Mauro Ranallo’s Contract Details Revealed

The word going around is that Mauro Ranallo has signed a deal for two years with WWE that will also allow him to appear and work for non-wrestling events. This means that he can still work with Bellator MMA under WWE clearance while simultaneously working for WWE.

It was announced earlier that Ranallo will be joining the colour commentating team on WWE’s NXT starting from this week. He will also be calling the iconic and hyped Mayweather vs McGregor fight in August of this year.

Escape Rooms Are No Match for These Four Superstars

I recently went to an escape room, and it was pretty fun, no doubt about it. These escape rooms are not for everyone, though. To quote famed poet Gerald Gilum (also known as G-Eazy), “Never going nowhere unless your team is strong.” You’re going to need a good team to make sure you get out of that room.

If you were hypothetically going to solve an escape room, you’d need a hypothetically good team. However, what if that hypothetical team was to be made up of wrestlers? You’d need to pick a team of good wrestlers, then. Here are four in particular who could help you solve the challenges.

Jinder Mahal

Yes, I would put Jinder “Modern Day Maharajah” Mahal on my team. Why? It mainly comes down to two reasons. First off, Jinder’s rich, and these rooms don’t come for free. The one I went to wasn’t so bad; we ended up paying around 6 of your American dollars per head. Still, if Jinder’s got money, then he’s got money.

Secondly, Jinder’s got the Singh brothers by his side. They only really take orders from Mr. Mahal himself, so he’s got to be there. The rooms come with all sorts of puzzles and challenges, and let’s be honest, not everyone can be the brains of the group. So the brains should figure out what exactly needs to be done, tell Jinder, who will then tell the Singh brothers. Does the challenge require a Pascal’s triangle up to 64? Hey Jinder, could the Singh Brothers help out with that? Should two people dance the Biyelgee, the traditional Mongolian dance? Jinder, could the Singh brothers help out with that?

You will have to keep Jinder under control, though. If he gets angry or frustrated, it could be a problem. This is the same guy who lost two different matches because of his deep-seated hatred for Rob Gronkowski and American Football. It would be ideal if you kept him under close watch, and make sure all he does is boss the Singh brothers around.

Sami Zayn

Ahhyessir, Sami Zayn would be a real helpful guy in an escape room. You never know which solution is the right solution, so you’d need someone who could analyze all the different possibilities. Enter Sami Zayn.

As evidenced on his various backstage segments on both Raw and Smackdown, Zayn is an analytical guy, perhaps overly so. Still, if he has an idea, it’s generally worth listening to. Rewind to the six man tag team match before Money in the Bank. Styles and Nakamura listened to his advice, and their team won! Sami Zayn has some good ideas.

He is the type of guy to think of all the different possibilities. Are these numbers a code or coordinates? Are these letters an anagram or music notes? Is that the Alphabet song or Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star? As long as you have Zayn on your team, you don’t have to worry about missing out on a key clue that might be overlooked by lesser teams.

John Cena

Solving an escape room is challenging. It can be disheartening. Maybe you’re solving the puzzles all wrong. Heck, maybe you can’t even find the puzzles. You really feel like throwing in the towel.

John Cena will not let you do that. He will tell you to Never Give Up™ just because the room’s a bit difficult. He’d also tell you to Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect™ the escape room that you find yourself in. You’ve got to hustle and move quickly to solve the puzzles, and you’ve got to show loyalty to your team by sticking with them, and you’ve sure as hell got to respect your team, and respect yourself. You’ve also got to respect the room by never giving up and attempting to win. By showing respect, you show effort. Something like that.

Bray Wyatt

Teleportation powers. Nothing more needs to be said.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar Moved to SummerSlam?

There is speculation that the Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar match that was previously scheduled to take place at WrestleMania 34 could be taking place at SummerSlam this year instead.

This move is being taken to increase the presence of the Universal Title on weekly RAW shows in order to increase the poor TV ratings. The speculation holds a lot of relevance since Reigns announced that he was next in line to challenge Lesnar for the title on this week’s Monday Night RAW episode.

Additionally, Dave Meltzer mentioned in a recent installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that plans may have changed because Braun Strowman returned from injury much earlier than expected. With his early return, some planned matches have been switched around.

What are your thoughts on this match-up? Sound off in the comment box below…

Bully Ray Talks About the Scope of the BROKEN Universe in the WWE

Bully Ray was recently interviewed by USA Today’s “For The Win”. The former 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion talked about a number of topics in the session. Bully Ray had some really interesting comments about the scope of the infamous BROKEN Gimmick in the WWE.

Here’s what he said: (quote credits: USA Today)

“I think that they will get the best of both worlds. They can milk this Hardy run for every dime it’s worth and then they can evolve into a version of the Broken Universe that the WWE sees fits. WWE is not going to allow creations that got over someplace else to come in and rule their world. It’s not going to happen. It didn’t happen with the Bullet Club and it’s not going to happen with Matt Hardy’s Broken Universe. They are going to have to put their stamp of approval on it and have their creative input.”

Bully Ray is set to appear at Ring of Honour’s  Best In The World Pay-per-view in the 6-Man Tag Team Championship match alongside the Briscoes against Dalton Castle and the Boys.

Ryback Talks About Teased Feud Against Triple H

On the latest episode of his podcast, Conversations with the Big Guy, Ryback revealed some interesting details about a teased feud between him and Triple H. Here’s what the “Big Guy” said: (Quote credits: wrestlinginc.com)

“I had a weird deal with Hunter. Did I ever tell [podcast co-host Pat Buck]? Do you remember that, where they had a thing where it looked like they were teasing a program with me and Hunter? They had us face off in England after I wrestled Kane. I think I broke my finger wrestling Kane one night. We were doing something and our hands hit and my finger went sideways.”

Ryback then continued:

“so I get through this match with Kane. I think it was the main event on SmackDown. Then, they have this big stare [down] with me and Hunter and they teased it for a couple of weeks with different things and then it just went away. It was nothing. And even he came up, ‘the plan was never for us to work, just so you know.’ And I go, ‘Oh, okay. I don’t know.’ I’m not in the creative meetings. I don’t know why. I just do what I’m told. He would always explain things weirdly, but, yeah, that never happened. It would’ve been nice, so he could f–king know that I could wrestle.”

Would you have liked seeing Hunter go at it with The Big Guy? Share your thoughts in the comments.

Daniel Bryan Claims that Luke Harper’s Capabilities are Being Wasted on SmackDown Live

Daniel Bryan spoke to Fox Sports very recently. There he gave his two cents on the state of Luke Harper on SmackDown Live right now. Bryan admitted that the former Wyatt Family member is indeed being “wasted” on the blue brand.

Here are Bryan’s thoughts on Harper:

“I think that he is somebody that we can utilize better. When he left the Wyatt Family, I thought the fans were really starting to get behind him. And his match with Randy Orton, gosh, I loved his match with Randy Orton.”

The former 3-time World Champion didn’t stop singing Harper’s praise here, as he continued:

“Every time you see him, he’s dynamic. The crowd gets behind him, and then you just kind of lose him on TV, where we don’t really see him much. I think we’re really losing out on that.”

Mr. Pogo Passes Away

Mr. Pogo has passed away at age 66, according to a report by Yahoo Japan. It’s being said that he died in the hospital from a cerebral infection after receiving back surgery in Gunma, Japan.

For those not aware, Pogo started working in the early 70s, and he faced off with such stars Ric Flair, Harley Race, and Terry Funk. He is most memorable for his death matches, including a famous Electrified Exploding Barbed Wire Double Hell Death Match with Atushia Onita.

Matt Hardy Praises Kenny Omega

Matt Hardy recently held a Q&A session on Twitter where he answered many questions and talked about a lot of topics. On being asked about the “Cleaner” Kenny Omega by a fan, Hardy had some big words for him. Here are the tweets:

Pretty sure the Cleaner will find the comments extremely DELIGHTFUL!

Pete Dunne Once Again Mentions his Willingness To Fight Brock Lesnar

WWE UK Champion and current PROGRESS World Champion, Pete Dunne was a guest on the Card Subject To Change podcast. Dunne talked about a number of talking before addressing the subject of who he considers being his dream opponent.

According to Dunne,  his dream opponent would be the WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar. Here’s what Dunne had to say about the topic: (credits to Cards Subject To Change/ quote credits: SEScoops)

“The big one for me is Brock Lesnar. I like that you believe in him because that is him. I try to carry myself that way and I look to someday reach that level. I think it would be a match people wouldn’t expect but it’s one I’d love to have. It’d be a good fight.”

Would you folks like to see the Bruiserweight go at it against the Beast Incarnate himself? Tell us in the comments!

Triple H Invites Mayweather & McGregor to RAW

Triple H recently spoke with Sky Sports. Here are some highlights from the interview.

The announcement of Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor in a boxing match: “I think that is the – look I’ll go a step further and say all sports is entertainment, the news is entertainment today, it’s just the way of the world. This is what people do with their time. It’s no different. I think there is an interest level there. Can a world class boxer, probably the best ever, can he stand in the ring with an MMA guy and can that MMA guy bring his striking skills up to the level of someone, like say, a Floyd Mayweather? The one thing it will be, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is entertaining. One thing Floyd Mayweather is, is entertaining. One thing Conor McGregor is, is entertaining, and it’s funny that you say it’s sports entertainment. I’d invite both guys, that really want to showcase what they do, I invite both guys to come to Monday Night RAW because there is no bigger platform that they can have to show the world, and tell the world, who they are and why they’re the man.”

Previously Working With Mayweather: “Yeah, Floyd got involved then. I trained Floyd to step into the ring with The Big Show, which was a big highlight for me, and he did. He got it the ring at our Super Bowl, Floyd is a big fan and has a huge respect for what we do, we have stayed in touch over the years, and here he is getting thrown out of the ring by the Big Show. At the level of athlete that he’s at, for Floyd to agree to that kind of stuff was amazing for us, but you know he’s a huge fan and couldn’t have been more engaged in what we do. The Mayweather / McGregor fight, people can say what they want, but it’ll be entertaining.”

Possibility of doing a match with boxing star Gennady Golovkin (GGG): “It would be the perfect fight, we have a little beef over the three letter thing going on, maybe. It’s funny you should – we had a date at Madison Square Garden for GGG’s last fight and we made an arrangement to allow GGG to have that date for his last fight – there’s a little bit of history there. I’d love to get in the ring with him and see what we can do.”

Enzo Amore & Big Cass Out Ranking Peers In Merchandise Items

Big Cass and Enzo Amore out rank anyone on the roster in terms of number of merchandise items. At the time of their split, they apparently have 54 items available on the WWE website. This is more than anyone on the roster including John Cena, Roman Reigns, The New Day, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins.

PopVinyls.com noted on Twitter that the new Enzo and Cass figures are scheduled to come out in August: