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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.

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!

Jeff Jarrett Says Impact Owns The Broken Universe

While speaking to White:List, Jeff Jarrett made the following remarks when asked about the on-going legal battle between The Hardy Boyz and Impact Wrestling over the ownership of the Broken Gimmick:

“I always take the high road because there is legal squabbles or potential legal squabbles but I have said this to a couple of outlets, and I say this with very broad strokes – I am from Nashville so I am around music which is intellectual property and I have been in the business 30 years. Intellectual property laws are very simple, there are two sides to it; there are publishers and the writers, then there are the performers as well.”

“Jeff Hardy has been one of my best friends for 20 years, you can look on my social media and their social media, and we take family vacations together but business is business,” Jarrett continued. “So when it relates to IP it’s real simple, there is a publisher who owns the property, there is a writer who gets credit and can monetize it, then there is the performers. There is no question that Broken Matt and Brother Nero’s performances were off the charts good. But when it comes to ownership to me it’s almost a silly squabble, it’s never been in question. Impact are the owners.”

You can check out the full interview here.

WWE Reveals Five More Names for Mae Young Classic

WWE has revealed that Tessa Blanchard, Abbey Laith, Taynara Conti, Jazzy Gabert and Kavita Devi will compete in the Mae Young Classic. Here is the updated list of confirmed names that WWE has announced:

Toni Storm
Princesa Sugehit
Lacey Evans
Sarah Logan
Tessa Blanchard
Abbey Laith
Taynara Conti
Jazzy Gabert
Kavita Devi

The Mae Young Classic takes place on July 13th and July 14th at Full Sail University. We will have live on-site coverage of the event.

Alberto El Patron Says His Match Against Lashley Will Be A Thousand Times Better Than Lesnar vs. Joe

Alberto El Patron recently spoke with Sports Illustrated. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Match With Lashley Topping Lesnar vs. Joe: “Our match is going to be a thousand times better. I have deep respect for Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe, and I know they’ll give the fans an amazing match, but they’ll be limited by the politics in that company. That company won’t let one of them give one-hundred percent to the audience, they’re going to hold them back. Impact Wrestling says, ‘Here is the ring, go do your thing.’”

Facing Bobby Lashley: “When you’re in the ring with Bobby, you feel it. You know you’re competing and performing with a guy that is not just a sports entertainer. He’s a real athlete and a real wrestler. When you combine two wrestlers with the same background and similar styles, you’re going to get magic. That’s what is going to happen at Slammiversary. We’re going to go the extra mile. We’re not afraid, and that’s just the way we were brought up in the business. If I punch him extra hard, and he kicks me extremely hard, then we’re OK with that–that’s part of what we want to offer to the audience.”

Calling Vince McMahon to Resign: “I was in a place where I was not happy. I was waking up every morning and really struggling to go to work. I got to the point where I asked myself if I wanted to continue in the pro wrestling business. I said to myself, ‘I’ve lost the passion and love for the business.’ But I was wrong. I never lost passion for the pro wrestling business. I lost respect for that other company. …I realized that it was not the business, it was the place where I was working. So I decided to call the one that matters in that company and said, ‘I’m sorry, sir. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for everything, but I’m not happy in this place and I need to move on.’ I am blessed and lucky to find a place like Impact Wrestling. They needed someone like me, and I needed a company like Impact Wrestling. It was perfect timing to start doing business together.”

Bischoff on Wrestling Recap w/ Joe Koff – ROH Talk, Money in the Bank Thoughts, McGregor vs. Mayweather, More!

Bischoff mentions that he predicted months ago that Mayweather vs. McGregor was going to happen, because there was too much money to be made on both sides for it not to happen. He says that while Mayweather might be the favourite, McGregor is not your typical boxer. This might lead to Mcgregor putting Mayweather in some uncomfortable positions in the boxing ring.

Bischoff says that he can’t even compare this bout to CM Punk’s debut UFC outing against Mickey Gall. He says that McGregor has a much better chance to beat Mayweather than Punk had to beat Gall. At least McGregor is a fighter, where Cm Punk is not.

Bischoff informs that at one point he had an opportunity to purchase the UFC for $2 Million. This was ’98-’99, and the UFC brand was in the toilet. He took the call and listened, but he had no interest in the company at that time. The Fertitta brothers and Dana White would soon come into the picture and turn the UFC into a massive organization.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the finish of the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Bischoff thinks all the fan backlash is silly. He says that this is a storyline, and if you’re trying to make some kind of social/political statement from this, you’re going too far.

Punjabi Prison Match Returning Next Month?

It looks like the Punjabi Prison match may be making a return to WWE very soon.

There has been speculation that the upcoming match that is rumored to take place at July 29th WWE Battleground event between Randy Orton and Jinder Mahal will be a Punjabi Prison match. It’s being said that staff workers at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia did measurements in the arena to fit a large bamboo structure. Word also going around is that employees of WWE have been instructed to take the Punjabi Prison structure out of storage.

Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin mentioned on Twitter that Orton is expected to take time off but he will still be around for the Punjabi match at Battleground:

Enzo Amore Reacts to Big Cass Attacking Him on RAW

Enzo Amore took to Twitter for the first time since being attacked this past Monday’s on RAW and made mention of the attack and Conor McGregor: