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The card grows. We are less than three weeks away from Hell in a Cell and the card is continuing to grow. That could make for quite the show as it will be the last pay per view from the Thunderdome, meaning it is the big finale to the last fifteen or so months. The show needs a strong card and now we have another major title match scheduled for the event.
This week on SmackDown, Bianca Belair talked about how Bayley had been laughing at her as of late. As a result, Belair challenged Bayley to a title match at Hell in a Cell. Bayley appeared on the Titantron and accepted the challenge, promising to not be the only one laughing after the match. Belair already defeated Bayley in a title match at WrestleMania Backlash.
We have been here before. Check out the history between these two:
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Opinion: This is one of the more obvious matches on the card and that is ..

Ring of Honor
Date: June 2, 2021
Location: UMBC Events Center, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman
It’s time to start getting ready for Best In The World and that means we need to put a few matches together. Granted Ring of Honor likes to take its time setting these up so you never know how the build is going to go. Hopefully they at least have something good on this show, as Ring of Honor can be all over the place. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
We open with a recap of the Foundation retaining the Tag Team Titles over OGK last week.
Quinn McKay talks to the Foundation, who know that was a heck of a fight. It was great, but it wasn’t pure. Therefore, every title defense from now on will be under Pure Rules.
McKay welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.
LSG vs. Joe Keys The winner gets to pick if they want to be ranked in the TV or Pure Rules division. During the entrances, Keys talks about working through the dojo to get here and LSG talks..

NXT UK
Date: June 3, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness
It’s time for a grudge match as Joe Coffey gets to face Rampage Brown in a hoss fight rematch. What more could you really ask for from a show than that? Well in this case we will also be getting Ilja Dragunov vs. Noam Dar and Pretty Deadly defending the Tag Team Titles. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here’s what’s coming tonight.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Noam Dar Dar actually takes over on the mat to start but it’s a quick break to let them both up. This time Dragunov down but he holds himself back from going nuts. Instead Dragunov wrestles him back to the mat without much time and cranks on the arm. A big boot staggers Dar again but he is right back with a cradle for two. Dragunov tries the Constantine Special but the knee gives out, allowing Dar to knock him outside in a hurry.
Back in and Dar starts working away on the arm but Dragunov pulls him into an armbar of his own. ..

Welcome back. The Coronavirus pandemic hash changed the way wrestling works and that has been the case for well over a year now. There have been very few moments which have felt even remotely normal and so much of that has been due to the lack of fans in attendance. Fans give the show a huge burst of energy and now we know when one promotion will have them back.
Impact Wrestling has announced that a limited number of fans will be allowed in to Slammiversary on July 17. This will be the first time that Impact Wrestling has allowed fans to be in attendance for one of their shows since events taped in March 2020. There is no word on how many fans will be attending. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday June 4.
In addition to the show, everyone in attendance will receive the following:
• Commemorative ticket with lanyard.
• The official Slammiversary T-shirt.
• The official Slammiversary Mounted Poster.
• A post-show Commemorative Photo, Ringside or on the Entrance Ramp – with the..

Welcome back. One of the best moments that you are going to see in wrestling is a major return. There are some people who are going to capture your attention in a hurry because you can feel something different about them. That makes seeing them return all the more fun and now we are getting ready to see it again, though this time it will be even bigger than usual.
During this week’s edition of NXT UK, a video announced that Walter will be returning to the show next week. This will be Walter’s first appearance since NXT UK Prelude on April 8 when he defeated Rampage Brown to retain the United Kingdom Title. There is no word on what Walter will be doing on the show, when he will be making his next title defense, or who he will be facing next.
This feels different. Check out the announcement and what Walter can do:
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Opinion: Now this feels like something sp..

There is more to it than that. The biggest WWE story of the week, and possibly even the year so far, has been the amount of releases from the company. A variety of wrestlers from all levels of the roster have been let go, with some of them being quite the surprise. That was the case this week as well, and now we know a bit more about the biggest name to be released.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Braun Strowman was mainly released from the company because Vince McMahon did not have anything for him creatively. Strowman was reportedly making over a million dollars a year, which was seen as too much for someone who was not doing anything. Strowman was seen as being two years past his prime, which led to his release.
The other factor in letting Strowman go was the new group of giants that WWE had debuted on the main roster. With names like Omos, Shanky and Commander Azeez, Strowman’s size and power did not stick out as much. Omos stands nine inches taller than Strowman, which me..

