shot at the SmackDown Women’s Title against Bianca Belair at Money In The Bank. Carmella was given the spot, with the match being moved to the SmackDown before Money In The Bank instead. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, this means WWE is high on Carmella, as she was put into the spot rather than a returning Sasha Banks or anyone else. Carmella has been featured on WWE television in recent weeks and is a SmackDown Women’s Champion. Carmella is becoming a bigger star. Check ..

Final Entrant Confirmed For WWE Money In The Bank Ladder Match

July 16, 2021 • Admin

Come on in. We are less than a week away from WWE’s annual Money In The Bank show and that means that most of the card has already been set. WWE does have a tendency to take their time getting everything finalized though and that was the case again this year. There was one final spot in one of the show’s namesake ladder matches but now that has been filled as well. WWE has announced that Tamina will be the eighth and final entrant in the Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match. This will be Tamina’s third time participating in the match, following an appearance in both of the 2017 editions. Tamina joins Zelina Vega, Natalya, Liv Morgan, Asuka, Naomi, Alexa Bliss and Nikki Ash in the match. There were no qualifying matches for the SmackDown entrants. The field for the #MITB Ladder Match is now set! WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion @TaminaSnuka will take part in the action this Sunday! ? https://t.co/2c4ZQANWpm pic.twitter.com/xsaV4BmUri — WWE (@WWE) July 15, 2021 Tamina could be a forc..

WWE Hall Of Famer Returning For WWE Title Match At Summerslam

July 16, 2021 • Admin

He’s next. Back in March, Bobby Lashley defeated the Miz to become the new WWE Champion, winning the title for the first time in his career. It was a win nearly fifteen years in the making and something that seemed like it would never come. Lashley has since dominated the title, having held it for over four months. He needs a new challenger and now we might know who that will be. According to Fightful Select, WWE is planning on a Goldberg vs. Lashley match for the WWE Title at Summerslam. This would be Goldberg’s first match since the 2021 Royal Rumble, when Drew McIntyre defeated him in a WWE Title match. WWE has yet to announce such a match but Goldberg is expected to return on Monday Night Raw to set up the match. Lashley is scheduled to defend the WWE Title against Kofi Kingston this Sunday at Money in the Bank. Goldberg has wrestled part time for WWE since 2016, wrestling a handful of matches a year. His current contract calls or two matches a year, often at major shows. Through..

That Isn’t Good: Walter Injured, Title Match Postponed

July 15, 2021 • Admin

Please don’t be bad. Every now and then, you see a wrestler who is just above several others. That might be due to a variety of reasons, but there is something about them that makes you know you are seeing something special. While they might be great, it does not mean they are invincible though, and unfortunately it seems that we might not be seeing one for a bit. WWE has announced that United Kingdom Champion Walter has suffered an injury to his left hand and will be out of action. The injury took place during a backstage altercation with Ilja Dragunov following this week’s NXT. This means that his scheduled title defense for next week against Dragunov has been postponed. There is no word on if this is a storyline injury or a way to cover for a legitimate injury. It is not clear when Walter will be back in the ring or if the title will have to be vacated. Walter has held the title for over two years, winning it on April 5, 2019. BREAKING NEWS Following an altercation backstage betw..

Good News Coming Out Of WWE Backstage Meeting

July 15, 2021 • Admin

That’s a perk. WWE has been undergoing a lot of changes in the last year plus, with most of them stemming from the Coronavirus pandemic. The situation has caused WWE to have to change a lot of their norms and it has been a bit difficult for a good number of the employees. Both wrestlers and backstage workers alike have been hit, but now things seem to be lightening up a bit. According to PWInsider.com, WWE held an all hands on deck meeting today for its backstage employees. The major point coming out of the meeting was that WWE has reinstated raises and promotions for employees, following a freeze on both earlier this year. As a result, it is expected that WWE will be giving its employees raises in the near future. This comes as WWE is permanently heading back on the road this Friday. This is good news for a lot of people. Check out some moments that might make fans happy: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vid..

