NEWS

The plot thickens. WWE recently released 18 superstars from their roster, which sent shockwaves throughout the wrestling community. One of those was Keith Lee, who recently added “Bearcat” to his name as a part of being repackaged.
Since being released, Lee has released a statement, claiming that WWE did not pay for his medical expenses while he was away from competition. The statement, in part, reads as follows:
“Greetings and salutations. This day is my birthday! It is not a happy birthday, but it is one I am most grateful for. Several months ago, it was not a guarantee I would make it to this day, so there is positivity in that. I paid all my medical bills from the many offices and machines I frequented. There is positivity in that. And, I do find it amusing that people believe anyone but me paid for my medical expenses.”
Thank you for all the positivity that has been dropped on me the past few days as well as the birthday wishes. I love you. Worry not. We are not done. We work.#..

Smackdown
Date: November 12, 2021
Location: Scope Arena, Norfolk, Virginia
Commentators: Pat McAfee, Michael Cole
We are nine days away from Survivor Series and it would be nice if they talked about the show a little bit more. The show has been acknowledged more than once, but the champion vs. champion matches have gotten almost no attention whatsoever. I’d love to see the show built up some more, but we have too many other things to get to first. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here is Sonya Deville, with the Smackdown women’s Survivor Series team: Shotzi/Natalya/Shayna Baszler/Aliyah, but they need a fifth. That would be the captain of the team: Sasha Banks. Shotzi isn’t happy with this though and is ready to fight Banks, but here is Naomi to come out and get in Sonya’s face. Naomi hits Baszler and the fight is on.
Sasha Banks/Aliyah/Naomi vs. Natalya/Shotzi/Shayna Baszler Banks bulldogs Natalya down to start so it’s off to Baszler in a hurry. That earns her some running knees..

Rampage
Date: November 12, 2021
Location: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz, Ricky Starks, Chris Jericho
It’s the go home show for Full Gear but we still might get some changes, or at least a hard sell, for the show. Dynamite did that very well this week but maybe a bit more could make it even better. I’m not sure what to expect here, though Matt Hardy vs. Orange Cassidy in a lumberjack match is certainly a thing. Let’s get to it.
Jungle Boy vs. Bobby Fish Jungle takes him down to start but Fish is right back with a pull off the ropes to bang up Jungle’s arm. Back in and Jungle chops away, only to be knocked outside with the arm being banged up again. A posting gets Jungle out of trouble but Fish takes him down again as we take a break.
We come back with Fish staying on the arm but he charges into an overhead suplex into the corner. Jungle grabs a waistlock until he is sent shoulder first into the buckle. Fish grabs his own suplex for his own two in ..

It’s becoming a thing. While the storylines that you see on a wrestling show are written in advance, you will occasionally see real life issues spill over onto the show. That can make for some rather intense moments, but it also has fans wondering whether what they are seeing is real or scripted. That might be the case again in WWE, as a big match with a personal story is coming.
Last month, Becky Lynch and Charlotte had a backstage incident after a SmackDown segment involving a trade of the Raw and SmackDown Women’s Titles. The two argued backstage, with Lynch standing up for herself when she felt that Charlotte had disrespected her. This has been discussed since, and now Lynch herself is being asked about what happened.
Lynch was interviewed by the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast and was asked about her relationship with Charlotte. In response, Lynch said that she and Charlotte do not speak anymore. She also spoke about how the locker room needed a hero and Lynch is fine if that i..

What could have been. There are a lot of different ways to introduce a new wrestler and one of the best is to have them be related to an established star. Fans are often going to react to the idea that they are seeing the relative of someone they know. It has worked over the years and it was considered in WWE, with a pairing that you might not have imagined before.
WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix revealed on Twitter that she pitched an idea to Michael Hayes about being presented as the sister of Brock Lesnar. This was during an event where Phoenix was an extra on WWE television and not yet signed to the company. The idea did not go through, and Phoenix was eventually signed to a developmental deal with WWE in 2004, the same year Lesnar left the company. Lesnar and Phoenix never interacted together on WWE TV and were never mentioned together.
Fun Fact: At one of my first gigs as a @WWE extra I pitched a detailed storyline to Michael Hayes to be brought in as Brock Lesnar’s sister. I ha..

That’s an enemy to have. Wrestlers are celebrities, but not exactly in the traditional sense. It’s true that they are on television almost every week and have no off season, but at the same time, they are also only known as wrestlers. Every now and then something else will make them into bigger stars, but it does not happen all that often. Now a more well known celebrity is not happy with a wrestling star.
Mel B., better known as Scary Spice of the Spice Girls, took in a WWE live event in Manchester, England last week. Spice took pictures with Sasha Banks and Charlotte, but also had an off camera altercation with Sami Zayn, who mentioned the issue on Twitter. Spice confirmed the interaction and insulted Zayn again. There is nothing to suggest that Spice will appear on WWE TV.
People of the world! Spice up your life
Thank you #WWEManchester pic.twitter.com/R5Tpa8HVCl
— Mercedes Varnado (@SashaBanksWWE) November 10, 2021
Sasha and Charlotte met Mel B
Iconic ? pic.twitter.com/0Wh0gA..

