NEWS

It was a busy night. Titles are the easiest concept in wrestling because anyone gets the idea of someone wearing a shiny belt. You can easily figure out the idea and it is a simple match to set up: someone has a title and someone else wants it. That makes title changes some of the most important parts of a wrestling promotion and there were quite a few of them this weekend.
Impact Wrestling held their Slammiversary pay per view over the weekend, marking the company’s twentieth anniversary. There were five title matches on the show with four titles changing hands. Here are the title changes:
Mike Bailey won the X-Division Title in a six man Ultimate X match Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie defeated the Influence to win the Knockouts Tag Team Titles The Good Brothers defeated the Briscoes to regain the Tag Team Titles Jordynne Grace won the Knockouts Title in the first ever Queen of the Mountain match Impact Wrestling World Champion Josh Alexander retained his title over Eric Young in the main e..

He might not be around as often. There are a lot of wrestlers in the world today but they all have one thing in common: at some point they have to step out of the ring. That can be harder for some than others and it can make for some interesting exits. Some people do it in a different way, and a current WWE star might have a bit of a unique plan for how to wind things down.
During an interview on The Five Count, WWE’s Sheamus said that he would like to change his schedule to acting for a few months and then wrestling for a few months. The idea behind the switch would be to keep things fresh, though Sheamus says he still loves being in front of the camera in one way or another. Sheamus, 44, has been wrestling on the WWE main roster since 2009 and has dabbled in acting since 2008.
Opinion: This is one of those things that could work, but it does seem that Sheamus is starting to think about life after wrestling. You wouldn’t know that he was in his mid 40s, but it is nice to see that he..

Not so fast? To say that WWE is in a state of flux backstage would be a huge understatement. There have been all kinds of changes with a lot of people, including those who help run the company. As usual, a lot of those changes involve the McMahons, including Stephanie McMahon and her husband Triple H. It turns out that those things might not be as bad as they seem.
In recent days, rumors have started to appear online suggesting that McMahon and Triple H are separating. This was due to McMahon appearing without her wedding ring and stepping away from her role in WWE. According to Wade Keller on PWTorch VIP Audio, there is no truth to the rumors and the two are not separated. The two have been reducing their hours in WWE due to a combination of the age of their daughters, Triple H’s health and wanting to be at work less often. Earlier this week, McMahon took over as temporary CEO and Chairman of WWE while her father Vince is under investigation for an alleged affair with an employee.
O..

We have some sad news to report today as former WWE referee Tim White passed away at the age of 68. This is just one day after another former referee, David Hebner, died at age 73.
From WWE.com:
For more than two decades, Tim White was a dedicated WWE referee and official. He began his illustrious career in 1985 working with Andre the Giant and as a part-time referee.
During his tenure, he was the referee for some of WWE’s biggest matches, including the infamous Hell in a Cell Match between Undertaker and Mankind at King of the Ring 1998.
A shoulder injury effectively ended White’s in-ring career, but he still remained a major part of WWE, working behind the scenes as an official and talent agent until 2009.
We at Wrestling Rumors extend our deepest condolences to the White family during this difficult time.
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Congratulations! Wrestling is a complicated industry as you have no idea when the wrestlers are going to be able to find free time for anything outside of the ring. The wrestlers are on the road almost constantly and romantic relationships can be even more complicated than anything else. Some wrestlers have figured it out though, even while working for different promotions.
During a recent appearance on the Sessions podcast with Renee Paquette, AEW’s Toni Storm revealed that she and New Japan’s Juice Robinson have been married. The two had previously announced their engagement, with Storm saying that they had been planning a wedding before just deciding to get married one morning. There is nothing to indicate that the two will be wrestling together anytime soon.
Opinion: This is one of those things that you do not see happen very often but it is always special no matter what happens. Storm and Robinson work for different companies but seem to have found a way to pull this off. Good f..

It was a big week. There have been a lot of changes in WWE in recent weeks but nothing has come close to the Vince McMahon situation. Earlier this week, news broke of an investigation into an alleged affair McMahon had with a WWE employee. McMahon has since stepped back from his role as WWE CEO and Chairman of the Board, but he was still on SmackDown this week. It was a bit of a surprising night.
Fightful Select has several more details on the show, which started with a short McMahon speech about the WWE “Then, Now, Forever, Together” slogan. The segment was not included in the format of the show that Fightful saw at 7:50pm, ten minutes before the show aired. The backstage atmosphere during the show was said to be looser than usual, with McMahon said to be more hands on than usual.
Opinion: This is a situation where the details make things all the more interesting and that is the case again here. McMahon does not seem to be acting like this is that big of a deal and I’m not sure how ..

