NEWS

Welcome back. In almost any wrestling promotion, the World Title is what matters the most. Someone holding that title means that they have arrived as a major star and that they have become one of the most important people in the promotion. Even after they lose the title, they will always be a former World Champion and that has some value. One of those made his return this week after a long absence.
Former Impact Wrestling World Champion Sami Callihan made his return to the company on Saturday at Under Siege. Moose had come to the ring and said that he was hijacking the show, which caused the lights to go out and a video to play announcing Callihan’s return as he cleared Moose from the ring. Callihan had been out of action since September after suffering a broken ankle.
“THE DEATH MACHINE IS BACK!”@TheSamiCallihan #UnderSiege pic.twitter.com/1ilp52HpEe
— IMPACT (@IMPACTWRESTLING) May 8, 2022
Opinion: Your mileage on Callihan may vary but he has been a star in Impact Wrestling since ..

Round two. Wrestlemania has come and gone and now it is time for…another show with Wrestlemania in the title. Just like last year, WWE has flat out said that this is going to be the Wrestlemania fallout show, even if some of the matches have little to do with what went down in Texas. It also doesn’t help that they have changed the main event from something somewhat interesting to something almost entirely uninteresting, but maybe they can pull something out here. Let’s get to it.
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos This is a Wrestlemania rematch (smart move) and the wild card here is MVP. Lashley beat Omos back at Wrestlemania but MVP was not involved, which is what caused MVP to turn on Lashley and join Omos. Then Lashley proceeded to beat Omos clean in arm wrestling as I try to figure out what in the world this story is supposed to be going. It’s going to a rematch here and there should be an obvious result.
In theory, this should be Omos’ big singles win and that would make the most sense. Omo..

That sounds game changerish. There are very few people who have reached the point of becoming the face of the WWE. Those names are among the biggest stars the company has ever seen and one of them is not always around. It is a big deal when one of them steps away, and now we might be seeing the current one shift away, at least based on what he had to say this weekend.
WWE ran a live event over the weekend in Trenton, New Jersey with Roman Reigns in the main event. Following the match, Reigns took the microphone to thank the fans for coming out, as he does at most live events. During his speech, Reigns said that he was moving into a new phase in his life and did not know if he would be back here again. There is no word on what that means or if this is part of a storyline.
This could mean a few things. Check out what Reigns had to say (it is a big hard to hear):
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Opinion: I’m not sure what that means but the idea of Reigns leaving WWE or even ..

That’s a nice thing to see. Fans are one of the most important parts of any live wrestling event as they bring the energy to the show. They also give the wrestlers feedback, as the booing and the cheering can tell the wrestlers how the show is going. Sometimes fans can get a little too intense though, and that seemed to be the case again this week. Thankfully, it wound up going rather well.
Following this week’s SmackDown broadcast, Cody Rhodes defeated Seth Rollins in a dark match. After the match, Rhodes was taking pictures with fans at ringside when a young fan jumped the barricade in an attempt to get a picture. Rhodes and security took the fan back to his family, though Rhodes later tweeted about the incident and said that the fan did wind up getting his picture.
This is kind of adorable. Check out the kid getting to see Rhodes:
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This popped me. He ended up getting the pic ? ?
Good kiddo
— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 7, 2022
Opini..

That doesn’t seem good. There are times when it seems that WWE does not know how to present a wrestler. This can cause some problems, as it often leaves wrestlers on the sidelines with nothing to do for a long time. It can be quite nice to see the company come up with something for them, and that seems to be the case again with a wrestler who has not been used much lately.
Over the last few weeks, SmackDown’s Drew Gulak has attempted to land various jobs on the show, including working on the ring crew and as part of the broadcasting team. This week saw him return to the ring, losing to Gunther. WWE has released a video ti its YouTube page, showing Gulak losing his composure backstage after the match and throwing things all over the area. There is no word yet on where this is leading.
He doesn’t look happy. Check out what Gulak did after the show:
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Opinion: I’m curious about where this is going but more importantly it is nice to see Gulak ge..

