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KB’s Review: Wonderful One

July 14, 2021 • Admin

This is a strange week as I had a full column planned out but then some news broke earlier this week that meant things needed to be changed. Therefore, this week is going to something I don’t like having to write that often: a farewell to someone who I didn’t realize I respected as much as I did until not so very long ago. He earned every bit of the respect that he had and it has already been a bit difficult to accept that one of the best ever is actually gone. The week changed in a hurry on Monday, as Paul Orndorff passed away at 71 years old. The news was not the biggest surprise as a recent video had shown Orndorff in rather bad shape, but it was still a hard one to take. Orndorff is one of those guys who I grew up watching and it is going to be hard to imagine him gone. Today we’re going to take a bit of an overall look at his career, which will by no means be exhaustive. The first thing I (and many others) will think of for Orndorff is that he headlined the first WrestleMania. W..

Impact Wrestling Results – July 8, 2021

July 14, 2021 • Admin

Impact Wrestling Date: July 8, 2021 Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown We’re almost up to Slammiversary and that means it is time for the final push towards the show. The Elite got to stand tall at the end of last week’s show but they are going to have to get what is coming to them sooner rather than later. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them lose a bit of ground here, but you never can tell with them. Let’s get to it. Opening recap. Kenny Omega and Don Callis are here for the contract signing between Omega and Sami Callihan, who doesn’t have them worried. Opening sequence. Brian Myers vs. Jake Something The loser has to admit the other is a professional and Sam Beale is here with Myers. Something slugs away to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry with Myers being sent face first into the steps. They head back inside where Myers is clotheslined straight back to the floor in a hurry. This time Myers gets in a shot of his own..

More On John Cena’s WWE Return, Coming Back To TV First

July 14, 2021 • Admin

Welcome back? We are just over a month away from Summerslam, which very well may be the biggest WWE show of the year. The company seems intent on trying something special this year and that means they are going to need to set up a huge card. One of the best ways to do this is to have some guest stars. We might know one of the biggest name WWE could bring in. Earlier this month, reports emerged saying that John Cena’s Summerslam status was up in the air due to production beginning on Argylle in Europe in August. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, the movie is not going to be an issue for Cena returning for Summerslam, where he is expected to face Universal Champion Roman Reigns. In addition, Fightful Select is reporting that Cena is possible for the July 23 SmackDown, though this has yet to be confirmed. This could be big. Check out Cena returning, his time at Summerslam and his issues with Reigns: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, cl..

RUMOR: Another Change Made To 2021 WWE Draft

July 14, 2021 • Admin

One more adjustment. WWE is undergoing a lot of changes at the moment and it could mean things will look very different when it all wraps up. What makes things all the more interesting this time is we do not know when the changes are going to be wrapping up. However, WWE does have an annual change, though we might need to change a detail about it this time. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE may be changing the dates for this year’s WWE Draft. The original dates of August 31 and September 3 may be changed to either October 1/October 4 or October 4/October 8. October 4 would be the date for one of the nights, though it is not clear which night it would be. It is not known why the changes could be made and WWE has not yet announced the Draft. So hearing some changes. Previous had reported the draft would take place 8/31 & 9/3. Hearing it’s getting delayed by a month. I was just told a 10/4 date but not sure if that’s night one or two So the possible dates now are:..

VIDEO: Huge Title Feud Teased To End This Week’s NXT

July 14, 2021 • Admin

That’s what’s next. WWE has a lot of time to fill throughout the course of a week and it can get even more complicated when you factor in major specials. The good thing is that WWE has spent a long time figuring it out, though not every one of them is going to be a hit. This time around though, WWE might have a pretty good idea for one of their top feuds, assuming it is the way they go. In the main event of this week’s NXT, Karrion Kross defeated Johnny Gargano to retain the NXT Title. NXT enforcer Samoa Joe served as the guest referee for the match and nearly clashed with Kross multiple times. Following the match, Samoa Joe raised Kross’ hand and left but Kross choked him out to end the show. Samoa Joe returned to NXT in June as General Manager William Regal’s enforcer. However, he was told that he was not allowed to be an active competitor and could not fight a wrestler without being physically provoked. There is no word on if Samoa Joe will be getting back in the ring, as he has n..

