NEWS

There is a new future. There are a lot of problems in WWE today, but a lack of content is not one of them. WWE has more television programming than it knows what to do with, which can create quite a few options. Since there are multiple ways to present wrestling on television, WWE can mix it up a bit. Now we know one thing that they will not be trying for the time being.
Earlier this month, reports began to emerge that major changes were coming to NXT. One of the biggest was that the show was going to be taped far more often than presented live. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there are no plans for NXT to become mainly a taped show. NXT will be taped in advance for the next few weeks due to upgrades being made to the WWE Performance Center. The August 24, August 31 and September 7 episodes will be taped in advance but live episodes will resume on September 14.
NXT could work live or taped. Check out how things have been going in recent months:
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You actually can’t say that we’re back to normal with this Summerslam as this is anything but normal. In addition to being in an NFL stadium for the first time ever, the show is also on a Saturday, which is really throwing me off. At the same time, this is probably the biggest Summerslam of all time and they have the main event to match. I’m interested in this one so let’s get to it.
United States Title: Sheamus(c) vs. Damian Priest It’s a relief just to see Priest in this spot. I wasn’t sure what he was going to do once he got put into the zombie match earlier this year, but at least he is getting something more important on the major show. At the same time you have Sheamus, who has more than earned this spot as he is still one of the more dependable midcarders in the company over the last few years.
It worked before:
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I’ll go with Priest winning the title, though I can’t shake the idea that Sheamus retains here. Sheamus has held the title ..

One more? The biggest wrestling story of the weekend so far has been CM Punk making his AEW debut. That is the kind of thing that can offer a heck of a shakeup and that seems to have been the case so far. What makes this even more interesting is the fact that Punk might not be the only big name coming to AEW. It seems that we know the second name, but what if there was a third?
In addition to Punk, Daniel Bryan is expected to debut for AEW at some point in the near future. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, sources close to AEW have said that another major acquisition was coming, in addition to Punk and Bryan. There is no word on who this is or when they would be debuting. The discussion came after a mention of Ric Flair possibly coming to AEW, though it is not clear if he would be the third acquisition.
This could be a few people. Check out some great AEW debuts:
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There’s always room for more. Celebrities have been a part of the wrestling world for a long time now and that is always going to be the case. Bringing in someone who is a known name outside of the wrestling world is going to get some extra attention on the wrestling show, at least in theory, and that is what WWE is betting on for next week’s Monday Night Raw.
This week on SmackDown, WWE announced that internet celebrity, podcaster and boxer Logan Paul will be appearing on next week’s Monday Night Raw as the guest on MoistTV. Paul has a history with WWE, as he has made an appearance on SmackDown and at this year’s WrestleMania 37 during a match between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Owens gave Paul a Stunner after the match.
This could be good. Check out what Paul has done in WWE and what he is getting into:
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Opinion: Paul is a good example of someone who mi..

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?
Monday Nitro #245
Date: May 29, 2000
Location: E Center, Salt Lake City, Utah
Commentators: Scott Hudson, Mark Madden, Tony Schiavone
So Kevin Nash is World Champion again after winning a triple threat match over Jeff Jarrett and Scott Steiner last week on Thunder. Jarrett had been awarded/won the title (it’s still not clear) two days before after Ric Flair had it vacated earlier tonight after winning it the week before. That’s about a fourth of the title changes this year and that’s all you need to know about WCW..

Make sure to get your stuff. The last year and a half has been a heck of a ride for WWE television. The start of the Coronavirus pandemic caused the promotion to be stuck in Florida for well over a year, with the television shows being filmed in various locations called the Thunderdome. WWE had previous longstanding locations as well, but now one of them is off the list.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE’s relationship with Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida has come to an end. Instead of taping NXT television from the venue, WWE will instead be upgrading the Performance Center and running the show from there. WWE is considering adding new lighting and color to the Performance Center to make it stand out more. NXT first aired at Full Sail in March 2012 and stayed at the facility until October 2020.
The place was special. Check out some of NXT’s time at Full Sail University:
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Where was she again? With so many talented wrestlers on the WWE roster, it can be easy to forget where one of them is from time to time. What makes it worse is that sometimes those wrestlers will disappear for longer than usual and it takes a bit to remember how long they have been gone. That is the case with one of the better stars on Monday Night Raw and now we know something about them.
Asuka has not wrestled for WWE in over a month, last competing in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match at Money In The Bank on July 18. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Asuka is not injured and has simply not been used. Asuka was present at recent Monday Night Raw tapings but left early when she was not going to be used on the show.
There must be something for her to do. Check out what WWE is leaving on the sidelines:
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Opinion: This is one of those..

