TNA

Vince Russo’s The Brand Recap – Family Before Wrestling, Ripping on His Son, When did Wrestlers Become Marks? More!

Russo mentions that he can’t stop thinking about the new Kevin Owens documentary, where Owens was shown backstage after his Universal Title win crying with Sami Zayn, Triple H and others. He talked about this on his show yesterday, and it’s been stuck in his head ever since. He can’t believe that ‘professional’ wrestlers are crying backstage over being scripted to win a fake Title.

Russo informs that he has worked with some of the biggest stars the industry ever produced. King Kong Bundy, Hogan, The Rock, Austin, they were all professionals. They came to work every day, did their job, and went home at the end of the night. They carried themselves perfectly, and they knew that they were working in the entertainment business.

Somewhere along the line, the wrestlers became marks. He knows that this doesn’t apply to all the performers, because he doesn’t picture guys like Braun Strowman or Roman Reigns acting this way. For the most part however, today’s generation of wrestlers are taking themselves and the business so seriously that they forget about the actual important things in life.

Favorites to Win at WWE Great Balls of Fire

Here are the current betting odds for the upcoming WWE Great Balls of Fire event, which will most-likely change several times between now and Sunday.

WWE Universal Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) -1667 (favorite) vs Samoa Joe +700

RAW Women’s Championship: Alexa Bliss(c) -278 (favorite) vs Sasha Banks +170

Intercontinental Championship: The Miz(c) -278 (favorite) vs Dean Ambrose +170

RAW Tag Team Championship: Cesaro and Sheamus(c) +125 vs Matt and Jeff Hardy -189 (favorites)

Ambulance Match: Roman Reigns -137 (favorite) vs Braun Strowman +100

Seth Rollins +125 vs Bray Wyatt -175 (favorite)

Enzo Amore +175 vs Big Cass -250 (favorite)

Velvet Sky Announces Retirement

Former Knockout Velvet Sky has retired from professional wrestling, according to WNPR in Connecticut.

Velvet Sky announced that she has retired and she is back in school at Post University to finish up the college degree that she put on hold to pursue her wrestling career. Velvet apparently wants to be a personal trainer and is working with the next generation at a wrestling school in Danbury, CT.

Carmella Reacts to James Ellsworth’s Suspension

As seen on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan suspended James Ellsworth for 30 days and fined him $10,000 for his involvement in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder matches. He also added that if he violates the terms, Carmella will be stripped of her MITB briefcase.

Carmella and Ellsworth both took to Twitter and made the following remarks in regards to the suspension:

Possible Spoiler on The Hype Bros Splitting Up

As previously reported, there is speculation that the beginning to the end of The Hype Bros is currently on-going on WWE programming after Mojo Rawley eliminated Zack Ryder from the Independence Day Battle Royal Tuesday night.

Bryan Alvarez discussed the Battle Royal on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio and said it’s obvious that the team is splitting up. It’s believed that Zack will be the one to turn heel on Mojo in their on-going storyline.

We noted back in May via Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE has plans to push Mojo as a single’s star. Dave Meltzer indicated at the time that the company would probably split the team once Ryder got back from injury and it now appears that those plans are in place.

Eric Bischoff Rips WWE Booking a Flag Match at WWE Battleground — Says It’s Boring

Former WCW President and former RAW GM Eric Bischoff talked about the Rusev-Cena flag match on his podcast, Bischoff On Wrestling :

“I hate it. I just hate it. I haaaate it. I hate it. God, whose idea was that? Vince McMahon, if you are listening to this or someone that works for you is listening to this re-think that. That is just… gwuck. My teeth hurt just listening to you talk about this”

He continued:

“What’s a Flag Match?! What the hell is a Flag Match?! It’s like it’s been around for a thousand years and eeeeverybody knows what a Flag Match is. So, I am going to take your flag? Or, you’re going to take my flag? I am sorry… do not care. Boring. Here is what I do believe now once I take off my cynical hat. If you want to build up a story, create emotion, build anticipation, have a sense of reality, give yourself an element of surprise and wrap it all in some great action you’ve got to be a little believable. The stakes have to be a little relatable. What are the stakes?! You are going to grab my flag? Huh? You are grabbing my flag? That’s what I am going to get pissed off about and fight my heart out about? You’re going to grab my flag. I am sorry. I am sleeping through that one.”