Update On Two New SmackDown Stars

July 14, 2021 • Admin

Update your programs. WWE is in a state of change at the moment as there are all kinds of switches and updates taking place. This has involved a lot of the wrestlers being moved around in a bunch of different directions, some of which are a little more well received than others. Every now and then you will see WWE make a move that might leave you a bit confused, and that might be the case again. According to PWInsider.com, Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart are both permanent members of the SmackDown roster. However, Blackheart will officially be known as just Shotzi. Nox will be using her full name, but there is a chance that it could be shortened in the future. The two made their surprise debuts last week on NXT, defeating Natalya and Tamina in a non-title match. This could be a big one. Check out what SmackDown is getting: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I hope that Nox keeps..

Two Released WWE Stars Were Doing Some Cool Stuff For The Company

July 14, 2021 • Admin

It’s something else to do. There are so many wrestlers on the WWE roster that it is hard to find something for everyone. That has been the reason for several releases over the course of the last year and a half, with some names not being the biggest surprises. Several WWE wrestlers had a reputation for never leaving catering, but it turns out that one of them was doing quite a few other things. According to Fightful Select, Bo Dallas had been doing several other jobs outside of the ring before being released on April 15. Dallas was working in the production end of the company, including working with cameras, lighting and live events, occasionally with Wesley Blake. Both were released on the same day, after Blake had not wrestled since May 2020 and Dallas how not wrestled since November 2019. These two could have done some more things. Check out both of them, plus some of where they might have been helping: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click ..

Major Update On Sexual Assault Lawsuit Against Riddle

July 14, 2021 • Admin

It’s done. Last year, the SpeakingOut Movement shook up the wrestling world in a huge way that could not have been seen coming. A series of statements, announcements and interviews revealed that several wrestlers from around the world were being accused of various forms of sexual harassment and assault. Now one of the biggest remaining cases has been wrapped up. According to TMZ, Candy Cartwright has dropped her sexual assault lawsuit against WWE’s Riddle. The lawsuit claimed that Riddle sexually assaulted Cartwright in a van in 2018, a charge which Riddle has denied. There is no word on if a financial settlement has been reached, though Cartwright was seeking $10 million in the lawsuit. Neither Riddle nor his lawyer has commented on the situation. Riddle never missed any time with WWE over the situation and will compete in the Money in the Bank ladder match this coming weekend. This is still a rather serious situation. Check out some more lighthearted moments with nothing to do with..

Vince McMahon Wanted New Day To End Much Earlier

July 14, 2021 • Admin

It was almost early. There are a lot of talented wrestlers in WWE today and it can make sense to put some of them together into various groups or stables. While there have been a lot of them over the years, only a handful of them have become major attractions and successes. That is the case with a certain stable that is still together in a way, but a split almost came much faster. Big E. was recently interviewed by talkSport and revealed that Vince McMahon had wanted to split up New Day after Kofi Kingston lost the WWE Championship in September 2019. McMahon pitched the idea but the three members of the team turned it down, as they have before. There were other WWE executives who wanted the team split up even earlier, but it the team has never a hostile breakup. New Day debuted in 2014 and eventually went on to become a highly successful tag team, winning eleven Tag Team Titles and being named the greatest WWE tag team of all time earlier this month. In addition, Kingston won the WWE..

Monday Night Raw Star Appears On NXT

July 14, 2021 • Admin

There’s a cameo. WWE has a lot of talented wrestlers under its banner. There are so many wrestlers around that the company has several different rosters and they rarely cross over. It does take place every now and then though and it can be interesting to see what happens when two of the worlds collide. That was the case this week, as a name you might not expect showed up elsewhere. Monday Night Raw’s Mandy Rose made a surprise cameo appearance on this week’s NXT. Rose came out to the stage to watch part of the Sarray vs. Gigi Dolin match, though she did not go beyond the stage or get physically involved. Later in the show, Rose appeared again, pointing out that the Robert Stone Brand seemed to be under new management in Frankie Monet. There is no word on what Rose is doing on the show or how long she will be around. Rose has been regular partners with Dana Brooke on Monday Night Raw and wrestled for NXT in 2016-2017. You might need to get to know her. Check out Rose’s time in WWE and..

