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Backstage News On Why WWE Wrote Former World Champion Off TV

October 28, 2022 • Admin

That’s a good reason. Wrestlers have to do a lot of things in any given week, with WWE stars not able to get much time away from the ring. There are only so many ways they can get out of work but WWE will often give them a break for something special. That was the case again earlier this month, as a WWE star was written off television for a very good personal reason. Earlier this month on SmackDown, Sheamus was attacked by the Bloodline, who injured his arm, with Sheamus not appearing on television since. According to PWInsider Elite, Sheamus was written off of television because he is scheduled to get married this week. Sheamus is not expected to be back for next week’s SmackDown and it is not clear when he will return to WWE TV. Opinion: First of all, good for Sheamus and his fiance. It is a special moment when someone gets married and that is the kind of thing that you do not get to see take place in wrestling very often. Hopefully this all works out for the two of them and it wou..

WATCH: Kayla Braxton NAILS IT In Latest WWE Halloween Costume

October 28, 2022 • Admin

The tradition continues. Wrestlers are a lot of things but at the end of the day they are performers. They spend a long time getting to the point where they can do what they do at such a high level, including mastering their characters. Figuring them out can be rather difficult, but it can be quite the compliment when someone else figures them out almost as well. Over the last few years, Kayla Braxton has dressed as Paul Heyman and Sami Zayn for Halloween. WWE’s The Bump Instagram page has posted a video of Braxton and an unidentified person dressed as the Usos for this year’s Halloween. The two have Uso hats, painted on bears and a pair of title belts each. There is no word on if this will be mentioned on WWE TV. This is pretty impressive. Check out Braxton as an Uso: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is a case of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery as Braxton has clearly studied the Usos enough to make something like this work. The Halloween costu..

WRESTLING RUMORS: Possible Unique Plans For Austin Theory’s Money In The Bank Cash-In

October 27, 2022 • Admin

That would be a first. WWE has been around for a rather long time now and they have some traditional shows and events that take place every year. Some of these have long term implications for the top storylines in the company and it can mean a lot for someone to be part of one of them. That was the case earlier this year, and it might still be the case for a large part of next year. Back on July 2, Austin Theory won the men’s Money in the Bank contract, guaranteeing him a World Title shot at any point he chose over the next calendar year. Theory has still yet to cash in, though he has teased doing so on several occasions. According to WrestleVotes via GiveMeSport, WWE is considering having Theory wait one year to cash in. The contract would still be active on the final day Theory can cash it in and his time would be down to minutes. There is no word on if the cash-in would be successful or not. Opinion: This is a different way to go for the briefcase and that is something that could ..

AEW Stable Turns On Its Employer In Surprise Twist

October 27, 2022 • Admin

They’re already done. AEW has quite a few stars on its roster and as a result, several of them have been grouped together into various stables. There have been all kinds throughout the company’s history and many have gone in different directions. It means something when one of them does something big and that certainly took place this week as well. This week on AEW Dynamite, Maxwell Jacob Friedman told the Firm to stay away from Jon Moxley before Full Gear. Following Moxley’s defeat of Penta El Cero Miedo, the Firm attacked Moxley, leading to Friedman coming to the ring and firing them as his stable on retainer. The Firm then beat Friedman up and put him through a table to end the show. It is not clear if this marks a full babyface turn for Friedman. Opinion: That was certainly a way to go for the story and I’m still not sure how it is going to wind up going. Friedman continues to be one of the most interesting people in all of wrestling and I want to see what he is going to be doing..

AEW Signs Three New Stars To Full Time Deals

October 27, 2022 • Admin

They have a new home. Signing new stars is one of the most important things a promotion has to do. At some point, a company needs to have someone new brought in to freshen things up a bit. It means a lot to bring in someone new that the fans can connect with and respond to, which is what has taken place again. This time though, three new names are officially onboard. Earlier this month, the Kingdom (Mike Bennett, Matt Taven, Maria Kanellis-Bennett) made their AEW debut and challenged FTR. According to Fightful Select, the team has officially signed with AEW but were not under deals when they appeared on Rampage. According to PWInsider.com, the three were officially signed to AEW deals rather than appearing for Ring Of Honor, where they all worked before. Opinion: These are the kinds of signing that make all the sense in the world, as AEW is signing stars who are known around the industry but also fresh in AEW. The team can do some good things for the company and I’m curious to see wh..