WATCH: Brock Lesnar Looks VERY Different While Carving Meat

July 15, 2021 • Admin

Don’t give him a weapon. There are certain wrestlers who get your attention no matter what they are doing because they are that big of a personality. You know a wrestler like this when you see them and it can make for some very important moments. These people are going to make an impact even when they are not in the ring, which was the case again this week. Brock Lesnar appeared in a new video on the Bearded Butchers’ YouTube channel this week, showing him cutting meat with the Perkins brothers. During the video, Lesnar talks with the brothers and carves up a large piece of meat. The video also shows Lesnar sporting a new appearance, including a goatee and a ponytail. This is Lesnar’s first public appearance of any kind in over a year. Lesnar had not made an appearance for WWE since WrestleMania 36, where he lost the WWE Title to Drew McIntyre. His WWE contract has since expired, making Lesnar a free agent. There is no word on when or if he will be appearing for WWE again, though he ..

WATCH: Edge Teases Huge Summerslam Match

July 15, 2021 • Admin

It would be a big one. We are on the way to Summerslam, which is taking place in just over a month. The show is going to be one of if not the biggest WWE shows of the year and that means the card is going to need to be stacked. WWE knows how to put together some of the biggest matches around and they might have another dream match ready for this year’s Summerslam. Edge appeared on this week’s edition of the Bump and impersonated Seth Rollins, including speaking and dressing like him. This continues the story between the two of them, as Rollins has complained about Edge receiving a Universal Title shot at Money In The Bank. Edge has promised to win the title and talked down to Rollins about his complaints, though no match has been announced as of yet. This was pretty good. Check out Edge’s appearance and what we might be seeing: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I don’t think the..

REVIEW: King Of The Ring 2002: This Guy Has Something

July 15, 2021 • Admin

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 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? King of the Ring 2002 Date: June 23, 2002 Location: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio Attendance: 14,198 Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler I haven’t been looking forward to this one and I have a feeling that’s going to be proven right. The triple main event is Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle, HHH vs. Undertaker for the World Title and the tournament final, none of which would be interesting in the first place but here they’re getting a ton of focus. Let’s get to it. We open with a recap of some great King of the Ring wi..

Virgil Invented The NWO And The Spinarooni (Allegedly)

July 15, 2021 • Admin

That’s certainly a thing. There are all kinds of wrestlers throughout history and very few of them make any kind of a significant impact. You find them every now and then though, though sometimes they are better known for what they did out of the ring than inside. That is the case with one wrestler in particular and now he has a brand new story which may be a bit hard to believe. Former WWE star Virgil was recently interviewed by Wrestlinginc.com where he said that he and former WCW owner Ted Turner invented the NWO. As a result, Virgil believes that he made Hulk Hogan’s career. In the same interview, he also claims to have invented the Spinarooni when he defeated Alex Wright in a dance off. Virgil also discussed his new Meatsauce Madness game, saying that he was trying it out at Olive Garden. During his trip to the restaurant, Virgil said that he was “guzzling some beef”, to the point where he “guzzled so much I got garlic nipples”, to the point where he became a unicorn. The game w..

WATCH: CM Punk In New Horror Movie

July 15, 2021 • Admin

It’s another career. Roddy Piper once said something like “when I was a wrestler, they said I was acting, but when I was acting, they said that I was a wrestler”. Wrestling and acting would seem to go hand in hand but that has not exactly been the case most of the time. Occasionally you will see a wrestler who can make it work, and that might be the case again this time. CM Punk is appearing in a new horror film, called Jakob’s Wife, which will be released on the Shudder streaming service on August 19. The film tells the story of a woman who gains powers after meeting a strange man, causing her husband to have to try and save her. Punk plays a supporting role in the film as Deputy Colton. Since leaving wrestling, Punk has dabbled in acting, most notably in the Girl On The Third Floor. This sounds cool. Check out the trailer for the film, plus some of what made Punk famous: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains vid..