NXT Live Coverage And Results – July 13, 2021

July 13, 2021 • Admin

NXT Date: July 13, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Vic Joseph, Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett It’s a big night as the main event will feature Karrion Kross defending the NXT Title against Johnny Gargano. This comes amid rumors that Kross is on his way to the main roster so we could be in for some serious fireworks tonight. Other than that, it’s time to begin the Breakout Tournament. Let’s get to it. In Memory Of Paul Orndorff. We open with a recap of the Great American Bash and the setup of the title match. Dakota Kai vs. Ember Moon Raquel Gonzalez is here with Kai, who grinds away with a headlock to start. A running shoulder drops Moon as well but she armdrags Kai into an armbar. Kai pops up with a kick to the face but Moon sends her outside for a ram into the barricade. That earns him a kick from the apron as we take a break. Back with Kai throwing her down again, only to have Moon nip up for an enziguri. A springboard spinning crossbody gives..

REVIEW: The Big Event: Wonderful

July 13, 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? The Big Event Date: August 28, 1986 Location: Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Attendance: 70,000 Commentators: Gorilla Monsoon, Johnny Valiant, Ernie Ladd Yes that’s the correct attendance. As in exactly. Not rounded off a bit. Like I said, this is one heck of a huge crowd and they’re all standing outside to watch Hulk Hogan vs. Paul Orndorff in a major grudge match for the title. The only other match worth anything on the show is a Snake Pit match (meaning anything goes) between Jake Roberts and Ricky S..

Interesting Sign On Daniel Bryan’s WWE Future

July 13, 2021 • Admin

That might be a bad sign. There are all kinds of wrestlers in the world today and not all of them are part of WWE. Some of them might have been at one point, but not everyone winds up sticking around. That can lead to some interesting situations when one might be on the way back, but it seems for now that someone already gone might stay that way for a little while to come. According to Wrestling Observer Live, Daniel Bryan is not listed on a major upcoming project for WWE. While not confirmed, the project is suspected to be the latest WWE video game. Bryan was one of several names listed as being part of the project, which could suggest that he is not part of the company’s plans in the near future. If this is the video game, this move would be made to avoid paying Bryan and others royalties. Bryan has not been seen on WWE television since the April 30 edition of SmackDown when he lost to Roman Reigns in a Universal Title match. As a result of his loss, Bryan was forced to leave Smack..

WWE’s Backstage Changes Causing Major Scheduling Shifts

July 13, 2021 • Admin

The changes continue. WWE is of course a wrestling company, but wrestling itself is one of the many things that they do. In addition to the actual in-ring products, the company also produces a lot of shows about wrestling, many of which can be rather well done. That is a major perk of WWE, but it has been a bit tricky to find out when we can get to see them. Now it might be a little easier to understand. The latest edition of Broken Skull Sessions featuring Kevin Nash is back on the WWE Network/Peacock schedule and will air on Sunday. This comes after the special was moved, according to PWInsider.com, due to backstage changes in WWE. The new system has rewritten a lot of previously announced plans, which have changed the release schedule. Some specials such as the Lex Luger episode of WWE Icons has been postponed until a better lead-in program can be found, which the Nexus episode of Untold is on the shelf permanently, with no word on when or if it will be released. WWE has a lot of ..

Wrestling World Says Goodbye To Paul Orndorff

July 13, 2021 • Admin

Saying goodbye. The wrestling world is a fairly tight knit group and it hurts a lot when the industry loses one of its own. It can be made even harder for some when it is a wrestler that the fans have grown to respect over the years, which was the case with the latest big name to pass away. Now it is time for some people to say their last goodbyes, which have come in fast. Mr. Wonderful Paul Orndorff passed away on Monday at the age of 71. Throughout his career, he wrestled just about everywhere, including for the WWF, where he headlined the first WrestleMania. He also spent a considerable amount of time in the NWA/WCW, meaning that he had quite the set of credentials on his resume. Several wrestlers and companies have sent out their condolences and memories of Orndorff. AEW joins the wrestling world in mourning the passing of a true legend, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his fans. pic.twitter.com/3GpYkRpWfS — All Elite Wrestling (@A..

