No return for Shelton:
Shelton Benjamin has announced, via social media, that he is no longer returning to WWE. He says he is sad about the decision he has made, but feels he needs to take a break from wrestling, to get surgery on a shoulder injury. He later tweeted he has torn a rotator cuff, and that it was WWE medics that told him how bad the injury was. He had been working in pain for some time.
WWE vs UFC:
UFC star Conor McGregor has been getting a ton of heat from wrestling fans for his comments yesterday. He has kind of apologised to fans, but...
''I didn't mean no disrespect to the @wwe fans. What I meant to say was that I'd slap the head off your entire roster. And twice on Sunday's.''
Wrestling stars have also responded, including WWE Alum MVP who mocked him with...
''The way Nate Diaz Stockton slapped you or nah?.''
Roman Reigns said...
''Your the size of my leg. Shut up.''
And Kurt Angle replied...
''Very funny little guy. Why don't you get your head out of Dana White's ass.''
Rusev...
''So much talk for a guy who fights 15 min matches twice a year...... Good for you Conor McGaiver.''
Chris Jericho...
''Sorry pal no disrespect to u, but my fights are legit, unlike the fixed fights u have in @UFC. I’ll embarrass u. ''
Ric Flair...
''Coming from a guy who built a career copying my persona, I expected the type of class we get from Ronda or Anderson. After Diaz finishes you again, I dare you to try guys like Dolph, Brock, or Fit. Oh you're welcome for your gimmick.''
Baron Corbin...
''I beg to differ kid.''
Bill DeMott...
''Maybe I'm late to the party........what weight class and what size locker room is being called out.''
AJ Styles...
''I think McGregor could do well in the featherweight division......if the WWE had one.''
Sheamus...
''Never show a Jack Russell a mirror. It thinks it's a majestic Irish Wolfhound. Really, just an annoying wee yapper trying to sell tickets.''
Kofi Kingston...
''Yikes, looks like @TheNotoriousMMA could really use a bowl of Booty O's right about now. Someone hook him up...''
Big E...
''Would you prefer to find us individually or have us all line up at once? I know your time is valuable, sir. ''
Bubba Dudley...
''I would pay good $$ to see @RealKurtAngle STRETCH THE PISS outta @TheNotoriousMMA and make him tap.''
Sasha Banks...
''Bring it.''
Curtis Axel...
''Hey @TheNotoriousMMA, cool name by the way. U think u could slap my head off? Come try me! I'd mop ur sorry ass!.''
Jonathan Coachman...
''Remember what I always say smart dudes know what is good for business.''
Colter vs Trump:
Zeb Colter says he is mad at Donald Trump for using his ''We the people'' line on the campaign trail. He added however that he continues to support him for the presidency.
HOF'er advises Rock:
Jesse Ventura has told The Rock not to bother with his political ambitions...
"I would tell Dwayne Johnson don't bother with it. You have a phenomenal career in Hollywood. Why would you want to go into politics? Ride the Hollywood horse until it falls. Are you kidding me? Politics, he can't earn near the money he's making. Unless he just truly wants to make a difference I guess. But, Dwayne's a very talented man, no doubt about it. And I would encourage him not to waste it in the political arena."
Spirit Squad:
Kenny of the Spirit Squad has revealed a backstage producer lied to keep his secret regarding his too young age when he signed for WWE...
"The only one who knew was Dr. Tom. It was WrestleMania XX, I was a druid in Madison Square Garden. After the show, John Laurinaitis was like, 'Hey. Would you be willing to move to Louisville?' I was like yeah, sure! 'Can you go there next week?'. I was like, I need to finish school. He was like, 'What do you mean finish school? What are you going to school for? How old are you?' I said I just turned 18. He said, 'You JUST turned 18?' I said yeah. 'You've been working for me for two years, what do you mean you just turned 18?!' I said, well I'm legal now. I graduate in June, how about I move there after I graduate. He said 'Well. I'll think about it. I don't know if I want to hire you.' I said, you just wanted to hire me right now! He's like, 'We'll talk about it.' So then he never said much about it. He just called me halfway through May, I was still in school, and sent me a contract. So I actually got my contract at the end of May, before I even graduated. I graduated June 4th, and then June 7th I moved to Louisville."
He also revealed the original line up of the group, and that one member refused to do it...
