NEWS

Is he next? One of the most interesting string of changes over the last few weeks has been the amount of wrestlers whose contracts have expired in WWE. While that alone is a big deal, it is even bigger when they take their talents elsewhere. This usually means AEW, and now another fairly prominent WWE name may be heading over to the free agent list by the end of the year.
According to Fightful Select, Johnny Gargano’s WWE contract is expiring on December 3. At the moment, Gargano has not signed a new deal with WWE and it is not clear if he will. Gargano is an NXT Grand Slam winner and currently leads the Way, along with his wife Candice LeRae. WWE has known about the upcoming expiration date and will be discussing a new deal with Gargano in the fall.
Gargano has had an amazing NXT career. Check out some of his moments:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: I’m not sure what Gargano..

Changing things up. The battle for the top of the wrestling world has suddenly sprung to life all over again and it is rather fascinating to see. After twenty plus years of WWE being in charge, AEW is suddenly making quite the splash. While there is still a huge gap between the two companies, WWE is taking notice of someone making up some ground on them. That has caused some changes to a major show.
According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE moved the scheduled WWE Championship match from Extreme Rules to Monday Night Raw in response to AEW’s recent ratings success. Bobby Lashley will be defending his title against Randy Orton on this week’s Monday Night Raw, leaving Extreme Rules without a title match. There is no word on what will take the match’s place on the show.
The show will be big regardless. Check out how the match was set up and what has WWE making changes:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, cl..

It would be a generational match. WWE is in a weird place at the moment as they are having to try and figure out a way to restock their shelves but continue to rely on their old guard in big spots. At some point WWE has to bring in someone new and those older stars could help elevate them in a hurry. That might be the case with a recent signing to the company.
Last week, WWE officially signed Gable Steveson, an Olympic Gold Medal winning wrestler, to a contract with the company. According to F4WOnline.com, WWE is planning to have Steveson face Brock Lesnar in a special match at WrestleMania in a passing of the torch style moment. It is not clear when this will happen or when Steveson will be making his debut for the company. Steveson is scheduled to return to the University of Minnesota to defend his NCAA Heavyweight Championship next season.
This has potential. Check out the two in action, plus Lesnar at WrestleMania:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains ..

Who else is left? One of the biggest wrestling stories of the year has been the amount of cuts made in WWE. While the wrestlers are going to get the most attention, they are not the only ones going away. There have also been several backstage workers who have been let go from the company and that could change things all over again. That seems to has happened all over again.
According to Bodyslam.net, WWE has cut more production workers from the company, leaving them with what is described as a “skeleton crew”. There is no word on how many people were cut or which part of the production crew has been let go. This comes as WWE is preparing to launch a new version of NXT starting this week, which will include a new set and new lighting.
NXT did some great stuff. Check out some of its better days:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: The changes continue and I’m almost worried about h..

There’s a reason for that. WWE is entering into one of its busier seasons and that could make things a little more interesting as we move forward. With Summerslam out of the way, it is time to move on towards the last quarter of the year, where we will be seeing several major WWE events in a row. Some of these are going to be more interesting than others, but one stands out above the rest for a fairly specific reason.
WWE is currently scheduled to return to Saudi Arabia at some point in October. Rumors have been circulating that the show will feature the finals of both the King of the Ring and the Queen of the Ring, neither of which has officially been announced. It might seem a bit strange to have WWE going to Saudi Arabia for a women’s tournament but there is a reason behind their logic.
According to Fightful Select, WWE does not feel the need to announce the tournaments in advance as they are not worried about promoting a women’s tournament final in Saudi Arabia. The company feels..

As she should be. This week’s edition of WWE SmackDown was a special one indeed, as the show aired from Madison Square Garden. That alone should mean something big for the show, but then there was the factor of the show being held twenty years to the day before the September 11 terror attacks. This was a very emotional night for some people, but one of them did not make the show.
SmackDown’s Zelina Vega has a personal connection to the attacks as her father was killed on September 11, 2001. WWE heavily featured her in advertisements and promotional material for this week’s show, but Vega did not actually appear. Vega had special gear made for the event and shared pictures on it on Twitter, accompanied by the message “nevermind”. According to Fightful Select, the plan was for Vega and Carmella to face Liv Morgan and an unnamed partner but the match was cut due to time issues.
nevermind. pic.twitter.com/xyyrIA1wYR
— ???? ???????? (@TheaTrinidad) September 11, 2021
They left out somet..

