NEWS

Switch em up. WWE is going through a lot of behind the scenes changes and that means we might be in for some changes in front of the camera as well. There are a lot of things that could be improved by a few changes and some of those could make things a good deal more interesting. Now we might be seeing a few of those changes coming to pass, both on the main roster and in NXT.
Katana Chance and Kayden Carter won the NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles this week on NXT. Following the win, the two of them talked about how hard they had worked to get here. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the promo was an example of characters being course corrected from their villainous characters to heroines under the new regime in WWE. This is also true of Becky Lynch, who turned babyface after her loss to Bianca Belair at Summerslam. There is no word on who else will be changed around in the near future.
Opinion: This is a good idea, as there are some people who belong on one side of the fence rather t..

Even more evidence. One of the biggest wrestling stories of the year has been Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on WWE and leaving the company back in May. The two were the reigning WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions at the time and the titles were vacated in the process. There have been rumblings that the two may be returning to WWE, and now we have a bit more evidence.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, Banks, under her real name of Mercedes Varnado, is no longer being advertised for the Los Angeles Rams celebrity flag football game, scheduled for this Friday. Banks had been advertised as of Wednesday evening but an updated roster from Reddit does not include her. While there is no guarantee of what the change means, there is a chance that WWE pulled her from the event if she is returning to the company.
Here are Wednesday and Thursday’s advertisements:
Who ya got?!
Celebrity Flag Football rosters are set for Team Ramsey + Team Donald! » https://t.co/YqQkpKw4Qa pic.twitter.com/boDqCLysLl..

That is some great news. There have been some famous names throughout wrestling history and some of them are among the most likable athletes that you will ever see. That makes it all the sadder when something bad happens to them, but sometimes that kind of story can have a happy ending. Thankfully that seems to be the case again with one of the most memorable stars of the last few decades.
WWE Hall Of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan has shared a video showing him ringing a bell at a hospital, meaning that he has completed cancer treatment and is now cancer free. Duggan had announced in May that his cancer had returned after having previously beaten it in the 1990s. There is no word on when Duggan will be able to return to his public appearances. He last wrestled in May 2019.
This is awesome. Check out Duggan ringing the special bell:
[This post contains video, click to play]
Opinion: You don’t get to see something like this very often and it is still one of the most special moments that y..

Welcome to your new home. WWE has long since dominated the wrestling world but things have been changing a bit in recent years. The rise of AEW has shaken up the industry just a little bit, and while WWE is still the undisputed top company, AEW has offered wrestlers a new place to go that they might not have had before. It seems that is the case again with a former WWE wrestler.
According to Fightful Select, former NXT star Blake Christian has signed with either AEW or Ring Of Honor. Christian, who previously wrestled in NXT under the name Trey Baxter, appeared at Ring Of Honor’s Death Before Dishonor event in July. He has also wrestled in a variety of other promotions, including GCW, New Japan Pro Wrestling and Impact Wrestling. There is no word on when he will wrestle for either promotion next.
Opinion: This isn’t the biggest surprise as Christian is someone who has done some good things everywhere he has gone. It makes sense for AEW or Ring Of Honor to see what he can do under the..

That’s one way to get it off of him. Titles are one of the most important parts of any wrestling show, as they are the way to determine the best around. A wrestler might be the reigning champion or chasing the title and that can often be the centerpiece of any promotion. That means a title change can be a huge moment, but unfortunately this one did not go as originally intended.
This week on NXT UK, United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov was forced to vacate his championship due to an injury suffered in his recent title defense against Wolfgang. As a result, an eight man tournament will be held to crown the new champion. This is the first time in the title’s history that the title has been vacant for any reason, with Dragunov’s reign ending at 347 days.
Here are the brackets for the tournament:
Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey
Trent Seven vs. Wolfgang
Tyler Bate vs. Kenny Williams
Mark Andrews vs. Joe Coffey
Opinion: This is one of those things that is never good but sometimes it j..

The man has spoke. Becky Lynch was recently interviewed by ESPN as a part of a special article on the departure of Vince McMahon as CEO of WWE. She spoke on his departure as well as her thoughts on Triple H now being in charge of the company.
Below are some comments from The Man:
On Vince McMahon leaving WWE:
“It is the dawning of a new era,” Becky Lynch, one of WWE’s top stars, told ESPN on Friday. “For me, it’s crazy and sad because everything I’ve ever known about WWE has always had Vince in charge, and we wouldn’t have WWE the way it is if it wasn’t for Vince. He’s somebody who believed in me and allowed me to do everything that I’ve done.”
On Triple H being in charge of the company:
“We have the opportunity to change some things that maybe weren’t so great that we didn’t love,” Lynch said to ESPN. “I think everybody’s very excited and optimistic because we know that the people in charge [are] some of the greatest minds in the business, you know. Having Triple H at the helm of..