WWE Makes Another Change To Its Television Setup

July 13, 2021 • Admin

That’s how you cut down on costs. WWE has been undergoing a bunch of changes this year and some of them have been a little more interesting than others. Several of the changes have involved members of the roster being let go, many of which have shaken things up in a pretty big way. It turns out that the changes are not done yet, but this one might be a little more difficult to spot. According to PWInsider.com, WWE will be using fewer independent wrestlers as extras going forward. Several wrestlers who had been booked as extras in upcoming weeks and months have been called to cancel their appearances. In some cases, WWE will only be booking two extras per show. This is likely being done as a cost cutting measure now that the company is going back on the road. WWE has used some extras in the past. Check out some cameos you may or may not remember: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion..

WWE Star May Return To The Ring At Money In The Bank

July 13, 2021 • Admin

She has a future. The WWE women’s division has come a long way in recent years but it is currently in a bit of a bad place. A good number of the wrestlers are either gone or injured for one reason or another and that means it might be time for something new. That was the case on SmackDown when a pair of women came up from NXT, but the additions might not be done yet. According to Fightful Select, Sonya Deville will likely be returning to the ring soon, though it is not known when exactly she will be back. There has been a push in WWE to have Deville fill in the last SmackDown spot in the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match, though this may not be the case. Deville’s most recent match took place at Summerslam 2020 before taking time off due to the legal issues involving her stalker’s situation. Deville is a heck of a talented star. Check out what might be coming back to the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post con..

Two WWE Stars Undergo Name Changes

July 13, 2021 • Admin

You might remember them. The right name is one of the most important factors of a wrestler’s career. If someone is not called by the right hand, their career very well may hit an early rut with little way around it. WWE has a bad habit of picking some questionable names for their wrestlers but now it seems that they have figured out a solution to some of them. According to PWInsider.com, WWE is changing the names of two wrestlers. Former Retribution stars Reckoning and Slapjack will be returning to their former ring names of Mia Yim and Shane Thorne respectively. There is always the chance that either could be turned back to their Retribution names when they return to the ring. Yim has not wrestled since December 2020 while Thorne has not wrestled since the April 9, 2021 SmackDown. Retribution debuted in WWE in August 2020 as a large group with several unnamed members. Eventually the team was cut down to only a handful of members, with Reckoning and Slapjack being joined by Mace, T-B..

New Title Match Set For Money In The Bank

July 13, 2021 • Admin

One more for the card. We are less than six days away from Money In The Bank and that means it is time to start having the card finalized. WWE certainly has a tendency to take its time to set up its show, and that is what they have done again. The show’s namesake matches have not left many options available, but WWE is trying something. This time around they have added another match to the show, and some titles are going to be on the line. During this week’s edition of Monday Night Raw, a Raw Tag Team Title match featuring the Viking Raiders challenging AJ Styles and Omos was announced for Money In The Bank. The Viking Raiders earned their shot by winning a tag team battle royal last month. They are former champions in their own right, having held the titles for a little over three months from October 2019 until January 2020. This should work out. Check out both teams in action: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contai..

Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results – July 12, 2021

July 13, 2021 • Admin

Monday Night Raw Date: July 12, 2021 Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida Commentators: Byron Saxton, Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves We are finally, and I do mean finally, coming to the end of the Thunderdome and that means a taped go home show for Money in the Bank. The card is mostly set, at least on the Raw side, but it is time to build some serious momentum for the show’s namesake matches. Maybe Nikki Cross can even take another pin. Let’s get to it. In Memory of Paul Orndorff. We open with a long recap of Big E. vs. Kofi Kingston, including last week with the New Day beating Lashley and MVP. Xavier Woods vs. Bobby Lashley Non-title with Kofi Kingston/MVP at ringside. Lashley throws him into the corner to start but Woods takes the leg out. A step up backsplash gets two but seems to just annoy Lashley. They head outside with Lashley sending him hard into the steps as we take a break. Back with Woods still in trouble but managing a superkick. A tornado DDT sends Lashley outside..