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What almost was. Every now and then you see something happen on a wrestling show which not only seems strange, but also just confuses you in a way. It could be anything from the way a wrestler is presented to how a match goes to who wins, or in some rare cases, it is a cross between everything. That was the case last week, and it almost was again this week.
Last week on Monday Night Raw, NXT Champion Karrion Kross made his debut and was defeated by Jeff Hardy in less than two minutes. Hardy was absent from the show the following week due to contracting the Coronavirus, while Kross defeated Keith Lee. According to Fightful Select, had Hardy been able to appear, he would have defeated Kross for a second week in a row in some way. Several members of the creative team and the roster were said to be “baffled” at the idea of Hardy defeating Kross again. There is no word on if the Hardy vs. Kross story will continue when Hardy returns.
It was certainly different. Check out how we got here a..

So much for that. With so many wrestlers on its roster, one of the best ways for WWE to present more of them is to pair them up. This can open doors for a variety of stories, with some of them being more interesting than others. One of the tried and true stories involving a team includes the eventual split, which is what we saw take place this week on television.
This week on NXT, Dakota Kai attacked NXT Champion Raquel Gonzalez, ending their partnership in the process. Gonzalez had been talking about how there was no one to challenge her for the title at Takeover 36 and how she was waiting for someone to come after her. As Gonzalez posed, Kai kicked her in the face to leave her laying. Kai then held the title belt over Gonzalez. No match has been officially announced as of yet.
This was a surprise. Check out the split, plus the two of them in action:
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O..

That’s in a name. A wrestler’s name is one of the most important parts of their overall package, as it gives you the first impression. The right name or the wrong name can make or break a wrestler’s career and it could be a rather jarring change when something is shaken up. WWE has a history of doing this and now a certain wrestler wants to change things back.
This week’s New Day: Feel The Power podcast included a discussion on Big E.’s last name. Big E. mentioned that he was considering cashing in his Money In The Bank briefcase to get his previous last name back. The Langston last name was dropped in 2014, with the name being shortened to just Big E. There is no word on if WWE is considering bringing the name back, though they have done something similar with Mustafa Ali.
The old name did work. Check out how it sounded back in the day:
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Opinion: This i..

It’s a good idea. Celebrities have been a part of wrestling for years now and that is going to be the case for a very long time to come. It makes sense to bring in outside names and see what they can do when they are put into the world of wrestling. Sometimes you can get something great out of this, while others are not quite the success. This time around, WWE is trying something new with a name who has been around before.
WWE has announced, courtesy of 411mania.com, that WWE Hall of Famer and rap legend Snoop Dogg will be hosting an in-game event for the WWE Champions mobile game. The event will see a 1990s version of Dogg being added to the in-game roster. In addition, a new version of Sasha Banks, Dogg’s cousin, will be available, along with a special block party themed arena. There will also be a sweepstakes for a change to win Dogg merchandise.
Dogg has been involved in wrestling several times over the years, including making multiple appearances for WWE. He rapped Banks to the ..

An idea that just works. Tournaments are one of the easiest concepts a wrestling promotion can have. A bunch of wrestlers can be thrown into a bracket of some form and the last one standing gets a prize of some sort. This has been done forever in various forms, as you can run them on a moment’s notice over one night or several weeks. Now we are going to be seeing another in the future.
According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast, WWE is planning to run the Queen Of The Ring tournament, beginning on the October 8 SmackDown and October 11 Monday Night Raw. There is no word on the details of the tournament, including who will be participant, the number of entrants or the prize for the winner. This would be the first ever edition of the tournament.
Hearing that the Queen of the Ring tournament is currently scheduled to start on 10/8 Smackdown & 10/11 Raw. pic.twitter.com/OeWaAoaOMX
— Andrew Zarian (@AndrewZarian) July 27, 2021
WWE has run tournaments before. Check out what they h..

