NEWS

Long time no hear. The WWE has had a lot of different names working for it over the years and that can make for some nice memories. Some names might have been around a lot longer than others but there are always going to be some people who you forget. That can make for some nice moments if and when they pop up again and that is the case with a former WWE star.
One of the most popular things for wrestling fans to do is ask what if. There are so many situations over the years that may make fans wonder what would have happened had things gone in a different direction and that is also the case with names not getting the kind of push that fans wanted. One name who never broke through is returning to WWE, but not in the way some expected.
According to Pro Wrestling Sheet, former WWE star Wade Barrett will be joining the NXT commentary team for this week’s show. This is seen as a one off appearance and there is no indication that Barrett has signed a full time deal with WWE. Barrett left th..

That could be an explanation. When Roddy Piper was wrestling, he was told he was just acting. Then when he tried to get into acting, he was told he was just a wrestler. There is a weird relationship between the two industries and it can be rather frustrating to try and figure out the differences. Some have tried and the acting can keep them out of the ring for a bit. That seems to be the case again and it might explain something.
This past weekend, Cody was defeated by Brodie Lee for the TNT Title. The title change was surprising enough, but the real surprise was seeing Cody defeated in a completely dominant fashion, with Lee totally squashing him. After the match was over, Lee and the Dark Order beat him up even worse, including turning over his stretcher. It came out of nowhere, and now we might know why.
According tp PWInsider.com, Cody may have been written off AEW TV so he could participate in the filming of Heels, a Starz television series. This comes after series star Stephen ..

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 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?
Souled Out 2000
Date: January 16, 2000
Location: Firstar Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 14,132
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan
And then everything changed. The big matches for this show were scheduled to be Chris Benoit vs. Jeff Jarrett in a 2/3 falls match for the US Title and Bret Hart defending his WCW World Title against Goldberg. Then Goldberg, Hart and Jarrett all got hurt so we’re going to get Sid Vicious vs. Benoit for the World Title, which is being announced the night of the sh..

Switch things up a bit. Wrestlers can do a lot of things in the ring and on the microphone but at some point, most of them need some kind of a change. There are different ways to present a wrestler and one of the best is to turn them in one direction or another. This can open up some different stories for them while giving their character a fresh take. That was the case this week on Monday Night Raw.
One of the better problems that WWE has at the moment is having so much talent on television. All three of their regular television shows have some very talented wrestlers on their rosters and that means it can be difficult to figure out everything in the right order. That can involve some changes and turns, including one which took place during this week’s television show.
This came out of nowhere. Check out Monday’s heel turn:

This week on Monday Night Raw, Aleister Black made his return to television after missing about a month due to an eye injury caused by Buddy Murphy. Black saw ..

That would be big. AEW has hit the ground running in their rather short existence and that is very impressive. At the end of the day, they have not even been on weekly television for a year yet and they are already near must see viewing for wrestling fans. The action alone should be enough to make fans want to watch but now there might be someone else to help draw in an audience.
Celebrities have had a place in wrestling for decades and that is always going to be the case no matter what. At the end of the day, it can be interesting to see someone come into the bubble of wrestling and if they are someone famous, it makes things even better. The best way to really cap it off is for someone with an athletic background to come in. AEW might be about to make it happen.
WarnerMedia, which owns TNT, has issued a press release, by way of NBA.com, announcing that basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal has signed a contract extension with Turner Sports. Included is a suggestion that O’Neal could w..

It fits the name. This week’s Monday Night Raw and SmackDown are going to be very busy shows as they are not only some of the early Thunderdome shows but are also the fallout from Summerslam. In addition to that, they are designed to set up Sunday’s Payback pay per view, which is coming up on Sunday with just a week’s notice to make up the card. A lot of that has already been done and now more of it is being filled in.
One of the bigger stories to come out of Summerslam was the announcement that former NXT Champion Keith Lee was coming to Monday Night Raw. This was a big deal as Lee had only lost the NXT Title on Saturday at Takeover: XXX so he was moving up in a hurry. This was an exciting moment for a lot of fans and now we know what he is going to be doing in his singles pay per view debut.
This week on Monday Night Raw, a match between Randy Orton and Keith Lee was announced for Payback. The match is a rematch from earlier in the night, as WWE Champion Drew McIntyre had interfere..