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?
Ric Flair’s Last Match
Date: July 31, 2022
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, David Crockett, Ian Riccaboni
We had to get here eventually and I’m not that happy about it. This is a show that I haven’t really wanted to watch since it was announced and that hasn’t changed since. While I absolutely respect what he did in the ring, I’m not the biggest Flair fan and seeing him do something this risky isn’t something I particularly needed to see. The good thing i..

The important part. AEW has been around for a few years now, with most of its focus being built around the weekly Dynamite series. The show has built a consistent audience that rarely goes below a certain level, which is quite the selling point for the company. However, there are some forces at work that could cause AEW some problems and there is nothing they can do about it.
AEW’s parent company WarnerMedia and Discovery have recently merged, meaning that AEW has a new boss. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Discovery is making all kinds of budget cuts, which could be a problem when AEW’s next television deal is negotiated next year. This could mean that AEW’s new deal could be worth significantly less, or that the company could have to move elsewhere, though nothing will be known for sure until next year.
Opinion: This merger is one of the biggest stories in all of entertainment at the moment and things are starting to look shaky for the future of some of these properties. Tha..

Of all people to not talk. While the focus in wrestling tends to be what happens between the bells, a wrestler having the ability to speak well might be even more important. Without a wrestler speaking to the fans and making them care, a story is only going to have so much impact. As it turns out, one of the best talkers in wrestling today has not had much to say lately.
Back on the June 1 edition of AEW Dynamite, Maxwell Jacob Friedman cut an in-ring promo insulting the company and owner Tony Khan. Friedman has not been seen and barely referenced on AEW TV since and it is not clear when he will be returning. According to Fightful Select, Friedman has been silent since the promo, making no contact with any known AEW wrestler or staff member. Khan has not been heard discussing Friedman either.
Opinion: This is one of those stories that could go in a few different ways, but it would be nice to see it go in some way. I’m not sure when Friedman is going to be back, but if he isn’t back j..

Join the team. A manager can do quite a few positive things for a wrestler. There might be someone who needs someone to do the talking for them or someone who can bring some instant interest to them. AEW does that on a regular basis with a variety of managers who work for several wrestlers. Now they have another pairing which was formed this week and already has potential.
This week on AEW Dynamite, Ethan Page was in the ring and complained about getting no attention in AEW. Page asked why he wasn’t having a match every week or why his face wasn’t featured in more advertising for the company. Stokely Hathaway came out and stared at Page before handing him his business card. The two left together, suggesting that Page has joined Hathaway’s group. Page had been associated with Dan Lambert for several months but there was no mention of Lambert this week.
Opinion: This is something that could be interesting as Page does need something to do. Page has talent but he has not had the chance ..

They didn’t do much in advance. WWE has been shaken up quite a bit over the last few weeks and there is a good chance that it is going to continue for a good while to come. Some of these changes have taken place behind the scenes, with some of those moves causing changes in front of the camera. That was the case last week and things were a bit more rushed than they seemed.
At Summerslam, Bayley made her return to WWE TV after over a year away due to a torn ACL. She was soon joined by Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai, who were making their returns after being gone from NXT for several months. Kai appeared on this week’s edition of the Bump and revealed that her appearance was a last minute decision and not planned in advance. Kai was originally released from WWE on April 29, just over three months before her return but did not wrestle a match for any other promotion.
Opinion: This is the kind of thing that has me interested, as it is the sort of change that you might see happen on a fairly regu..

That’s going to be a big one. AEW has been around for a few years now and the company has built up a rather deep roster in its existence. This involves a group of wrestlers who have been around the world with all kinds of success. That includes wrestlers being paired together in different units, but now one of those groups has fallen apart in a pretty violent way.
This week’s AEW Dynamite featured the return of the Undisputed Elite, including Adam Cole. During his speech, Cole revealed that he was injured and unable to participate in the upcoming Trios Titles tournament. Cole also said that fellow Undisputed Elite members the Young Bucks would be unable to participate as well because they would be physically unable. This caused Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly to attack the bucks, with Hangman Page having to make the save. Page did not embrace the Bucks and left without them.
Opinion: This feels like something that is designed to set up the return of Kenny Omega, but if that is not the c..