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The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that according to the WWE, when one includes all forms of WWE Product related consumption, India comes out as the number one market surpassing even the United States of America. According to them, on the basis of product consumption, India is at the first position followed by the USA and South Africa.
However, since consumption and income are two different things, there arises an issue when it comes to India. WWE doesn’t really earn much from the Indian market. Therefore to tackle this obstacle, WWE has opened a brand new office in India in order to garner more revenue from the Indian market.
This sudden increase in attention towards India comes at a time when the Impact Wrestling’s tour of India ended. Both the companies are allegedly looking to widen their markets in India as the sub-continent has a colossal wrestling fandom.
It is also being reported that because of this very reason, Jinder Mahal’s title reign will not be short lived. Plans can always change because WWE doesn’t have any tour plans for India anytime soon.
As seen on Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live, Shane McMahon announced the first-ever Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match that will see 5-women fighting for a chance to win a briefcase that allows them the opportunity for a shot at the Women’s Championship anytime they want. Those names include Carmella, Tamina, Becky Lynch, Natalya and Charlotte.
Dave Meltzer indicated prior to the announcement that the match would see only four competitors because there was expected to be two women matches at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event. With the announcement of five competitors, it is very unlikely now that two matches will take place on the card.
Bryan Alvarez suggested on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE may have changed it to five competitors because the winner of the MITB ladder match may cash it in later in the night. This could be the reason why the Women’s championship match isn’t being defend on the card now and the number of competitors was switch from four to five.
Dave Meltzer reported on the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that Brock Lesnar’s Universal Title defense at the Great Balls of Fire event against the winner of Sunday’s Fatal Five Way #1 contender’s match will be a quick program.
Meltzer explained that with Braun Strowman slated to face Brock Lesnnar at SummerSlam, there will be no rematch against who challenges him at Great Balls of Fire. Meltzer indicated that either Seth Rollins or Finn Balor will win Sunday’s match at Extreme Rules for the opportunity to face Lesnar.
Ahead of tonight’s RAW, WWE announced that Noam Dar will team up with Alicia Fox to take on Sasha Banks and Rich Swann in a mixed tag team match at Sunday’s Extreme Rules event. Here is the updated card for the show:
Fatal 5 Way to Crown #1 Contender to WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar
Seth Rollins vs. Samoa Joe vs. Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns
Kendo Stick on a Pole Match for the RAW Women’s Title
Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss
WWE Intercontinental Title Match
The Miz vs. Dean Ambrose
The title can change hands on a disqualification.
Submission Match for the WWE Cruiserweight Title
Austin Aries vs. Neville
Steel Cage match for RAW Tag Team Title Match
Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The Hardys
Alicia Fox & Noam Dar vs. Sasha Banks & Rich Swann
WWE is advertising Jinder Mahal defending the WWE Title against Shinsuke Nakamura for upcoming WWE Live Events for the SmackDown Live brand in July.
Randy Orton is not scheduled for these events, so it’s very possible that Nakamura could be filling in for Orton. We will keep you updated.
Hulk Hogan recently told fans at an autograph signing that he is in negotiations with Vince McMahon to return to WWE.
“Hulk Hogan did an autograph signing over the weekend in Los Angeles and when asked about the obvious question, just said he and Vince are talking,” Dave Meltzer said in the May 8, 2017, issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
“Then again, it is Hogan. The answer to the question of his returning is always about when the feeling it is a time when the company feels there will be no potential sponsor backlash.”
As noted earlier today, The Hulkster was featured on a double-sided poster in the WWE Kids magazine that was being handed out during WWE’s recent tour overseas. This is another indication of his return to the company.
Former WWE Superstar Cameron took to her YouTube Channel to discuss her release from WWE and the time leading up to it:
“For the people who don’t know, I wasn’t happy with my position in WWE. I was coming to ‘TVs’ and I just wasn’t doing anything. I know that I didn’t have the best in-ring skills, because I was brought up early. I’m really honest about that, I can keep it one-thousand percent. I wanted to go back down to NXT. I’m like ‘I know this may mean I might lose my spot. I know this may get me fired,’ but I rather walk away knowing that I did everything I possibly can, than nothing at all and I walk away with regret.”
Cameron then talked about how she found out she was getting released:
“I get this ‘ding’ [on my phone] and Mark [Carrano, WWE Senior Director of Talent Relations] says ‘Can you call me?’ And I just knew, so I called him and he told me. It was shocking, but at the same time, that’s just where we were. I’d given my all and things just weren’t progress, so, it hit me, and I thanked him for my time. This is one experience I’m never ever going to forget, unfortunately, it’s not a fairy tale ending.”
She also commented on if the release correlated with her going after fans on social media:
“To this day, I still don’t know if it’s partially because when I stirred up all the stuff with [the] IWC. That was one of my tactics, to try and get stuff stirring to potentially have a storyline and I never asked, I never asked. I didn’t want to know, because at that point what was done, was done. I never know to this day if it was that, mixed with everything that was already going on and my position with the company.”
PWInsider reports that Matt Hardy’s trademark application for the “BROKEN Matt Hardy” has been refused by the U.S. Patent & Trademark office. Matt has six months to respond to the application before it’s abandoned. The refusal reads:
“Registration is refused because the applied-for mark, as used on the specimen of record, identifies only the name of a particular character/personal name; it does not function as a service mark to identify and distinguish applicant’s services from those of others and to indicate the source of applicant’s services.”
WWE has plans to make the June 13th SmackDown Live episode in New Orleans a major show because of WrestleMania 34 taking place there.
Randy Orton vs. Jinder Mahal was announced but it’s likely that the match will be changed or made into a dark match since they are now scheduled for the Money in the Bank event. Two other matches planned for the event include Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Dolph Ziggler.
Plans for Rusev to return to WWE programming and go after the WWE Title have changed.
As seen on SmackDown Live a couple weeks back, WWE aired footage of Rusev saying he wanted a shot at the WWE Title at the Money in the Bank event. Rusev said he would be returning to SmackDown Live to confront Shane, which never happened and WWE hasn’t played up to that storyline at all on any of their programming.
With WWE announcing Randy Orton’s rematch for the WWE Title at the Money in the Bank event on SmackDown Live this week, it is now evident that plans have changed for Rusev and he will not be going after the Title on that show. We will keep you updated if we hear anything new regarding his return.
As previously noted, Jim Ross will be one of the announcers for the upcoming women’s tournament that will be taped on July 13 and 14th. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Lita is being considered to join J.R. on the commentating booth.
While the show is being taped in July, there is no official announcement yet on when WWE plans to air the shows on the WWE Network. We will keep you updated.