They’re doing this in a hurry. We are rapidly approaching Payback and things are moving in a hurry because the show is only a week after Summerslam. That isn’t much time to set up the pay per view card and as a result, WWE is throwing matches out there as fast as they can. That is certainly the case with Monday Night Raw as they have set up multiple matches this week, including a match with some first time ever challengers.
The WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles are some of the most oddly booked titles in recent memory. The titles were rarely defended in their first year of existence but are at least settling down a little bit now that the titles are a little more established. This includes somewhat regular pay per view title defenses, including at the upcoming Payback. Now we know who will be getting the title shot.
This week on Monday Night Raw, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were named as the #1 contenders to the Women’s Tag Team Titles and will receive their shot at the titles on Sunday at ..

The card is building in a hurry. Summerslam is less than a day old and yet we are already less than a week away from WWE’s next pay per view with Payback. WWE is rushing through its pay per view calendar like never before and that means they do not have a lot of time to set things up for the next show. They are setting things up in a hurry and that includes announcing a SmackDown match on Monday Night Raw.
The big story coming out of Summerslam was the return of Roman Reigns, who attacked the new Universal Champion the Fiend and former champion Braun Strowman to end the show. This was Reigns’ first appearance in over five months and came after he went to the sidelines while still #1 contender to the Universal Title. This leads us to Payback and I think you know what is coming.
This week on Monday Night Raw, a triple threat, no holds barred match for the Universal Title was announced for Payback, with the Fiend defending against both Reigns and Strowman. There will be a contract signi..

Monday Night Raw
Date: August 24, 2020
Location: Amway Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Byron Saxton, Samoa Joe
It’s a triple threat tonight, but mainly because of WWE’s weird scheduling. Tonight is the Raw debut of the Thunderdome, the fallout show from Summerslam and the go home show for Payback. Since we have less than six days to get ready for the pay per view, expect a lot of matches to be announced in a hurry. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Here’s what’s coming on the show.
Commentary talks about Roman Reigns’ return. At Payback, it’s Reigns vs. Strowman vs. the Fiend in a No Holds Barred triple threat match for the title.
Here’s WWE Champion Drew McIntyre for a chat. After a long video on his successful title defense over Randy Orton last night, Drew asks for a thumbs up from all of the fans in the Thunderdome. McIntyre thinks that’s cool and says retaining the title was cool too. He knows what it’s like to have to climb up to the top of the mountain..

What’s on your list? There are a lot of people on every WWE roster and that can be a good or bad thing. With so much talent, you can see a lot of outstanding matches and angles based on the wrestlers alone. At the same time though, it can make for some frustrating moments when a wrestler you like doesn’t get the biggest chance. WWE has its own mindset on these things and now we have a better idea of how that looks.
SmackDown may not be the top show on the WWE pyramid, but it certainly has a lot to offer. This includes a host of top level stars, including a variety of legends and newcomers. That can allow for some very big matches on the blue show and as luck would have it, we are seeing some of those matches play out. That is an effective way of seeing who is the best around, but what does WWE think coming into those matches?
According to Fightful, a backstage depth chart shows the top three babyfaces on the SmackDown roster. Braun Strowman is listed as the top face, followed by Jeff..

It would certainly be different. There are a lot of criticisms about modern WWE and one of the biggest is that it is too PG. Several fans are not pleased with what is considered a more family friendly version of the company, which has been in place for a very long time now. While you will see flashes of different kinds of programming, it is rare to see WWE offering more mature, adult style stories. That might be changing, at least for the short term.
Some of these complaints make a lot of sense, but at the same time the PG model makes sense for families. If younger people are watching the show, they might not be able to get to a show on their own. That means coming with their parents, which means two (or even three) tickets sold, plus more concessions and possibly merchandise. Throw in better advertising opportunities and it is a fairly easy concept to follow. However, that philosophy was not the case this week.
According to Wrestlingnews.co, this week’s SmackDown was rated TV-14 ins..

It’s a classic. WWE has been around for a very long time and has produced more television than any wrestling company in history. That is the kind of thing that can create a lot of history over the years, which can make for some rather interesting looks back through time. Monday Night Raw and SmackDown are their two most famous shows, but we might be seeing one of the other big ones making a return.
One of the most important changes in the history of WWE is the introduction of Saturday Night’s Main Event. The company’s television moved from the smaller arenas without the best lighting to big sports arenas with top level production values and graphics. It changed the way the company looked and ushered in a new era. The show became a staple of the 1980s and made a brief comeback in 2006. Now, we might be seeing the same thing all over again.
According to Wrestlinginc.com, WWE has filed a trademark application for Saturday Night’s Main Event. There is no word on any official plans to run..