WWE News
WWE Changes RAW Superstars Name
It appears that WWE has decided to shorten Elias Samson’s name to just “Elias” moving forward.
In his bio section on WWE.com, the last name has been cleared away. This would be an indication that they have decided to shorten his name. WWE has done this in the past with Superstars like Big E Langston, Antonio Cesaro and Adrian Neville.
Matt Hardy Says Ed Nordholm Blatantly Lied to Defame Him
Matt Hardy has took to his Twitter account to fire back at Ed Nordholm’s claims made during a Sports Illustrated interview.
Hardy says that Nordholm blatantly lied to defame him and he has the entire conversation recorded to prove it.
Reby Hardy has also said that all of the conversations they had with Nordholm have been recorded.
Mike Kanellis Knocks Global Force Wrestling Over Pay Issues
Mike Kanellis knocked Global Force Wrestling over their pay issues in a Twitter exchange with a fan.
The fan pointed out how Mike was a joke in Global Force Wrestling and is also a joke in WWE. That is when Mike decided to point out that he’s getting paid now. You can check out the exchange below:
Who’s Idea Was For AJ Styles to Win the US Title at Madison Square Garden?
While appearing on Edge & Christian’s podcast, AJ Styles revealed that it was actually Vince McMahon’s idea for Kevin Owens to drop the United States Championship title to him at the Madison Square Garden event a few weeks back.
“To me, it’s smart. It’s something that hasn’t been done in a long time and to do it at Madison Square Garden and everybody with WWE knows that’s a big deal. I think it was awesome. I think it was very clever and I loved it.”
Styles recalled, “there was a pop, ‘he won! Yes!’ but, ‘well, who’s going to walk out there?’ and then, there was another pop because nobody walked out there. It was really cool, but it was smart to not do that every year, but every couple of years to do something like that. I think it just came down to doing something different and it was Vince’s call and no one else’s. And yeah, it was great.”
Styles went on to explain how he wouldn’t be surprised to see the WWE Championship change hands at a SmackDown Live live event.
“You never know. And who knows? When the guys wrestling, whoever it may be wrestling Jinder Mahal, they may switch it. If you’ve got John Cena working Jinder Mahal on the main event or whatever, it could possibly happen. That’s a good idea. That’s a business move to some extent.”
Shawn Michaels Working NXT Live Events This Weekend
Shawn Michaels indicated on Twitter that he will be working the NXT Live Events this weekend in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
PWInsider reports that Michaels will be working as a producer at these events. While Michaels has been helping out at the performance center, this will be his first time on the road with the yellow brand.
Possible Intercontinental Title Plans for SummerSlam
WWE announced that Jason Jordan will appear on the MizTV segment on next week’s episode of RAW. Dave Meltzer indicated on the recent installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE most-likely booked this angle to setup a possible feud between The Miz and Jordan for next month’s SummerSlam event for an Intercontinental Title match.
There was speculation that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose would be challenging The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship on the card, but those plans appear to be nixed.
We will keep you updated if we hear anything new regarding the Intercontinental Title being defended at SummerSlam.
Internal Concern Within WWE Over Recent Cutbacks
WWE is expected to announce their earning reports this Thursday and there is some internal concern within the company regarding those reports.
Bryan Alvarez discussed the earning reports on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Live and mentioned that he heard that employees within the company are worried, especially with the recent cutbacks. With the decision to cut pyros from weekly programming and cutting shows with low viewership from the network, has many concerned.
Speaking of pyros, Alvarez mentioned that the company spent millions of dollars on the WrestleMania 33 set, which attributed to the company cutting the pyros. The decision to drop pyros for the time being was a cost cutting measure and Alvarez indicated that there is a chance that WWE may bring the pyros back in the future.