VIDEO: WWE’s Moving Tribute To Paul Orndorff

July 15, 2021 • Admin

They do these well. One of the hardest things to do in wrestling, or anywhere for that matter, is say goodbye to someone. It can be even worse if you do not see it coming and unfortunately that was the case earlier this week with one of the best wrestlers of all time. Since the news only broke Monday afternoon, there was not much time to have any kind of a tribute prepared for that night. That has since changed. WWE has released a tribute to Paul Orndorff, who passed away earlier this week at age 71. The video features a brief biography of Orndorff, along with extensive footage of his in-ring career as well as clips of his interviews. While Orndorff never won a title during his time in WWE, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2005. WWE did air an In Memory Of graphic for Orndorff on this week’s Monday Night Raw and NXT. It is quite the tribute. Check out WWE’s salute to Orndorff and a little deeper look at him: [This post contains video, click to play] ..

Title Change Takes Place During AEW Dynamite

July 15, 2021 • Admin

History has been made. There are all kinds of titles in wrestling and it makes sense to have so many. Titles are something that any fan or non-fan can understand because they are a really easy concept to grasp. In addition to regular titles, there are also some unofficial ones, many of which have a history of their own. Another of those had its history advanced this week. Ricky Starks defeated Brian Cage to become the new FTW Champion during this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Starks defeated Cage when the rest of Team Taz turned on Cage, including Powerhouse Hobbs hitting him in the head with the title belt, allowing Starks to hit a spear for the pin. The win ends Cage’s reign at 377 days, after Taz awarded him the title on July 8, 2020. The FTW (F*** The World) was introduced by Taz in the original ECW in 1998 as an alternate World Title. The title went on to be defended in EC, with Sabu even winning it at one point. Taz would ultimately unify the ECW World and FTW Titles in 1999 ..

NXT Being Moved Around Later This Month

July 15, 2021 • Admin

Mark your calendars. There have been all kinds of changes taking place throughout the wrestling world over the last year, with some of them being a bit more important than others. Some wrestlers have come and gone and now fans are going to be back for most major promotions by the end of the month. The changes are not done yet though, even if one of them is going to be minor. According to PWInsider.com, both the July 27 and August 3 episodes of NXT will be broadcast on the SyFy network instead of USA due to USA’s coverage of the Summer Olympics. There is nothing to suggest that Monday Night Raw will be moved due to Olympics coverage. The Olympics are scheduled to run from July 23 until August 8 in Tokyo, Japan. NXT has been doing fairly well as of late. Check out some of their recent efforts: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of those things that happens every now an..

AEW Dynamite Results – July 14, 2021

July 15, 2021 • Admin

Dynamite Date: July 14, 2021 Location: H-E-B Center, Cedar Park, Texas Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross It’s another special show this week with Fyter Fest Night 1 as they’re out of Florida for the first time in over a year. The big story this week is the return of Jon Moxley to defend the IWGP United States Title against Karl Anderson, as we have an AEW wrestler defending a New Japan Title against an Impact wrestler. I for one can’t wait on the recreation of Taz vs. Mike Awesome so let’s get to it. Opening sequence. IWGP United States Title: Jon Moxley vs. Karl Anderson Moxley is defending and here’s Eddie Kingston with a pipe to jump Doc Gallows before the bell. They slug it out to start and then proceed to slug it out some more, this time with Moxley winning a battle of the forearms. Back up and Anderson knocks him to the floor for a ram into the barricade. Moxley comes back with some microphone choking but Anderson kicks him off the apron for a crash. Anderson g..

WWE RUMOR: Monday Night Raw And NXT Make Trade

July 14, 2021 • Admin

Value for value. There are all kinds of talented wrestlers on the WWE roster, to the point where you might forget about some of them from time to time. That can make it more interesting when you see someone you have forgotten about do something new. It seems that is the case with a longstanding WWE employee, who might be seen on a brand new show. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, NXT’s Aliyah has been traded to Monday Night Raw for Mandy Rose. This comes after Rose made a surprise cameo on this week’s NXT and told Robert Stone that his Robert Stone Brand seemed to be under new management in Frankie Monet. Earlier in the show, Aliyah attacked Stone, seemingly ending her association with the Robert Stone Brand. There is no word on what this will mean for Rose’s team with Dana Brooke on Monday Night Raw. While I’m not sure why, source says it seems like a trade went down between rosters: RAW trades Mandy Rose to NXT for Aliyah. — WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) July 14, 202..