media

That’s not a good sign. While he might not be everyone’s favorite in the world of wrestling, there is no one in the industry as powerful or influential as Vince McMahon. A good or bad word from him can change a wrestler’s career trajectory and that has been the case countless times over the years. It seems to have been the case again as of late and not in a good way.
Several WWE wrestlers have been released from their contracts with the company over the course of the year. Some of these have been a lot more surprising than others, including Peyton Royce, who had been a fairly big star during her time with Billie Kay in the IIconics. However, she was released on April 15, along with several other WWE names. Now we might know what caused the sudden release.
During the latest episode of her Off Her Chops podcast with Kay, Royce talked about a meeting that she had with McMahon shortly after the IIconics were sent to different brands. Royce had an idea to present to McMahon, who brushed i..

205 Live
Date: June 18, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness
We’re back to the cruiserweights and as of late, we are getting to see some fresh talents, which can make for some interesting matches. The same problems continue to abound, including the completely obsession with old vs. new. That was the case last week but now we seem to be on the way to Asher Hale vs. Ari Sterling. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Asher Hale vs. Grayson Waller Waller, dressed a bit like a boxer sans gloves, seems rather into staying hydrated and bails into the ropes to start. They go to the mat for some grappling with Hale easily getting the better of it, sending Waller to the ropes again. Hale tells Waller to come get him before sending him to the apron. A legsweep takes Waller to the floor and there’s the big dive to the floor.
Back in and Waller crotches him on top, setting up some rights and lefts. Waller ties him into the Tree of Wo..

Main Event
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, Kevin Patrick
We’re coming up on the Cell and that means things are likely going to be focusing on the pay per view. As is becoming the norm around here, you can’t really guess what you might be seeing and that is a welcome change after the years of monotony. Maybe we might even get something interesting this week. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Mace/T-Bar vs. Lucha House Party Mace throws Gran Metalik down to start as commentary points out the difference in size. Lince Dorado comes in with a middle rope hurricanrana and a double dropkick puts Mace in the corner. T-Bar isn’t having that and pulls Dorado to the floor for a clothesline. Back in and Dorado manages a faceplant on Mace but T-Bar takes out Metalik to avoid a hot tag. The alternating stomping ensues in the corner but Dorado manages to slip away and make the hot tag to Metalik. Everything breaks down and it’s Feast Your..

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 17, 2021
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, D’Lo Brown
We are done with Against All Odds and the big story is Kenny Omega retaining the World Title over Moose, with Sami Callihan appearing after the match. Don Callis fired Callihan, which seems like it could be quite the story on the road to Slammiversary. There is about a month to go before the show and that means there is time to set things up. Let’s get to it.
The opening recap looks at Don Callis and Kenny Omega taking over the company and people getting worried about it. Omega retained the title over Moose at Against All Odds but almost got taken out by Sami Callihan. Callis interrupted it and fired Callihan, sending things even further into chaos.
Moose comes up to Scott D’Amore and says he got screwed out of the title at Against All Odds and wants a rematch. D’Amore is too worried about an Anthem representation showing up here to deal with things, because th..

What could have been. Stables are an easy idea to present in wrestling as they are a concept everyone can understand. You take a bunch of wrestlers, give them a similar theme, and put them together to see what they can do instead of being on their own. That has worked for a long time now and NXT has tried it again this week. Now we know a bit more about the team.
The Diamond Mine made their debut at the end of this week’s NXT, following weeks of vignettes. The stable, comprised of Roderick Strong, Hideki Suzuki and Tyler Rust, with Malcolm Bivens as their manager, attacked Kushida to end the show. According to Fightful Select, the team has been in the plans for months now, even before Strong took a hiatus from NXT TV. Other members were considered for the team, though Tessa Blanchard and Parker Boudreaux were never considered despite rumors suggesting they were.
This could be cool. Check out the team’s debut and its members on their own:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[..

Ring of Honor
Date: June 16, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
We are well on the way to Best In The World and that means it is time to start getting a card together. That is in theory at least, as Ring of Honor doesn’t not usually run on the same schedule that most promotions use. We are also on the way towards Survival of the Fittest, meaning it is time for at least one more qualifying match. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Quinn McKay welcomes us to the show and recaps the first Survival of the Fittest qualifying matches. We also run down the card, including the Tag Team Titles being defended. That will be under Pure Rules, so we go over the tag version of the rules.
Eli Isom is ready to beat Dak Draper to advance to the Survival of the Fittest finals. They have met before and went to a time limit draw. Isom knows he could have won in five more minutes, so Draper needs to bring everything he had plus more to wi..