"The Spirit Squad thing came about when I was on the road and there was no set direction or anything. So I was doing house shows for like a month, two months. And then we were in Cincinnati and they called up a bunch of the other guys. It was me, Nick (Dolph Ziggler), Mitchell, Elijah Burke they called up, and they called up Johnny Jeter. They were like, you're gonna have a meeting with Vince. So we were in there with Vince, and Taz was in the back, and Vince was like I want to have five male cheerleaders. Taz looked at us like what'd he just say? I didn't really care, but I thought it was a joke at first, so I was like okay, sure. Then, he was like, 'Yeah. That's it. Get outta here.' And we were like, okay? Is he being serious? He wants us to be male cheerleaders? I went back to Massachusetts for the holiday, and I found these green Adidas basketball jump suits, and they had five of them. So we really picked out our own outfits and everything. Then we started doing vignettes. I guess Elijah Burke called them and said he couldn't do the gimmick. He said, I can't do it. I just won't be able to do it, I wouldn't be able to pull it off, and I'll hold everybody down. Which, granted, they say in the world of wrestling to never say you can't do something, but in all honesty, if he really thought he couldn't do it, then that's good that he was honest because it could have held us down. It could have held him down in the end. You never know what direction it could have went."
Big E.:
WWE say Big E. has a groin contusion, the injury is kayfabe.
NXT Brooklyn:
Dash & Dawson vs Johnny Gargano & Tomasso Ciampa will be confirmed for NXT Brooklyn soon, the Tag straps will be on the line.
Ricky Steamboat talks career regret:
He says he wanted to turn heel in WWE...
"Pat (Patterson) simply told me that it would probably ruin my career... I just wanted to experience what it felt like on the other side of the fence. As we all know, the heels have the most fun out there in the ring."
British TV star wants WWE career:
Adam Maxted of reality show 'Love Island' says he has long harboured ambitions to join WWE...
"I said to myself that there was no way I was going to risk my future and my dream - no matter how good looking the girl was or how much there was a connection or how much I wanted to do it. My dream is to be in the WWE and it's such a child-based market so I wasn't ever going to ruin my chances of getting onto that because I'd had sex on TV."
DVD named:
Randy Orton's set will be called "Randy Orton: RKO Outta Nowhere."
Total Divas:
The cast of TD are in the Caribbean filming for their show (Photo).
Bayley tags in:
Sasha Banks has pulled out of a comic con this month, Bayley will substitute.
UFC star calls out WWE:
Conor McGregor was asked about the possibility of a cross over event between WWE and UFC, and was not keen on the idea...
"For the most part, those WWE guys are pussies. They're messed up pussies if you ask me."
He said the only exceptions were Triple H, The Rock and the McMahon family.
Bret vs Rollins:
Bret Hart has again attacked Seth Rollins over injuries he inflicted on John Cena and Sting. He claims he thought Seth had killed Cena...
"He knees him the face so hard, and so recklessly, and so dangerously. He could easily kill somebody with a knee like that to the face. The best wrestlers don't hurt anyone for real. I wrestled 23 straight years all over the world. My greatest boast is I never hurt one single wrestler in my career. The safety of my opponent was critical to me. He did things to a guy that kind of ended his career a lot faster. It was disrespectful and you need to take care of a guy like Sting in the ring.''
Barrett returning:
Wade Barrett will make his first post WWE wrestling appearance this month. He will be guest of honour at Retro Wrestling.
Rematch:
Cody Rhodes is in Canada to film an appearance on his old rival Stephen Amell's show 'Arrow'.
Jinder Mahal:
Jinder Mahal has worked one of his last indie gigs before returning to WWE. He wrestled Colt Cabana at a charity show.
WrestleMania match confirmed:
Big Show has confirmed he will wrestle Shaq at WrestleMania 33, and that he is looking forward to his retirement following, not long after. He called his current WWE status his waving goodbye tour, and said he wants to get to as many places as possible to do so.
Daniel Bryan reveals negative about brand split:
Daniel Bryan says the brand split is not winning complete support from the roster, as talent have seen a cut in their wage packet. He added that in the long run it will be for the best...
"It's interesting because some of them don't like it because everyday that you're on the road and not working, you don't get paid, so you're spending money and not getting paid. So it just becomes like a, 'okay, so now I'm making less money, but spending the same amount of being on the road and that sort of thing'. But pretty soon, we're going to start doing SmackDown live events on Monday nights, the same night as RAW, so then that's going to even out a bit. And I think that extra day on the road at home makes a huge difference. I mean, there's a huge difference between leaving on Friday and coming home on Wednesday and leaving on Saturday and coming home on Wednesday or leaving on Friday and coming home on Tuesday. So I think it's going to be better for the health of everybody."
