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REVIEW: NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV: Their Big Night

June 10, 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? Takeover: Brooklyn IV Date: August 18, 2018 Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness It’s time for the biggest show of the year and as usual, there are multiple options for most of the card. The key to tonight though is going to be the live crowd, who are going to be over the top for a show like this. If Gargano vs. Ciampa III is anything resembling the previous matches, we’re in for a major treat. Let’s get to it. The opening video focuses on the..

WWE RUMOR: Summerslam To Be 2021’s WrestleMania

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Those are some big shoes to fill. The Coronavirus has changed the way WWE does just about everything over the last fifteen months, but things are starting to get back to normal. The shows are going back on the road in front of audiences and that could be a game changer for WWE. They already had fans back for WrestleMania, but there are going to be more for Summerslam. That has WWE thinking about something. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE is hoping to make this year’s Summerslam into the WrestleMania level show of 2021. This would mean “all resources will be tapped into”, though it is not clear what that could entail. WrestleMania 37 did have fans in attendance on both nights, but the event was held at a reduced capacity. Summerslam will be held Saturday August 21 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. No matches or appearances have been announced so far. After speaking to a few sources on the topic, I’ve learned that WWE is 100% attempting to make SummerSlam th..

Update On Brock Lesnar’s WWE Status, What Hasn’t Happened

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Maybe next time. We are just over two months away from Summerslam and WWE needs to be settling down on plans for a card. It is time to get things ready for the show and that is a little hard to do without having a main event ready. Summerslam is one of the biggest shows of the year and it would make sense to have a stacked card. Now we might know what one of the main events will not be. According to Dave Meltzer on the Sunday Night’s Main Event podcast, a match between Brock Lesnar and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley is currently not being planned for Summerslam. Lesnar is not currently under contract to WWE and as of last week, Vince McMahon himself had not been in contact with him. In addition, WWE may only bring Lesnar back when Roman Reigns is able to feud with him, though it is not clear when that would be the case. There are some possibilities here. Check out what Lesnar could do: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post con..

Former WWE Tag Team Denies Retirement Reports

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Maybe? Retirements are a funny thing in wrestling as you never know when someone is going to hang it up for good. Sometimes it seems like something that needs to be done but sometimes fans are left wondering why a talented wrestler would decide to call it a career. This time though it does not seem to be over just yet for a pair of younger wrestlers who should have long careers ahead of them. According to Fightful Select, a promoter who inquired about Sunny Dhinsa and Gzim Selmani, formerly known as Akam and Rezar as the Authors of Pain, was told that the team had retired. They are now reportedly working regular jobs outside of the wrestling business. This comes after the pair was released from WWE in September and have not wrestled since March 2020. However, the two of them have both sent out Instagram messages, saying that they “Ain’t Done Yet”. There is no word on where or when the two will wrestle again. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sunny Dhinsa (@sunnydhinsa) Vi..

The Usos May Be The First Regular Team Ever To Do THIS

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Here but not there? One of the most compelling storylines in WWE at the moment is the issues between Roman Reigns and the Usos. The three men, all members of the same family, have been in a weird power struggle as Reigns has Jey Uso under his thumb and does not want Jimmy Uso to break that up. This has led to a unique situation and WWE has an interesting take on it. According to PWInsider.com, despite being a regular tag team, the Usos are seen differently in WWE. Internally, Jey is currently seen as a heel while Jimmy is currently seen as a babyface. This may be the first regular tag team to ever be set up in such a way. The Usos returned to tag team action in May, as Jimmy returned from a knee injury which kept him out of action for over a year. That is a weird way to go. Check out how the Usos get along when they are on the same side: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I’m no..

KB’s Review: Where Did They Go Wrong?