He’s back. And he’s All Elite. After much anticipation and many rumors regarding his status, CM Punk made his long-expected AEW debut tonight on Rampage. In front of 15,000 fans in the United Center in Chicago, Punk provided all of us with one of the coolest and special moments in the history of professional wrestling.
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A couple of disclaimers before you continue:
If you’ve read any of my opinion pieces in the past or heard me on various podcasts, such as The Pipebomb and The Hoots Podcast, you know that I cannot stand both CM Punk or AEW. I am on record saying that I think that Phil Brooks is a sniveling, whining baby who only cares about getting himself over and getting paid, and couldn’t give a damn about the people who made him a star.
Also, I think that as a wrestling company, AEW is a complete joke and has done nothing but create a parody of professional wrestling. The Elite has managed to convince a wrestling mark billionaire that th..

CM Punk is officially All Elite. Punk’s AEW debut came on the August 20 edition of Rampage, in front of his hometown crowd in Chicago, Illinois. The man once called The Second City Saint came out to his trademark Cult of Personality entrance music, while the United Center crowd roared its approval.
Punk’s arrival in AEW was one of the worst kept secrets in pro wrestling. The company had been hinting at Punk’s signing over the past several weeks, leading to an explosion of fan speculation online. Now that speculation is over. CM Punk is back and he’s with a company that is absolutely the right fit for him.
Welcome to the team…@CMPunk is #AllElite!#AEWRampage pic.twitter.com/aGxq9uHA6S
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) August 21, 2021
Punk And The Pipebomb Punk’s Rampage: First Dance promo was exactly what it needed to be and then some. He thanked the fans for their support and acknowledged that he heard their chants over the past seven years. Punk also said that he never wanted to leave ..

It’s on the line. We are less than a day away from Summerslam and the card is ready to go. It would be a little bit surprising to see another match added to the show at the last minute, but that doesn’t mean things can’t be added. That was on display this week on SmackDown, as a stipulation was added to the biggest match on the show and things are a bit different.
This week’s SmackDown ended with a face to face meeting between John Cena and Roman Reigns about their Universal Title match at Summerslam. Reigns said that he was so confident that he would win that he was willing to put his WWE career on the line in the match. Cena accepted the new stipulation to end the show and the stipulation was made official.
This is a big one. Check out the showdown, plus how we got to this point:
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Opinion: I’m not sure how much this was needed, as it more or less guara..

Surprise? There are more than a few ways to tell a story in wrestling and one of the lesser used ideas is to more or less tell everyone what is coming. It isn’t something you see very often but if it works, it can work out really well. If it is something that people have been wanting to see for a very long time, that makes it even better. That was the case this week on television.
CM Punk made his AEW debut during this week’s edition of Rampage. Punk spoke about how he had left professional wrestling when he signed with WWE but now he is back. While sitting in the same position he used in the Pipebomb promo, Punk talked about how he is here for the new generation and to settle some scores. Punk called out Darby Allin, who was in the rafters, for a match at All Out, which was later made official. After getting ready to leave, Punk told the fans that everyone was getting an ice cream bar as they left the arena.
This was Punk’s first appearance on a major wrestling show since 2014, when..

Rampage
Date: August 20, 2021
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Mark Henry, Excalibur, Taz
So this is a weird show as there is a big surprise, but everyone knows exactly what it is going to be. AEW has all but said what is going to happen here and that just leaves the question of how it goes down. There are a few ways to do that and I’m rather excited about what is going to happen. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
The crowd is already changing for CM PUNK…..and here he is to open the show. Punk takes his time getting to the ring and is clearly shaken up by this. Punk even dives over the barricade into the crowd and hugs a lot of people at ringside. After a break, Punk says you know how to make a guy feel like Britt Baker in Pittsburgh. Punk says he’s winging this and while he can’t get to everything tonight, he has a lot of time on Wednesdays, Fridays and four Saturdays/Sundays a year.
One important thing: if any of his decisions have ever made an..