Maybe that’s what it needs? WWE is in a state of change at the moment and that seems like it is going to be the case for a long time to come. There might be no greater victim of this change than NXT, which is being almost completely retooled starting this week. We still do not know the specifics of the changes, but now we do know one of the bigger themes of what is coming.
According to Fightful Select, one of the changes that will be seen in the upcoming new version of NXT will be the use of more characters, though it is not entirely clear what that means. One detail that has been deemed positive is a change to the NXT set, which has been described as a scaled down version of the main roster’s television set. At the moment, it is not clear who will be running this week’s NXT due to Triple H’s recent health issues.
NXT might not be the same again. Check out how it once looked:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains ..

They seem to be fans. Last month, the wrestling world got a big jolt of a moment as CM Punk made his long awaited AEW debut. The debut marked a return to wrestling for Punk, who had not made an appearance at an event since January 2014. It went about as well as could have possibly been expected, but it seems that one group of people were really not happy.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE attempted to bring Punk back in to the company before he signed with AEW, but decided that Punk’s asking price was too high. Upon hearing this, the FOX network offered to help pay Punk’s salary to get him back into WWE. However, WWE cited various issues such as Punk’s attitude for not re-signing him. Punk appeared on the WWE Backstage show in 2019, when he was an employee of FOX.
Punk still has it. Check out some of his time with AEW so far:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: ..

Maybe he’s next? There are all kinds of talented wrestlers in WWE but only a handful are given the major pushes from WWE. For that to take place, a wrestler has to catch the company’s eye, which does not happen all that often. If a wrestler gets that kind of go ahead though, the sky can be the limit in a hurry. That might be the case again with a new NXT star.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE is very high on newcomer Julius Creed. Before Julius and his brother Brutus were signed, the company saw potential in him and there is hope that he can become a major star. Julius is said to be a hard worker and fast learner. The Creed Brothers began appearing in NXT over the last few weeks and then made their official in-ring debut this week as part of the Diamond Mine.
WWE might be onto something here. Check out how Creed has looked so far:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opi..

I take it they aren’t fans. This coming week, NXT is planning on making some major changes. These changes include a new look to their arena at the Capitol Wrestling Center, plus a different strategy moving forward. Such changes have been met with mixed reviews, but one thing that has not gone over well is the new rainbow colored logo. That was the case again this week.
A video from this week’s SmackDown was released on Twitter, showing fans in Madison Square Garden booing the new NXT logo as it was shown on the Titantron. These advertisements have been shown in recent weeks, featuring the new logo and a brief look at the changes to the Capitol Wrestling Center. The new NXT is scheduled to begin airing this coming Tuesday.
This isn’t looking great. Check out the reception and NXT’s time in New York before:
[This post contains video, click to play]
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: I’m not sure what the changes in NXT are..

There’s your shakeup. NXT is in a huge state of flux and there is no telling how things are going to shake out. That is the kind of thing that can make for a very interesting time and it is not clear where things are going. The promotion is in for a new direction but it turns out that part of the old guard is not going to be around for the first steps in that new direction.
NXT Champion Samoa Joe has released a video to Twitter announcing that due to medical issues, he is stepping away from the ring and is therefore vacating the NXT Title. He did not elaborate on what was wrong with him. Samoa Joe returned to the ring in August for his first match in over a year and a half when he became a record setting three time NXT Champion. There is no word on how or when a new champion will be crowned.
This was unexpected. Check out the announcement plus some of Samoa Joe’s time in NXT:
[This post contains video, click to play]
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains v..

Bryan Danielson’s arrival in AEW brought the house down at All Out on September 5. Danielson’s debut came just moments after that of Adam Cole, who had just shocked the audience by joining The Elite.
Danielson is now making it clear that he’s after The Elite. More specifically, Bryan is after AEW World champion and Elite leader Kenny Omega. While that match is surely on the way, Danielson has some serious hurdles to clear. The first on the list may be Adam Cole.
[This post contains video, click to play]

Elite Arrivals Bryan versus Cole already happened in WWE of course. But that match was a one-off and it never lead to a lengthy feud. So now that both men are on opposite sides in AEW, it’s only logical that they will go to war.
Danielson is leading that war and he’s determined to put The Elite’s dominance of AEW to the test. Bryan comes in with a lot to prove, to himself and the AEW faithful as well. He’s a true pro wrestler at heart and he wants nothing more than to ply his craft..