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Like so many other forms of entertainment and sports, wrestling can go up and down at the drop of a foam finger. Sometimes things are working out rather well and sometimes it is a chore to make it to the first commercial. Unfortunately we have been in the latter area for quite a long time now in WWE and a lot of that comes from one division in particular, which was on full display this week. To put it mildly, the Monday Night Raw women’s division is a complete black hole of awful the likes of which it could take months if not more for WWE to recover from. The division has gotten so terrible that it is dragging down the rest of the company with it, yet for some reason we are still stuck with the whole thing and running in the opposite direction of anything good. Now to make this completely clear, this is NOT the talent’s fault. The wrestlers are doing everything they can and are every bit as talented as they were when things were going well for the division. There are all kinds of gre..

WWE RUMOR: Dream Match Looking More Possible For Summerslam

June 10, 2021 • Admin

The pieces are coming together. We are just over two months away from Summerslam 2021 and that means things are starting to come together. There are still several weeks to go before anything is put together, though WWE is already thinking about what they want to do. That includes what could be a huge match, and now WWE is trying their best to bring in a pretty big name. According to both Jon Alba and WrestleVotes, WWE is hoping to have John Cena vs. Roman Reigns as the main event of Summerslam. According to Alba, Cena’s acting schedule cleans up in early July, which would allow him to be available for the match. There is no word on how the story would be set up or how WWE would be presenting the match. Cena’s last match took place at WrestleMania 36 against Bray Wyatt in a Firefly Fun House match. The match has NOT yet been made or confirmed and there is currently no guarantee that it will take place. The story would involve Cena making his return to WWE for the first time in over a ..

Backstage Push To Bring Aleister Black Back To WWE

June 10, 2021 • Admin

Friends in the right places? One of the biggest WWE stories of the year so far has been the WWE releases. Several wrestlers have been let go from the company over the course of the year and some of them are rather high profile. At the same time, several of them are a bit more surprising than others, but it seems that some of the remaining WWE locker room might have a few ideas. According to PWInsider.com, there is a push among some in WWE to bring Aleister Black back to the company. Black was one of the releases made earlier this month, along with several others on the same day. Black’s release is seen to have been premature, as he was ready to start a feud with Big E. There is no word on if anything will come of the push or who is included. Black was a former NXT Champion, who started his NXT career in 2016. He would go on to move up to the main roster in 2019, eventually teaming with Ricochet for a SmackDown Tag Team Title match at WrestleMania 35. Following a six month hiatus, Bla..

Miz Is Representing WWE In Something Pretty Cool (Again)

June 10, 2021 • Admin

It’s an appearance. Wrestlers are in a weird place when it comes to being celebrities. It’s true that they are on television year round, but at the same time they are still just seen as wrestlers. You can only go so far with something like that and it can be rather difficult for wrestlers to get out of their mold. It happens occasionally though, and now we are seeing it again. The Miz has confirmed that he will be a part of the 2021 Major League Baseball Celebrity Softball game. Miz has taken part in the game before, including winning the Most Valuable Player Award in 2018 and playing again in 2019 in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. The game will be held at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado on July 11 as part of the All Star Weekend. The game will be held less than two months after Miz was injured during a lumberjack match on May 16 at WrestleMania Backlash. Miz was reported to have suffered a torn ACL, which could have put him out of action for up to nine months, though a partially t..

Get Well Soon: NXT Superstar Confirms Injury

June 10, 2021 • Admin

That could change things up. Injuries are one of the few constants in the world of wrestling. At some point, every wrestler is going to get hurt in one way or another and it becomes a guess as to how long it is going to be before they are back in the ring. That seems to be the case with a current NXT star, though right now there are more questions than answers. During this week’s edition of NXT, Ember Moon competed in a match against Dakota Kai, with Raquel Gonzalez in Kai’s corner. However, Moon’s regular partner Shotzi Blackheart was not in Moon’s corner with no explanation. Later in the night, a fan tweeted a message to Blackheart, asking if she was injured. Blackheart said that she was, but did not add any other details. There is no word on what is wrong with Blackheart or how long she will be out of action. Yup https://t.co/FOllacCqpc — Shotzi Blackheart (@ShotziWWE) June 9, 2021 Blackheart is quite the talent. Check out what she can do when she is healthy: [This post contain..