That’s a little bit better. While it has certainly seen better days, Monday Night Raw is still the highest profile wrestling television show in the world. This has been the case for well over twenty years and it will likely be the case for a long time to come. That being said, the show is not exactly doing well right now and the numbers back it up. They just might not be backing it up so accurately.
According to Post Wrestling, this week’s initial numbers for Monday Night Raw’s audience were not accurate due an error in reporting. WWE has since issued new internal data saying that the numbers were a bit higher than originally expected. The original report showed that Monday Night Raw drew an average of 1.418 million viewers. According to the new report, the average audience over the three hours was actually 1.557 million, with 1.586 million views in the third hour rather than the 1.168 million reported. The previous audience would have been the lowest in the show’s history.
This week..

That’s nice to see. With so many people working for WWE at one point or another, you are going to see some of them leaving from time to time. It is the case with every business and it certainly is the case with wrestling as well. WWE has been having a high turnover as of late and it can be interesting to see what some of the people released have to say. That was certainly the case again.
Last month, WWE released broadcaster Tom Phillips from the company. Following his departure, Phillips has sent out a message on Twitter, thanking both WWE as well as the fans for his time with the company. Phillips specifically thanked Triple H, Vince McMahon, Michael Cole and Kevin Dunn for giving him the opportunity. He did not say anything negative about the company.
A few thoughts pic.twitter.com/6okw3IqUtx
— Tom (@TomHannifan) June 3, 2021
Phillips had been with the company since 2012 and worked on nearly every television show WWE produces. This included stints as the lead broadcaster for Mond..

That’s a different way to go. The biggest wrestling story of the week has been the latest batch of WWE releases. For the second time in less than two months, WWE has released several wrestlers from their contracts on the same day. That is going to get some reactions from the wrestling world and its fans, but in this case it might be more of the way the announcement was made.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, this week’s batch of releases was announced to the roster via a single text message from new Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis. This has never been the method that the company has informed wrestlers of such moves before. Budget cuts were cited as the reason for the releases. There is no word on if any more releases will be taking place in the future.
Here is the text that was sent, according to PWInsider.com:
Due to Budget cuts the following talent were released today. Braun Strowman, Lana, Buddy Murphy, Santana Garrett, Ruby Riott, and Aleister Black. – John Laurin..

Welcome home. While WWE is the biggest and most prestigious wrestling promotion in the world, they are not the only place available. Over the last few years, the amount of wrestling promotions on national television or available online have grown quite a bit, meaning wrestlers can appear in several more places. Another former WWE star is getting the chance to show off what he can do elsewhere.
This week’s edition of Impact Wrestling featured a vignette announcing the impending debut of Steve Maclin, better known as Steve Cutler during his time in WWE. Maclin is shown drinking Jameson whiskey and putting his feet on a desk as a song talks about taking your chance while you have the opportunity. There was no date given for his debut or anything else about him.
Maclin was released by WWE earlier this year after a short time as part of the SmackDown roster. He had been part of a tag team with Wesley Blake called the Forgotten Sons, which was later changed to the Knights of the Lone Wolf ..

I guess he isn’t happy. There are very few wrestlers who have made a real impact on the industry and felt like someone who was changing the game. That was the case back in 2011 with CM Punk’s infamous Pipe Bomb promo. The promo felt very different and brought in some extra eyes to WWE. Punk has since left wrestling, but he certainly has not stopped talking about the industry.
Earlier this week, WWE released six wrestlers from their contracts with the company. John Squires of Bloody Disgusting (a horror movie website) to post a tweet discussing how he felt WWE did not know how to use the talent it had. Punk responded, saying that WWE was like a movie with a blockbuster cast and crew which was written by “creatively bankrupt nincompoops” for an audience of one person. Punk has not wrestled since leaving WWE in January 2014.
One thing that has consistently bummed me out about WWE in recent years is that there's been a *wealth* of incredible talent in that company, but they rarely s..

205 Live
Date: May 28, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness
So….we’re going to try this one again, as I accidentally watched the May 21 edition a second time and had no idea until the ending. The fact that I had no idea that I had already seen the show is rather telling, but so is me saying “It wasn’t a terrible or even a bad show, but you could replace most editions of this show with any other for several months and not notice the difference.”. Hopefully this one stands out more. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Asher Hale vs. Tony Nese Hale goes to the wrist to start and Nese has to roll to the ropes to avoid getting rolled up. Another wristlock sends Nese to the ropes for the second time so Hale tries a headlock instead. This time Nese suplexes his way to freedom but Hale hammers away, setting up a half butterfly suplex of his own. The rapid fire kicks in the corner have Nese in trouble but he’s right back with a..