That is not a good way to go. There are a lot of names that have come up throughout the history of wrestling and some of them are rather famous. Unfortunately, some of them are more infamous than famous, often for things that are not exactly positive. That is the case with a certain WWE Hall of Famer and now things have gotten a lot worse than they were just a few months ago.
Back in March, WWE Hall of Famer Tammy Sytch was involved in a car accident that killed a man in Ormond Beach, Florida. According to PWInsider.com, Sytch has been arrested and is facing nine charges, including DUI Manslaughter, driving with a suspended or revoked license and seven counts of DUI causing damage to a person or property. The DUI Manslaughter charge carries a potential thirty year prison sentence with a four year minimum and up to $10,000 in fines. In addition, also according to PWInsider.com, Sytch has been bailed out of jail and is currently free.
Tammy Sytch mugshot released by Volusia County, Flo..

They’re trying something new. Commentary is one of the most important parts of any wrestling show as the broadcast team serves multiple roles. One of the most important is guiding the fans through the show on the road that the promotion wants them to take. That is something that can be difficult to do in the arena, but now WWE is trying something new with the idea.
According to videos on Twitter, WWE tried an experience this week on SmackDown which saw commentary airing in the arena during commercial breaks throughout the TV show. Once the commercials ended, the commentary ended and the arena had no sound as usual. There is no word on if this is something that WWE will be regularly doing for shows going forward.
This was different. Check out what WWE was trying this week:
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Opinion: This is something that could be interesting, though it is more than a bit strange to hear in an arena. After so many ye..

Mark your calendars. There are certain wrestling shows that occupy certain times of the year. Some of these have been around for a very long time and can be game changers for a promotion. Most of the time these are special pay per view level cards but sometimes they are an event that takes place for free on television. That seems to be the case again as WWE is getting ready for a special event.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the 2022 WWE Draft will be held either just after Summerslam in August or at some point in September. This would be a change from recent years, as the last three editions have been held in October. There is no word on the details, but the previous two editions have taken place over the course of two nights, with half on Monday Night Raw and half on SmackDown. WWE has not yet announced any plans for this year’s Draft.
Opinion: This is something that can offer a bit of excitement, but you can probably guess some of the moves coming in advance. WWE ..

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?
NXT Takeover: Fatal Fourway
Date: September 11, 2014
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Attendance: 400
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Renee Young
The question here is can they pull it off three times in a row. Arrival and the first Takeover were both outstanding shows that have set quite the standard for NXT, but now it’s up to them to pull it off one more time. The title tells you all you need to know about the main event with NXT Champion Adrian Neville defending against Sami Zayn, ..

Catch you down the road. There have been a lot of changes to various wrestling companies’ rosters over the last several months. Different wrestlers have appeared in all kinds of promotions, with some popping in and leaving again after a short run with a company. That is the kind of thing that can make for some interesting changes, which is the case again now, twice at once.
Two wrestlers have announced that they are finishing up with Impact Wrestling. First up, Willie Mack has announced that his contract with the company has expired and he has decided not to sign a new one. During his time in the company, Mack is a former X-Division Champion. Second, Jonah has also seemingly announced his departure, saying that he will see Impact down the road. Jonah debuted with the company in November and is expected to begin working with New Japan Pro Wrestling full time. Both Mack and Jonah lost their final matches this week on Impact wrestling.
After last nights Impact episode I am no longer wit..

That’s a good reason to stop. WWE has quite the presence on television, with three shows being broadcast on television every single week. This is a great way to showcase the company’s product, but what matters the most is that it brings in so much money that WWE is all but guaranteed to be profitable. As a result, WWE is going to want to keep its television partners happy. That might mean a change in the way WWE presents its television.
According to Wrestling Observer Live, the current crossovers of Monday Night Raw and SmackDown stars to the other shows are not expected to last much longer. Both the USA Network and FOX want exclusive rosters without the wrestlers appearing elsewhere, with FOX in particular pushing for exclusivity. There will be occasional crossovers, but they will not be happening as frequently as they have been as of late.
Opinion: This makes sense as neither FOX nor USA is going to want to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for wrestlers that can be seen on anoth..

That’s a different way to go. There are a lot of ways to present a wrestler, whether they are new or making their return. The way they are introduced can go a long way in determining how well their career goes and it can be rather difficult to make work. WWE has tried a variety of methods over the years and now their latest idea could be an interesting twist on things.
Over the last five weeks, vignettes have aired featuring Lacey Evans talking about her childhood and time growing up in an abusive family. Evans chronicled her time dealing with an alcoholic father before finally making it to WWE. This week saw Evans appearing in the arena, but only after having made a request that she be applauded and cheered as she deserved. This could suggest that Evans will be a villain again rather than a heroine as had been suggested before her return.
What do you think? Check out Evans’ appearance before the crowd:
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Opinion: This is the kind of twist t..