Mickie James Makes Debut With New Promotion, Gets Special Position

June 9, 2021 • Admin

Welcome back. One of the biggest wrestling stories of the year has been the string of WWE releases. Several stars have been let go from the company and it has opened up the floodgates to smaller promotions. Suddenly there are a lot of talented wrestlers available and some of them have already been signed. Now another one has been and they got to make a big announcement. Former WWE star and Women’s Champion Mickie James made her debut on this week’s episode of NWA Powerrr. During the show, it was announced that the NWA will present its first ever all women’s pay per view, entitled NWA In Power, on Saturday August 28 in St. Louis, Missouri. James will serve as the executive producer of the show, which has no matches announced as of late. In addition, the NWA will present its 73rd Anniversary Show on Sunday August 29, also from St. Louis. ?BREAKING NEWS?@Billy just announced that the @nwa is returning to St. Louis for 2? PPVs ?? August 28th will be an ALL WOMEN'S PPV with @MickieJ..

Press Play? NXT Just Got Something Pretty Unique

June 9, 2021 • Admin

That’s a unique way to go. NXT has long since been one of the most unique wrestling promotions in the world and certainly a rather standout show on the WWE weekly schedule. There is something about it that feels different, which is certainly a good thing when you have the other two main roster shows around. Now NXT is getting something that neither of the other shows have. During this week’s NXT, singer Poppy made a special appearance with Triple H, announcing that she had created a soundtrack for NXT, featuring five songs. The album, called Eat, was officially dropped during the show, with Poppy herself releasing it during a backstage segment. Poppy would later appear in a segment with Candice LeRae, which included the return of Io Shirai. Poppy has made multiple appearances, including musical performances, for NXT. She has been around before. Check out Poppy’s time in wrestling: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post cont..

Former WWE Star Announces Surprise Retirement

June 9, 2021 • Admin

Maybe this time? Retirements in wrestling are a weird situation, as you never can tell when someone is going to actually be gone. Terry Funk made a career out of retirements, with his first retirement taking place in the early 1980s and spanning into the 2000s. Some wrestlers just cannot get out, but another one seems to be ready to hang it up for good. Again. Lio Rush has announced his retirement from wrestling via Twitter and Instagram. Rush said that it is time for him to move on, citing an injury that he suffered during an appearance at AEW’s Double Or Nothing last month. During the appearance, Rush suffered a separated AC joint in his shoulder, which will need time off to heal. As a result, Rush has decided to retire, while thanking everyone for giving him a chance. Once he is healed, he will make appearances for New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is signed, to meet contractual obligations. Rush, 26 years old, debuted in November 2014 and wrestled around the world, including in N..

Special Title Match Set For NXT Takeover: In Your House

June 9, 2021 • Admin

It’s up there. There are certain matches that you see over and over again on a wrestling show, as they make sense almost every time. Some of them are used more than others and NXT is no exception. There are a few matches which WWE certainly enjoys presenting and they know how to build them up. That was the case this week, albeit a little bit faster than usual. This week on NXT, Ted DiBiase announced a ladder match between Cameron Grimes and LA Knight for this Sunday’s Takeover: In Your House. In addition, the winner of the match will be the new Million Dollar Champion, which DiBiase revealed to end the segment. This comes after Grimes and Knight have fought over who would receive DiBiase’s Million Dollar Legacy. The Million Dollar Title was originally introduced by DiBiase in 1989 as his own vanity title. Originally DiBiase was the only person to hold the title, though Virgil eventually won the championship in 1991. DiBiase would later award the title to Steve in 1996, though Austin ..

VIDEO: Surprise Return Takes Place This Week On NXT

June 9, 2021 • Admin

Welcome back. There are a lot of talented wrestlers in WWE but sometimes they are going to need a little break. With so many wrestlers around, there is just not room for everyone so it makes sense to put them on the sidelines for a bit every now and then. It is not a demotion or anything close, and now one of the more successful NXT stars has made a surprise return. Former NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai made her return to television during this week’s NXT. Shirai appeared to help guest star Poppy deal with Candice LeRae, who was angry at Poppy for causing issues for herself and Indi Hartwell. LeRae and Shirai would brawl, with Shirai clearing the ring. This was Shirai’s first appearance on NXT TV since April 20, when she was interviewed about losing her Women’s Title to Raquel Gonzalez at Takeover: Stand & Deliver. Shirai is back. Check out how she returned and what NXT is getting again: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This po..