Pair Of Update On The Elite Returning To AEW In Some Fashion

October 27, 2022 • Admin

Almost done? There have been very few wrestling stories this year that have been discussed as extensively as the post AEW All Out brawl between CM Punk/Ace Steel and the Elite (Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks). The issue resulted in several suspensions as well as Steel being released from the company. While the main players have yet to return, we have gotten something of an update from AEW itself. According to Fightful Select, the Elite may be set to return in at least a backstage capacity very soon, though there is no word on when the three may return to AEW TV. However, this week on AEW Dynamite, a vignette aired talking about the trio’s success in AEW. During the vignette though, the three of them began disappearing from the images, suggesting that they were being erased. It is not clear what this means for their future. Opinion: Your tastes may vary on the Elite but there is no denying that they have been a big deal in AEW since the company was founded. It makes sense to have the..

REVIEW: Halloween Havoc 1998: Time’s Up

October 27, 2022 • 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, starting today. 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? Halloween Havoc 1998 Date: October 25, 1998 Location: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada Attendance: 10,663 Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan We’re FINALLY here after six weeks of buildup. It’s a double main event with Warrior and Hogan in the battle for Hollywood’s sanity and ego as well as Diamond Dallas Page challenging Goldberg for the World Title. However the show is remembered far more for something that had nothing to do with the wrestling. Let’s get to it. The open..

Big Update On Bray Wyatt’s WWE Status, Already Quite The Success

October 27, 2022 • Admin

That’s a change up. There are a lot of talented stars on the WWE roster and it can be difficult to keep track of everyone. It is hard enough for the fans, but there are also internal rankings for the wrestler with the company having the stars ranked in order of importance. There has now been a change on one of the rosters as a star has returned and made an immediate impact. Bray Wyatt made his return to WWE after over a year’s absence at Extreme Rules and has since become a full time member of the SmackDown roster. According to PWInsider.com, Wyatt is now the #1 babyface on the SmackDown Roster, with Drew McIntyre having been moved down into the #2 spot. Wyatt is also said to be the #1 merchandise seller on WWE Shop. Opinion: I’m not surprised that Wyatt has risen up both charts quickly, but I am a bit surprised that he has reached the top of them both so fast. Wyatt has made quite the impact and hit the ground running, which is not something you see every day. What matters now thoug..

Here’s What Happened After AEW Dynamite Ended (It’s A Bit Weird)

October 27, 2022 • Admin

That’s a busy night. There is a lot of action on the night of any given AEW television taping. You never know what you are going to see when the promotion comes to town and that makes for quite a few moments. With so many people on its roster, AEW often has to do something after the show is over. That was the case again with a pair of special appearances after the cameras stopped rolling. This week’s edition of AEW Dynamite took place in Norfolk, Virginia and ended with the Firm attacking Maxwell Jacob Friedman, who was put through a table. According to PWInsider.com, after the show went off the air, Friedman got to his feet and left the arena under his own power. AEW President Tony Khan then came out to introduce Hook, who held up the FTW Title. Khan then thanked the fans for coming and left to end the night. Opinion: That isn’t quite as exciting of an ending to the show as you are going to have but at least there was a little something after the show. At the same time, just having ..

WWE Star Reveals Recent Surgery Keeping Him Out Of The Ring

October 27, 2022 • Admin

That explains it. There are all kinds of reasons for wrestlers to be out of the ring for an extended period of time and most of them are not the best. One of the most common is an injury, some of which have been built up over time, leaving people wondering when the injured wrestler will be back. Now we know the reason why a WWE star is gone and the waiting game has begun. This week on Monday Night Raw, the Miz asked if anyone had seen Tommaso Ciampa recently, with Johnny Gargano responding that Ciampa was missing due to surgery. Ciampa posted to Instagram, announcing that he has undergone surgery to repair a torn hip labrum. There is no word on when he will be cleared to return to the ring. Ciampa has not wrestled since a live event on September 17. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tommaso Ciampa (@ciampawwe) Opinion: That explains a lot and hopefully it helps Ciampa get back in the ring sooner than later. Ciampa is a very talented star, but at the end of the day, he get..