Welcome back. Every now and then you see someone put on the shelf for one reason or another. Wrestlers are going to have issues at some point in their career and it is going to cause them to need some time away from the ring. One of the most common is a wrestler getting injured, as it could happen to any wrestler at any time. Thankfully that is often followed by a return, which took place this week.
Ridge Holland returned to NXT television this week, marking his first appearance since October 2020. Holland interrupted the opening tag team match between Oney Lorcan/Pete Dunne vs. Timothy Thatcher/Tommaso Ciampa, helping Lorcan and Dunne win. Following the match, Holland joined Dunne and Lorcan in attacking Ciampa and Thatcher. Holland had been on the shelf for nine months due to a leg injury suffered when Lorcan dove on him during a brawl.
Holland is going to be a player. Check out his return plus what he did before the injury:
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There’s your main event. While Summerslam is getting all of the attention, NXT has their own major show coming up next month. On August 22, NXT is presenting Takeover 36, which takes place the day after Summerslam. This show has a tendency to be NXT’s biggest of the year and it needs a major card to make that happen. We might have the main event set up.
This week on NXT, Samoa Joe presented General Manager William Regal with a three step plan to deal with NXT Champion Karrion Kross. Samoa Joe then tenured his resignation from NXT management, which Regal accepted. Immediately after, Samoa Joe was re-signed as a member of the active roster and was placed in an NXT Title match with Kross at Takeover 36.
Samoa Joe is a record tying two time NXT Champion and the first person to reach the milestone. He has not wrestled since January 2020 due to a series of concussions. Following his injuries, he became a Monday Night Raw commentator before being released from the company earlier this year…

NXT
Date: July 27, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Wade Barrett, Vic Joseph
Things got serious around here last week as NXT Champion Karrion Kross attacked William Regal to close the show. Samoa Joe is ready to destroy him as a result and that is all this needs to be. We are less than a month away from Takeover and that means it is time to start getting the card ready. Let’s get to it.
The opening video recaps the end of last week’s show, as Karrion Kross left William Regal laying.
Tommaso Ciampa/Timothy Thatcher vs. Pete Dunne/Oney Lorcan Thatcher and Dunne get things going with neither being able to get very far on the mat. Ciampa and Lorcan come in with Ciampa grinding on a headlock. A shot to the face knocks Lorcan outside and it’s more beating back inside. Ciampa wants Dunne, who comes in and blasts him with a clothesline. Everything breaks down for a second with Ciampa and Thatcher pounding away with forearms to the chest. ..

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?
Summerslam Spectacular 1993
Date: August 22, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Attendance: 3,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Gorilla Monsoon
This is a special used to hype up Summerslam and since the 1993 edition is the kind of show that needs all the help it can get. The big match here is the Steiner Brothers defending the Tag Team Titles against Money Inc. inside a cage, which has a good bit of potential. Let’s get to it.
Jim Ross welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.
Yokozun..

That doesn’t fit. One of the most controversial decisions that WWE has made in the last fifteen years has been their shift towards a PG product. The move has caused a variety of changes in the promotion, including a change in their on-screen product. Certain things do not take place any longer and certain things are not said. This time around, WWE has edited something out.
The WWE YouTube account has edited out a line from Roman Reigns’ promo on John Cena from last week’s SmackDown. While criticizing Cena’s return, Reigns said that everything was the same with Cena, describing it as “missionary position”. That statement is edited out, though it is still present on the WWE On FOX YouTube account. Cena vs. Reigns has yet to be made official.
Cena and Reigns do have a history of words. Check out some of their promos against each other:
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Opinion: I can’t say..

Well that’s different. WWE has been around for a long time now and has quite the history. Some of these things are better than others, as the company has certainly done a few things that are a bit less than successful. Some of these are among the most infamous in wrestling history. They have a new idea this time around and while it might not be that much of a disaster, it is certainly going to be unique.
According to 411mania.com, WWE has sent out an email announcing a home shopping line, allowing fans to purchase merchandise of various WWE stars. The line will be open during this week’s edition of the Bump starting at 10am EST on WWE’s YouTube channel. The show will also include exclusive interviews with Raw Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos. There is no word on if WWE will be doing this again in the future.
Wrestling has a hit and miss history with merchandise stands. Check out some of the more infamous moments:
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Enjoy him while you can. John Cena has long since become one of the most important and successful stars in the history of wrestling. Cena has won just about everything there is to win in WWE and has since moved on to Hollywood. He has never quite cut off WWE though, and now he is back for another run. That involves getting in the ring, which was the case this week as well.
According to PWInsider.com, Cena wrestled in this week’s post-Monday Night Raw dark match. Cena teamed with Riddle to defeat Mace and T-Bar, with Cena hitting Mace with the Attitude Adjustment for the pin in about ten minutes. This is Cena’s third match in three days, after he wrestled on both WWE live events over the weekend. Cena did not appear on this week’s Monday Night Raw.
JOHN CENA ESTUVO EN RAW EN EL DARK MATCH!
No puede ser!
John Cena y Riddle vencieron a Mace & T Bar en #WWERaw pic.twitter.com/oFGzLWztUx
— Deportes Y Luchas WWE (@DeportesYLuchas) July 27, 2021
Cena can do some great things in the ring…