Rhodes / Angle 2:
Cody Rhodes and Kurt Angle will meet for a second time, this time in the UK, later this year.
WWE man at movie premiere:
Zack Ryder represented WWE at the premiere of 'Sausage Party' last night.
CWC man not ready for WWE:
Zack Sabre Jr is apparently not going to accept any offer from WWE ''For the time being''. He has other goals outside of WWE he wants to achieve first. This may mean the one time favourite for the trophy will not win it, as the winner is expected to be the first Cruiserweight champ on Raw.
Sasha Banks:
Sasha Banks was married over the weekend. A friend posted a picture of her day to social media.
Ryback:
Ryback is no longer a WWE star. He wished the promotion well in their future endeavors, before announcing his contract has finally expired. He had been on hiatus since falling out with WWE earlier in the summer.
Raw:
Mick Foley has invited Daniel Bryan to Raw next week, he has accepted.
Dreamer opts out:
Tommy Dreamer has confirmed he will not accept the offer WWE made him to return to the roster...
"Rumors are true. They kind of grouped a bunch of people together and, so far, a lot of those rumors have come out. Yes, WWE has reached out to me. I was actually scheduled to be at the Draft and then, Dreamer's travel subject to change, they switched it on me. The week before, I was there. They were in Michigan. I was visiting my family in Michigan. On a lovely 23 days on the road, I got to see my family for half-a-second in Michigan. They've offered me a contract and I really have so many commitments to my own company as well as the charities and to other shows, I can't sign a contract. And I told them I will do just like I did with the Wyatts, in the sense of I was not under contract when I wrestled that whole time back in WWE. I love WWE, but I just can't sign a contract right now. My life, and I can't give up on my own company, so I basically had to say 'Thank you. If you want me to come in, then I will do the best to my abilities in all that I do, but if not, that's cool. Hope we can still be friends'. So that's where we're at."
Why Heyman stayed:
Paul Heyman has signed a new deal after Brock Lesnar got involved in the stagnating talks between WWE and his spokesman. Heyman wanted a substantial raise in pay, more than WWE were willing to offer, and WWE are also unhappy about him working outside of WWE on some less than PG projects. The roadblock went on so long that the contract expired, but the two sides never stopped talking. However some senior officials did not expect a resolution in the stall, until Brock made it clear he wanted Heyman around. It is not confirmed if Heyman got the terms he wanted, but the deal is signed, sealed and delivered.
NXT:
Hideo Itami returned to WWE TV last night, and TNA great Bobby Roode also debuted, and has officially been added to the WWE roster.
William Regal has announced Asuka vs Bayley for the NXT ladies title, for Brooklyn.
CWC:
The first round of the CWC is now complete, here is the updated bracket. (Photo).
Politics vs Wrestling:
Rhyno has confirmed he will continue to wrestle, despite being nominated by the Republican party as their candidate for a seat in Michigan. He however says that that does not mean he is taking the campaign lightly.
Injury updates:
Bray Wyatt upset WWE officials this week. They were so worried about him re-injuring an ankle that they were going to end their SmackDown main event, but Bray refused to stop. He wants to keep working as usual, but the ankle cost him months of his career, and WWE will want to be careful.
Paige has back and shoulder injuries, and will be out for two months.
Jimmy Uso still has not specified his injury, but he was due back this week, however he did not report to the blue brand.
Bischoff done with wrestling:
Eric Bischoff says his name is probably never going to appear in the sport again, as he is too busy, and his son Garrett, who worked for TNA, has a job and family in Florida.
MVP to WWE:
Despite being a guest at a recent WWE event MVP is unlikely to return to the brand. The offers they are making to former stars are reportedly low, and for some are too low to accept. MVP is one that is rumoured to be set to say no.
Rock gives advice:
The Rock has praised indie star Ricochet, but also told him to be careful of the ''Garbage'' of backstage politics, before wishing him well in his career.
SmackDown skeleton crew:
A number of SmackDown talent will be going on the Antipidean tour next week, meaning the likes of John Cena and AJ Styles will be missing from the live show on Tuesday.