WRESTLING RUMORS: WWE Dropping Annual Event After 14 Straight Years

October 27, 2022 • Admin

That’s one of the changes. We are in the middle of a period of change in wrestling and that very well may be the case for a long time to come. A lot of these changes are taking place due to the new regime in charge, with Triple H having more power than just about anyone. That power is being used for a lot of new ideas, including one which will be more of a loss than something being added. According to WrestleVotes by way of GiveMeSport, Triple H is likely to get rid of the annual Hell In A Cell pay per view. The match will continue to take place at some point, but rather than being held at a specific show at a specific time, it will be when the storyline calls for it. Hell In A Cell is said to be important to Triple H and he does not want the match happening at the same time every year. Opinion: This is something some fans have been asking to see for a long time now and for the same reason. It never made a ton of sense to have the match take place inside the Cell for the sake of it b..

AEW Dynamite Results – October 26, 2022

October 27, 2022 • Admin

Dynamite Date: October 26, 2022 Location: Chartway Arena, Norfolk, Virginia Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Tony Schiavone We’re well on our way to Full Gear and now it seems that we have a World Title main event. Last week saw MJF announce that he will be cashing in his chip at Full Gear, though the question is who he will be challenging. This week, AEW World Champion Jon Moxley will be defending against Penta El Cero Miedo. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Chris Jericho/Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler Yuta/Claudio Castagnoli The rest of the Jericho Appreciation Society is here too. Castagnoli takes Jericho down to start before handing it off to Yuta to armbar Garcia. Everything breaks down for a bit and it’s Garcia being sent into the post on the floor. A Hager distraction lets Jericho get in a cheap shot to Castagnoli though and we take a break. Back with Castagnoli fighting out of a chinlock but Jericho knocks Yuta off the apron. Castagnoli knocks Jericho away and brings in Yuta as e..

WATCH: Jade Cargill Shows Off Her Workout Routine On The Sherri Show

October 26, 2022 • Admin

She would know. Wrestlers have to do a lot of things to stay at the top of their game and one of the most important is staying in shape. That can be easier said than done as they have to be on the road so often, which can make it difficult to stay in shape. There are certain ways to make it easier though and a top AEW star was explaining some of those things things week. AEW TBS Champion jade Cargill appeared on the Sherri Show and discussed a variety of workout tips while demonstrating some of her fitness regimen. Cargill also mentioned being the first African-American woman to be on the cover of a video game and that she was still undefeated. Cargill is the inaugural and still only TBS Champion, having won the title on January 5, 2022. There’s something to be learned here. Check out Cargill’s appearance on the show: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of those things that might not seem like much but it is part of a bigger deal. What matters here is ge..

Alexa Bliss Goes Off Fans Who Abuse Wrestlers Online

October 26, 2022 • Admin

She has a point. There is a lot that goes into being a professional wrestler and some of the more difficult aspects are often taken for granted. Unfortunately sometimes these aspects can be turned into negative situations that see the wrestlers treated far worse than they deserve. That has happened again and this time a WWE star is not taking any more of what she is hearing. Monday Night Raw’s Alexa Bliss recently spoke with Metro about the issues of dealing with negative fan reactions online. Bliss talked about the comments that she and fellow wrestlers receive after going out and trying to do their jobs while nowhere near 100%. In addition, Bliss said that taking shots at the wrestlers themselves rather than their characters was over the line. Here are some of Bliss’ comments: On Fans Trolling Wrestlers “I feel like a lot of people don’t really understand – nine times out of 10 when you see us performing, we are going on no sleep, we are going on beat up bodies because we do trave..

Top WWE Star Unsure If Randy Orton Is Returning To WWE

October 26, 2022 • Admin

That’s a scary thought. Injuries are something that happen to everyone in wrestling at some point. No amount of experience or training can keep a wrestler completely safe and unfortunately the question becomes how long someone is going to be out of action. That is the case with a top WWE star and now the question has become will he ever return to the ring. Now we have another top star’s opinion. Randy Orton has not wrestled since May due to a severe back injury and there has been nothing to suggest that he will be returning to the ring anytime soon. WWE star Kofi Kingston appeared on the 10 Count podcast and said that he does not know if Orton will return to the ring. At the earliest, Orton is not expected to return before the end of the year, if at all. Opinion: That is a horrible statement to hear and hopefully Kingston is wrong and Orton is able to come back. Orton is already in his early 40s and has wrestled a long career, which can wear you down over the years. It would be great..