Paul Heyman Names Some Underrated WWE Talkers

June 9, 2021 • Admin

He would know. There are certainly a few people in wrestling who are known for specific things. Maybe it is what they can do in the ring or how they look, but there are others who are better at talking. It can help a lot to have someone who knows how to identify those talents, and one of the best going today has set his sights on some people who are quite good at the promo game. Paul Heyman recently took part in a recent Highspots Virtual Meet and Greet where he was asked who he felt was underrated when it came to their promo abilities. Heyman chose both of the Street Profits, Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins, saying that the two of them already had great promos but had not yet scratched the surface of how great they could be. He also described the chemistry between the two of them as “just magic”. During Heyman’s tenure as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw, Heyman featured the Street Profits doing promos before they had begun wrestling on the show. There is a history here. Ch..

Huge Winner Take All Double Title Match Set For Takeover: In Your House

June 9, 2021 • Admin

Two at once! We are on the way to Takeover: In Your House this weekend, which means that NXT needs to really start hammering home the card. They have already set up four matches for the show, though Takeover mostly has a five match card. It seems that is going to be the case this time as well, as a major match with more than one title has been added. A six man tag was set up during this week’s NXT, with Legado del Fantasma teaming up to face the team of Bronson Reed and MSK. Legado del Fantasma issued the challenge, but wanted Reed’s North American Title and MSK’s Tag Team Titles on the line. The challenge was accepted and the match was made later in the night for Takeover, with the winners taking all. This could be a big one. Check out everyone in action: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is the kind of thing that covers a lot of ground at once while also going with what ..

NXT Live Coverage And Results – June 8, 2021

June 9, 2021 • Admin

NXT Date: June 8, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph It’s the go home show for In Your House and there is not exactly a lot of hype around this one. It isn’t a good sign when they have a main event of five people in the title match, which feels about as un-NXT as you can get. Hopefully they have something to build up the show tonight, because it needs the help. Let’s get to it. We open with a recap of the NXT Title match, plus a look at some of the rest of Takeover. The post NXT Live Coverage And Results – June 8, 2021 appeared first on WrestlingRumors.net.

Surprising Turn Taking Place On Monday Night Raw

June 8, 2021 • Admin

That’s a way to go. There are a lot of wrestlers on the WWE roster and some of them are easier to present than others. Sometimes a wrestler needs a little bit of a twist to make them work better though there is no guarantee that something is going to work. Every now and then a decision is made that might not make the most sense and now WWE is trying something else. According to PWInsider.com, Jaxson Ryker is expected to be a babyface going forward on the Monday Night Raw roster. Ryker has recently split from Elias and the two will be feuding going forward, with Elias working as the heel. This would be the first time that Ryker has worked as a babyface in WWE and comes as he has begun a new character focused on his former career in the military. This could be a big deal. Check out what Ryker can do: [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 is likely goi..

Get Well Soon: Monday Night Raw Star Out With Injury

June 8, 2021 • Admin

Get well soon. There are always going to be injuries in wrestling. No matter how much time and practice a wrestlers might put in during their career, there is no way to guarantee their complete health and safety. As is the case with any other sport, different injuries are going to keep a wrestler out of action for different amounts of time and now it seems to have happened again. This week’s edition of Monday Night Raw opened with a tag team battle royal, featuring four regular teams. A fifth was scheduled for the match but the Lucha House Party did not participate. Instead, Lince Dorado wrestled alone for the team, as it was announced that Gran Metalik was injured. There is no word on how Metalik got hurt or how long he will be out of action. Metalik’s most recent match took place on the May 31 Monday Night Raw. Metalik was missed. Check out the battle royal, plus Metalik in the ring: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post..