Sting:
Seth Rollins has confirmed he was not meant to be Sting's last opponent...
"That was certainly not planned to be his final match, but either way it was an honor. He's an incredible dude. One thing about Steve is that he's one of the most humble superstars I've ever met."
HOF'er out of contract:
Ric Flair's WWE contract has expired, and he is no longer officially affiliated with the promotion.
Diva leaving?:
More has emerged on WWE reasons for splitting Paige and Alberto Del Rio in the brand draft. WWE officials are said to be worried that, should Del Rio invoke his contract get out clause in September, Paige would go too, and they do not want to lose her.
CWC star signs:
Tony Nese has signed with indie group Evolve. He is still alive in the tourney.
Also on the CWC, Cedric Alexander's wife was Nia Jax's squash victim on Raw this week.
Why couple were split:
Dave Meltzer is claiming that Paige's social media posts about her relationship with Alberto Del Rio are the reason WWE split them, apparently as punishment.
Injuries:
Sheamus needed dental treatment today, after a headbutt from Cesaro on Raw.
Bray Wyatt hurt his ankle during SmackDown's main event last night.
Jimmy Uso is also dealing with an unspecified injury.
SummerSlam:
The Miz vs Apollo Crews for the IC title has been booked for the Summer PPV, it will be Apollo's debut on a big four event card.
John Cena will also have his first big four match since last years SummerSlam, he accepted a challenge from AJ Styles last night.
'Welcome' by Fort Minor has been named as the theme song.
Heath Slater:
Daniel Bryan has granted free agent Heath Slater a match for a blue brand contract, vs Rhyno on SmackDown next week.
HOF'er in hospital:
Superstar Billy Graham is ill again. He was taken into hospital this week, with serious medical symptoms, and will have a procedure today.
Paige pulled:
Paige has been withdrawn for the Australia / New Zealand tour. She is reportedly struggling with an injury.
Bryan offended:
Daniel Bryan has confessed John Cena's mocking of AJ Styles irked him last night. Cena's assertion that he would only work for WWE out of loyalty, making him better than AJ, who would work elsewhere if he had too, drew this response from Cena's GM...
''I've been fired from WWE twice, and you have to wrestle somewhere else when that happens. I'm cut from the same cloth as Styles, we had to fight for the opportunity to get to WWE. If Styles got fired, he has a family to provide for and this is what he does.''
He went on to compare Cena to The Rock, saying Cena is in a position where he can select his loyalty, and his workload, the likes of AJ are not, and he should not be judged by Cena's standards.
Jimmy Snuka:
A lawyer has asked for the case against Jimmy Snuka to be dismissed, the judge refused his request. Notably the request was not by Snuka's defense team, but the prosecutors. The lead of the prosecution team, whilst asserting his belief in the guilt of the WWE Hall Of Famer, responded to the judge refusing Snuka being allowed to undergo outpatient treatment for his medical issues, with a frustrated outburst. He said if Snuka can't stand trial, and can't be given medical treatment, than what was the point continuing the action against him?.
It was also claimed today that Snuka no longer recognises his own wife, this despite his signing up to the recent brain injury lawsuit against WWE, and accepting a wrestling convention booking.
Bayley admits frustration:
For the first time Bayley has admitted she is not happy about being overlooked for promotion to the WWE main roster. She was initially excited for her friends to get the call up, but time, and getting a taste of the big time recently have led to frustration setting in, and she says she is struggling to deal with being overlooked. She talked to Chris Jericho about her colleagues match at WrestleMania 32, and said that is where she needs to be, and that she feels she has done all she can do in NXT.
Rhyno nominated:
Rhyno has won nomination to political office in Michigan. He now faces a further campaign against a rival politician to win the seat for Dearborn. That will be in November.
Big five returning?:
WWE have filed for the trademark 'King Of The Ring' to be used as a wrestling event. This could mean the formerly annual tournament could be coming back as a PPV, for the first time since 2002. It has been contested sporadically over the years since, most recently won by King Barrett last year during a Network special.
WWE tech issues:
WWE's LCD screens kept cutting off during last nights SmackDown. They had been having problems getting them to work at all, but finally manged to get power into them just 30 minutes before the show went live, however the problems returned during the broadcast.
Raw:
Jinder Mahal returned to WWE last night. He beat his former band mate Heath Slater to win a contract with the red brand. Brock Lesnar also appeared for the first time since WrestleMania.