WATCH: The Rock’s Daughter Ava Raine Makes Surprise NXT Debut

October 26, 2022 • Admin

She’s the next generation. With so many talented wrestlers in the world today, it can help to have a head start on everyone else. There are ways to make this work, but one of the best is to have family in the business. Having a relative who knows their way around the industry can open up several doors, and now a member of one of the most famous wrestling families has made her debut. One of the segments announced in advance for this week’s NXT was the unveiling of Schism’s newest member. Over the last few weeks, a person in a red hoodie has been with the team but with their face remaining hidden. This week, the person revealed themselves as Ava Raine, the daughter of the Rock. Raine said that the love and acceptance Schism has given her and her new family completes her. There is no word on when Raine will have her first match. This was a big one. Check out the surprise reveal: [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: I didn’t have Raine as a prediction for the reveal so t..

Two Surprise Returns Take Place On NXT

October 26, 2022 • Admin

Welcome back. There is something special about a wrestler making their return to the ring. You might know that someone is on their way back at some point in the future but the actual moment that they get back is a big deal. Sometimes they take you by surprise and now we have two new returns from the same night, albeit in completely different methods of coming back. Two returns took place this week on NXT. First up, Elektra Lopez made her return, attacking both Indi Hartwell and Sol Ruca after Hartwell defeated Ruca in a match. Lopez has not been seen since the August 23 episode of NXT. Later, Edris Enofe and Malik Blade were leaving the arena and ran into Odyssey Jones driving a truck full of women. Blade and Enofe left with Jones and the women following their loss to Pretty Deadly. Jones has been out of action since January with a knee injury. Opinion: That is the kind of night that you do not get to see very often and it was cool for two returns to take place in a two hour span. Lo..

Former WWE Star Blown Away By Rhea Ripley’s Dominant Return To The Ring

October 26, 2022 • Admin

She’s impressed. There are different types of wrestlers throughout the industry and one of the most prominent is the powerhouse. These are wrestlers who mainly rely on their size and strength to dominate matches and they often easily overpower their opponents, especially near the end of a match. Now a former WWE powerhouse has some high praise for one of the current WWE editions. Last week on NXT, Rhea Ripley made her return to the ring after a four and a half month absence due to an injury. Ripley defeated Roxanne Perez in the match with the Riptide and stacking her up for the pin. Former WWE star Nia Jax commented on the pin, saying that Ripley was “pancaking” her. Jax is a former Raw Women’s Champion but has not wrestled since September 20, 2021, after which she was released from WWE. 134 days since my last match… Still the best! Still a menace ? pic.twitter.com/MNpvvS2pZe — RheaRipley_WWE (@RheaRipley_WWE) October 20, 2022 pic.twitter.com/34SfbnLSDu — WrestleSR (@wrestle_sr) ..

WRESTLING RUMORS: AEW And Warner Brothers Discovery Working On Long Term TV Deal

October 26, 2022 • Admin

That’s a good place to be. The rise of AEW has changed the wrestling industry in a major way and there is nothing to suggest that the company is going to be slowing down anytime soon. One of the most important assets the company has is its television deal with Warner Brothers Discovery, which puts Dynamite and Rampage on TBS and TNT respectively. That is a great start, and it seems like it might be continuing for a long time to come. During John Arezzi’s Pro Wrestling Spotlight podcast, Arezzi said Warner Brothers Discovery executives are seeing AEW as a sport and something that they want to work with long term. While Arezzi said that he couldn’t go into details about what was going on, AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery are working on a new long term agreement which would see the two sides working together for years to come. There is no word on when such a new deal could be announced. Opinion: If this is the case, that is some very good news for AEW, as having a prime television deal..

Seth Rollins Takes Shot At Fellow WWE Star, Gets Very Harsh Response

October 26, 2022 • Admin

It’s not a happy response. There are a lot of people on the WWE roster and a lot of them are not able to get the amount of television time that they would like. With so many wrestlers on the roster, it can be difficult to find something for everyone to do. At some point, a wrestler is going to snap and that took place again this week, after some WWE commentary did not sit well. This week on Monday Night Raw, Seth Rollins did guest commentary on a match between Mustafa Ali and Mr. Money In The Bank Austin Theory. Rollins said that Theory had a better chance of cashing in on Dana Brooke than Rollins, should he win the WWE Universal Title. Brooke responded on Twitter, saying she works hard and “will not take this s*** anymore.” She talked about working through injuries and could fit any position. Brooke has not wrestled on Monday Night Raw since August 15. Talk is CHEAP!! I work my ass off every single day & will not tolerate this shit anymore! I can promise you I am the hardest working..