Switch them up. One of the biggest annual events on the WWE schedule is the WWE Draft. With the WWE roster divided into three groups, it makes sense that every now and then you need to mix things up a bit for the sake of keeping things fresh. That is where the Draft comes in as WWE is able to shake things up throughout the company. Now we might know where someone is going.
According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE is considering moving Big E. from SmackDown to Monday Night Raw in this September’s Draft. The move would put Big E. on the same show as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, providing an unofficial New Day reunion. Big E. would continue to wrestle as a singles star and move into the main event scene on Monday Night Raw.
I’ve heard from a few sources an idea making the rounds – Big E moving from SD to RAW in the post SummerSlam draft while still be pushed as a singles. In essence, New Day back together without necessary being a team. If so, E would become a fresh face fo..

The future is now. WWE has posted a new video to its YouTube channel in which they show the full match between Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre from the Stomping Grounds 2019 pay-per-view.
You can see the match in its entirety below:
[This post contains video, click to play]

From WWE.com:
The brawl ensued before Reigns could even hit the ring, as the fervid rivals clobbered each other with one slug after another before taking the action inside the squared circle. After striking McIntyre to the outside, Reigns threw caution to the wind by going airborne and propelling from the ring and onto The Scottish Psychopath with a breathtaking clothesline that forced Shane McMahon to flee into the crowd.
Intent on laying hands on Shane-O-Mac, Reigns gave chase but eventually found himself on the receiving end of a vicious attack by McIntyre. This distraction played a big part throughout this highly physical matchup with McMahon tugging the strings from outside the ring.
After finally slowing..

They don’t seem happy. Titles are one of the most valuable things that a wrestling show can have, as anyone who wins a championship is instantly elevated. WWE has all kinds of championships on their shows and some wrestlers have held them several times over. That can make things a little repetitive at times and that is what we are seeing again recently. It just is not sitting very well with some fans.
Last weekend at Hell In A Cell, Raw Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley defended her title against Charlotte but lost the match via disqualification for using a piece of the announcers’ table. The following night on Monday Night Raw, Charlotte complained about the loss to Sonya Deville and Adam Pearce. As a result, Charlotte was given another title shot at Money In The Bank.
Various fans have responded on Twitter, with several of them complaining that Charlotte, who has won ten singles titles on the main roster, is getting another title shot. The comments focus on Charlotte constantly being in..

That’s a relief. There are all kinds of stories that you can tell in wrestling and one of the most interesting is when you see someone make a return. That is the kind of thing that can be done in a variety of ways and it is great to see how a promotion can put them together. You have to set them up in the right way though and now we are going to get ready to do just that.
Earlier this week, SmackDown’s Kevin Owens announced that he would be taking some time away from WWE. This comes after he was injured in storyline by Commander Azeez and then seemed to be injured during his match at Hell In A Cell against Sami Zayn. However, according to Wrestling Observer Radio, Owens is not injured and the time away is a storyline. There is no word on when Owens will be back on television.
Owens is a big star. Check out what he has done in WWE over the years:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion..

It’s a different way to go. There are all kinds of wrestlers on the WWE roster and it can be difficult for one of them to stand out. In a landscape where almost everyone can have a pretty good match, you need something a little more out there to get some attention. Sometimes a new character can do the trick and that was the case this week. Now we know a bit more about it.
This week on Monday Night Raw, Nikki Cross debuted a new superhero character, including a mask and cape. During the show, Cross spoke about wanting to feel like she was more powerful and donned the costume as a result. Cross has since discussed the idea further on Twitter, clarifying that she does not think she has superpowers, but rather that the mask and cape give her confidence. Her husband Killian Dain also mentioned the new character on Twitter, saying that the idea was Cross’ own creation.
I don’t have superpowers. I can’t fly. I don’t have super strength.
But putting on my mask, my cape, my gauntlets, my ar..

Not for a bit. Last weekend, WWE presented its annual Hell In A Cell pay per view event, featuring a pair of the show’s namesake matches. For over twenty years, Hell In A Cell has been one of the biggest matches WWE has to offer, with the feeling of danger supposedly lurking in every match. You do not see something like that happen very often, but it might have been the case the day after.
According to Wrestling Observer Live, Xavier Woods may be written out of Monday Night Raw storylines following his loss to Bobby Lashley on this week’s show. After Lashley defeated Woods, Lashley put the Hurt Lock back on and shoved Woods’ face into the Cell wall as Kofi Kingston looked on from outside, unable to help Woods. This took place the night before Woods announced that he would be hosting EA Play Live on July 22. There is no word on if this is why Woods is taking time off, assuming he does miss time from Monday Night Raw.
LETS GOOOO!! I’m excited to announce that I’ll be hosting EA Play Li..