205 Live
Date: November 5, 2021
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph
This has rapidly become a show that actually offers something and I’m still not sure how to feel about that. It’s very nice to have 205 Live actually matter for a change, as there is only so much you can do with two hours of NXT. Let the wrestlers get in the ring somehow and see what they can do with some extra time. Let’s get to it.
Roderick Strong vs. Ru Feng Non-title and the rest of Diamond Mine is here too. Feng shoves him into the corner to start and cranks on the wrist with Strong not being able to do much to escape. Some chops up against the ropes have Feng in trouble though and Strong stomps away near the ropes. Feng fights out of an abdominal stretch and grabs a powerslam for two. That’s enough for Strong, who hits the jumping knee for the pin at 4:55.
Result: Roderick Strong b. Ru Feng – Jumping knee (4:55)
Valentina Feroz vs. Erica Yan This is ..

One more time. Wrestling is a unique sport in that wrestlers are able to come back to the ring at almost any time. Rather than having to come back for a full season that can last months on end, a wrestler can come back at any time for a one off match. It can make things even better if someone is a former star on national TV, which will be the case again later this month.
Independent Superstars of Professional Wrestling has announced that former WWE star Maven will be coming out of his retirement on November 19 in Totowa, New Jersey. Maven will take part in the Championship Rumble to crown the promotion’s new World Champion. This will be Maven’s first match since April 2016. Maven was the first male winner of Tough Enough and wrestled for WWE from 2001-2005, becoming a three time Hardcore Champion.
Maven did have a nice career. Check out what he did during his time in WWE:
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Make sure to oil the hinges. The wrestling world has expanded so much in the last few years, as promotions from all over the world can be seen by almost anyone at any time. That is the kind of thing that fans have been waiting on for years, but now we might be seeing something else. One of the most decorated stars in the industry could be on his way to one of the biggest promotions on the other side of the world.
During this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, commentary revealed that the Best Friends have officially joined the Chaos stable in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Commentary also regularly mentioned Kazuchika Okada, the leader of the stable. While not confirmed, this could suggest that Okada could appear in AEW at some point in the future. New Japan wrestlers have appeared in AEW semi-regularly since AEW debuted in 2019. This is speculation at this point and AEW has said nothing about Okada possibly appearing.
Okada is a different kind of star. Check out what he can do in the ring:
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Welcome back. There are a lot of wrestlers in the world today but only a handful make any kind of real impact. You see some wrestlers who just grab your attention no matter what and it can be fascinating almost every time. That is certainly the case with Brock Lesnar, though it is not clear when he will be getting back in the ring. We do however know when he will be back on WWE television.
The Staples Center Twitter account has announced that Brock Lesnar has vowed to buy a ringside seat for the upcoming SmackDown in Los Angeles on December 10. This will be Lesnar’s first appearance since October 23, when Lesnar attacked Adam Pearce and was suspended as a result. There is no word on when Lesnar will be back in the ring, though the Royal Rumble has been rumored.
The suspended Brock Lesnar vows to buy a ringside seat in Los Angeles for @WWE Friday Night Smackdown on December 10! Get yours: https://t.co/uHliSwMDxt pic.twitter.com/euSyXGDNOL
— STAPLES Center (@STAPLESCenter) November 11..

That’s a nice paycheck. There are a lot of things to criticize about WWE and several of those complaints are rather valid. The company has a lot of issues involving its creative direction and the way it treats its wrestlers, but there is one thing that WWE can do rather well: make a lot of money. WWE is a revenue machine, but where does that money go? We now know the answer in a few cases.
During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer mentioned that WWE pays its roster about 8% of its revenue, while most sports leagues pay 50%. If WWE followed the normal model, the main roster wrestlers would be making around $5 million each. However, that is only the case with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, while there are “a couple” of people who make around $3 million, though they were not named.
There is some highly paid talent in WWE. Check out the biggest ones, together and apart:
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[Thi..

What could have been. We are less than three days away from AEW’s Full Gear pay per view and the show’s card is mostly set. The company has a history of putting on some excellent pay per view events and that should be the case again here. AEW added some more matches to the show this week, but in one case, the match we are seeing was not in the original plans.
During this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, a tag team match featuring Cody Rhodes and Pac vs. Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo was announced for Full Gear. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the original plans for the match called for it to be a four way with the same wrestlers participating. There is no word on why the plans were changed or if we will be seeing the match at a later date.
This should be fun. Check out the participants in action:
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Opinion: This is a case where the revised plan..