What about him? The biggest wrestling story of the year, and also perhaps the biggest in several years, has been that of Vince McMahon stepping back from his role as WWE CEO and Chairman of the Board. This comes after McMahon was investigated for an alleged affair with a WWE employee, but McMahon was not the only name mentioned. So what about the other person?
The story on the investigation into McMahon included a statement saying that he passed the employee over to John Laurinaitis “like a toy”. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Laurinaitis was not present at this week’s SmackDown, but he was never scheduled to be in the first place. Should he not appear as scheduled next week on Monday Night Raw, it would be seen as a very bad sign for his future.
Opinion: Laurinaitis has been a bit of a wild card in this whole thing as McMahon has gotten the attention, as he should have. However, Laurinaitis is likely going to be in some very hot water of his own and I’m really not sure if he..

That’s quite the effort. There have been a lot of stories throughout the year in WWE but one of the most interesting has been that of Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out on the company. The two left in the middle of a Monday Night Raw in May and have not been back, with little to suggest that they will be returning. WWE has not made many references to them, but now they are taking a reference away.
There is a possibility that WWE digitally removed a Banks sign at this week’s SmackDown. As shown on Twitter and according to Fightful, a sign saying “Sasha Krew 4 Life” was edited into a blank white sign at some point during the night. There is no word on how many other times WWE may have done this or if they will do it again in the future. It also comes as rumors have swirled about Banks possibly being released from WWE.
@xTeamZuleta24x Hey man I found a little earlier! It appears that #WWE edited out a #SashaBanks? sign on #SmackDown last night. Now I do personally believe that she done w..

They had an idea. WWE is in a bit of a weird place when it comes to top stars. Roman Reigns has dominated the company for the better part of two years now and there is nothing to suggest that he has more than one or two serious competitors. WWE might have started to remedy that this week, though it turns out that it was not their original choice for the spot.
The big surprise ending to this week’s SmackDown saw the return of Brock Lesnar, who attacked Reigns to end the show, setting up their Summerslam main event. According to Fightful Select, Lesnar was brought in as a replacement for Randy Orton, once it was clear that Orton would not be able to wrestle at Summerslam due to his back injury. Lesnar being brought in had nothing to do with the Vince McMahon investigation this week.
Opinion: This isn’t the most surprising thing, but it does say a lot that WWE is so shallow at the top of the card that their options are either Orton or breaking the Lesnar glass. How can they not have any..

Change the marquee. There are all kinds of wrestling shows from WWE every week and some of them are among the most well know shows in history. Some of them are not so much though, as WWE has a lot of shows that tend to fly under the radar. That is the case with their two weekly recap shows, and now one of them is going to be getting a brand new name.
WWE has officially renamed their weekly SmackDown recap show from Talking Smack to the SmackDown Lowdown. The name change officially took place this week with the first show under the new name taking place on June 18. There is no word on why the name change took place and there is nothing to suggest that the show has changed in any significant way under the new name.
Opinion: That’s one of those decisions that WWE makes that doesn’t mean much of anything but is indeed a change. I still don’t know why the recap shows aren’t used a bit better. Let the wrestlers try their hand at some promos and see who can make them work. It’s one of the s..

We have some sad news to report today as former WWE referee David Hebner passed away at 73.
David’s nephew, Brian, took to Twitter to share his thoughts on the unfortunate news:
I’m so sad. Just don’t really know what to say. Today we lost one of the good ones…….My uncle David. He was one of the best humans in the world. Thank you all for all the outpouring of messages and support. This is a tough one. I Love You Uncle David. God got a good one.
I’m so sad. Just don’t really know what to say. Today we lost one of the good ones…….My uncle David. He was one of the best humans in the world. Thank you all for all the outpouring of messages and support. This is a tough one. I Love You Uncle David. God got a good one. ?
— Brian Hebner (@babyhebner) June 18, 2022
From WWE.com:
Throughout a storied career, Hebner found himself at the center of some of WWE’s most iconic moments. Hebner officiated the classic showdown between Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III, and the cl..

Rampage
Date: June 17, 2022
Location: Chaifetz Arena, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur, Chris Jericho
We are less than two weeks away from Forbidden Door and a bunch of matches were added to the card this week on Dynamite. I doubt that we get that much this time, but we do get Jade Cargill vs. Willow Nightingale. That should be a fun match and odds are we get something else on the same level. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Jon Moxley vs. Dante Martin William Regal is on commentary and calls Jericho a Trout Slapper. Moxley powers him into the corner to start as we talk about Zack Sabre Jr.’s comments about Bryan Danielson. They trade wristlocks into a headlock takeover from Moxley but Martin is back up with a dropkick out to the floor. Moxley runs him over again though and we take a break.
Back with Moxley hitting the running knee to the face and a butterfly superplex for two. Martin fights up and hits a quick ax handle, setting up a high crossbody for two of his..