Booker T:
Booker T has had surgery on an elbow injury he has been struggling with since 2013. He tore muscles in his arm when performing his spin-a-roonie at the HOF ceremony, as he was being inducted, and has developed other issues related to the injury since.
Pat Patterson:
Pat Patterson's biog is out now.
CM Punk:
Fox will air a documentary on CM Punk's transition from wrestling to MMA on August 15.
Flair wishes he stayed retired:
"Yes, I do regret wrestling again after WrestleMania 24. There are a couple of things I regret. Number one was ever going to work for TNA. That's my own fault. It was just a lot of money to wrestle 65 days a year, right? 65 days and make a lot of money. Do you know what I mean? Not WWE money, but pretty good money to do nothing. And I made a lot of friends. I like Kurt Angle very much and I like Storm and Roode. I liked AJ., everybody treated me great. I mean, I don't have any bad things to say about TNA or the people there at all. After being in the WWE, it's pretty hard to work any place else because you're always comparing them no matter how hard you try not to."
SmackDown tease:
- Will SummerSlam's WWE World Title Match turn SmackDown Live upside down?
- Is SmackDown Live prepared for a Brock Lesnar invasion?
- How will AJ Styles regain his edge?
- Who will stand out in SmackDown Live's Women's division?
- American Alpha looks to seize the big blue spotlight
SPOILERS...
Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman and Curt Hawkins are backstage, and are all expected to appear on the show. Nikki Bella is also on her way to the show.
New titles:
WWE have reportedly commissioned new tag team and women's belts for the SmackDown brand. They will not be ready to bring in until after SummerSlam.
SmackDown is also getting a post show show, called 'Talking Smack.'
WWE games:
19 more names for this years WWE game have been released...
- Aiden English
- Booker T
- Brian Pillman
- Brie Bella
- Chris Jericho
- Diego
- Erick Rowan
- Fernando
- Heath Slater
- Jey Uso
- Jimmy Uso
- Jim Neidhart
- Konnor
- Larry Zybszko
- Nikki Bella
- R-Truth
- Simon Gotch
- Ultimate Warrior
- Viktor
Internet feud to the ring:
Will Ospreay is hyping his match vs WWE Alum Vader next week...
"I've got such a problem with the guy because he's directed so much abuse at me, and the fact is now that he's been called out about it, he's saying, 'Oh, Will Ospreay could be good, Will Ospreay could be this'. And it's like, 'No mate, you got caught out because everyone's battering you'. Here's what's going to happen. I am going to f--k Vader up big-time. It's not even going to be a wrestling match; it's going to be a fight. And I am going to embarrass him, I am going to outflip him, I am going to do everything that pisses him off and I'm going to show everybody why wrestling has evolved, and the evolution starts with me."
Rock wraps:
The Rock has completed the vocals for his Disney film 'Moana.'
Brock Lesnar:
WWE have come to terms with Paul Heyman on a return for him, to join Brock for his SummerSlam match. He has though not yet signed a new deal, but is expected to complete talks at Raw tonight.
Raw tease:
- Who will suffer Brock Lesnar's wrath?
- Will Seth Rollins halt the rise of Finn Bálor?
- Sasha Banks and Charlotte prepare for Round 2
- Who will face Braun Strowman?
- Will The New Day rebound against Gallows & Anderson?
WWE sign NFL star:
WWE have confirmed the acquisition of Brennan Williams. He has reported to the PC for training.
Bella's awarded:
The Bella Twins won best female athlete at the Teen awards last night. John Cena hosted the event.
3MBack... baby!!!:
Jinder Mahal is at Raw tonight. He may be re-debuted as part of the red roster.
Celeb on Raw:
P-Puff-Diddy Daddy will be guest host of Raw next week.
Edge no show:
Edge has had to pull out of a fan event with his brother Christian, in New York, due to other commitments. He apologises to those disappointed.
WWE return:
Victoria is teasing an appearance on SmackDown tomorrow.
HOF'er in hospital:
Booker T will not be at Raw tonight. He has been taken into hospital. No word on what the issue was, but he was in all weekend, and is now back at home.
Booker's last tweet, two day ago, said that his iconic move the Spin-a-roonie is now retired.
WWE Diva leaving company:
Lilian Garcia has decided to leave WWE to go home and care for her ill father.
MVP:
MVP was at this weekends NXT live show.
