NEWS

It took a long time for Andrade “Cien” Almas to find his footing in NXT. His stint as the smiling babyface didn’t work at all. His initial heel turn didn’t change his status either, but Zelina Vega and a mean streak turned him from a huge flop into the NXT Champion.
After WrestleMania 34, Almas was moved to SmackDown Live. Thus far, he’s just been showcased in squash matches to give the WWE Universe a taste of what he can do. His future remains unclear and many fans believe he’s going to face some major problems.
Related: Seth Rollins Talks Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas On WWE’s Main Roster
According to RingSideNews, Brad Shepard speculated that Almas will struggle to reach a certain level because of his height. It seems silly to make that statement considering his success in NXT and performs like Seth Rollins, Finn Balor, and others haven’t struggled despite their size. However, it’s easy to make such a claim with Almas unproven on the main roster thus far.
It’s true that mainstream wrestl..

After Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 34, the WWE Universe didn’t know what to expect because the belief was he’d be leaving WWE after the event. With a new contract and Bobby Lashley’s return, the expectation is the two men will finally collide at Summerslam and that will be the changing of the guard.
There are still three long months between now and the biggest party of the summer. It’s been confirmed that Lesnar won’t perform at Money in the Bank. The WWE Universe is wondering when Brock will get back into the ring, but most fans won’t like the answer.
Related: Does Bobby Lashley’s Road Lead to Brock Lesnar?
According to the Wrestling Observer Live, it’s possible Brock Lesnar won’t wrestle again until Extreme Rules in July or Summerslam. Given the fact that he’s not even wrestling at Money in the Bank, it’s fair to assume that Lesnar won’t defend the title until August.
The expectation is Brock will be dropping the championship to Lashley, Ro..

During Wrestling Observer Live, Dave Meltzer discussed how WWE views the Chyna and Paige videos available on the internet differently. During the live show, Meltzer explained in further detail why Chyna is still not being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, while Paige, who has had over an hour of adult footage and hundreds of pictures shared online is the current SmackDown Live General Manager.
Bryan Alvarez continued the conversation, painting the picture rather clear for those confused about the differences:
“Well, the answer is they’re two exceedingly different situations. Chyna did her’s willingly. Chyna went out and shot a porn tape. Paige had videos from her phone stolen and put on the internet. It’s totally different. One person was a victim and the other went out there and did it willingly.”
The bottom line for WWE seems to be that Chyna willingly participated in porn films. Paige was a victim of a terrible online leak that still continues to this day.
Paige discusses the ..

Those conference finals can be treacherous. There’s only so much Impact Wrestling (or any wrestling company for that matter) can do against mainstream sports. The NBA conference finals are going strong at the moment and they’re going to cause a heavy impact on any other program being offered. This includes Impact Wrestling, which doesn’t have the biggest audience in the world to start. So what was the damage this week?
Miss this week’s show? Here are some quick highlights.
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According to 411mania.com, this week’s episode of Impact Wrestling drew a .07 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 263,000 viewers. These numbers are even with and down 20% from last week’s .07 18-49 demographic rating and 329,000 viewers. The Audience is the lowest since the February 22 episode, which drew 262,000 viewers. This week’s show was headlined by Moose vs. Kongo Kong. Make sure to check out our full Impact Wrestling results right here.
Opi..

WWE has confirmed via their official website that WWE Performance Center coach Shawn Michaels is set to return to London’s Albert Hall. When WWE returns to the Royal Albert Hall on June 18, Michaels will be accompanying them. Michaels famously worked in the first WWE match to be held at the hall back in 1991.
Michaels and former Rockers tag team partner Marty Jannetty took on The Nasty Boys in the opening match of the Battle Royal at the Royal Albert Hall event.
The show was streamed in the U.K. on Sky Movies and is available at this time on-demand in its entirety on the WWE Network, for those of you interested in watching that.
Alongside Michaels, WWE’s Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Create and the force behind NXT, 205 Live and the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament in Triple H will be there.
Triple H last appeared at the now 147-year-old venue back in October 1995 during the Full Metal Tour. This was also the most recent WWE event to be held in the build..

We have an update on independent star Toni Storm potentially signing with WWE via Dave Meltzer and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Storm famously took part in the Mae Young Classic last year, ultimately coming short. When she wasn’t signed to WWE after the tournament, many thought she’d never appear in a WWE ring again… but that may be about to change.
Storm, a New Zealand native, appears to have signed with WWE. Her new deal is not for the next Mae Young Classic itself, but a U.K, deal similar to that of the U.K. Championship competitors.
This contract means that Storm can compete with other promotions, but any time WWE calls for her to compete with them, they take priority. This is the same deal for other talents such as Pete Dunne, Trent Seven, Wolfgang, Tyler Bate and others.
We noticed that Storm is listed on advertisements for the upcoming U.K. Championship Tournament, so we expect that she’ll be there in some fashion over the coming weeks.
Now while we mention Storm hasn’..

Raw Superstar Zack Ryder is making headlines after he appeared in a very interesting Netflix documentary based on the Funko brand and its explosion into pop culture. Ryder has accomplished many things during his life. From becoming WWE Tag Team Champion to being a former Intercontinental and United States Champion. He has also become a well-known collector.
Funko has released a documentary on Netflix. Titled “Making Fun: The Story of Funko,” Ryder is featured in two segments within the documentary, with other clips shown throughout.
The WWE Unboxed host actually owns more than 500 Pop! figures alone, without including all the other geek memorabilia in his collector’s room.
Ryder took to Twitter to mention his involvement in the film: #MakingFunTheMovie is now on @netflix! Check it out…you might even see me. ? Ok…you definitely will! @originalfunko pic.twitter.com/3uQcXHQo9J
— Zack Ryder (@ZackRyder) May 24, 2018
If any reader has an interest in Funko or is a fan of Ryder, we sugge..

Despite being the commissioner on Monday Night Raw, Stephanie McMahon is rarely on WWE television and leaves the authority role to Kurt Angle for most of the year. It was a surprise when she arrived this week on the show to participate in multiple segments.
Specifically, she hosted the contract signing for the upcoming Raw Women’s Title Match between Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey. A lot of fans took note that Stephanie was doing all the talking. There’s a good reason why WWE officials brought her back for the segment.
Related: Stephanie McMahon on Ronda Rousey in WWE, Getting Bullied
According to a report from RingSideNews, Stephanie McMahon carried the segment on the microphone because WWE officials didn’t believe Jax and Rousey could handle the mic work themselves. Neither Nia nor Ronda are great at cutting promos, so it makes a lot of sense for Stephanie to cover them and also make the feud seem more important.
The company is doing everything in its power to present Ronda Rousey in t..

On SmackDown Live this week, The Ravishing Russian defeated Billie Kay to qualify for the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming PPV. Some people aren’t thrilled with Lana winning after only two moves, but there are some bigger questions.
The WWE Universe knows that she’s training to improve her in-ring work, but a ladder match is a lot to handle even for the most experienced wrestlers. With Lana’s lack of in-ring experience, a lot of people are wondering why she has secured a spot in the match.
Related: Backstage Plans for Lana and Her Role on “Smackdown Live”
According to a new report from RingSideNews, the push she’s receiving has to do with the success of “Rusev Day.” The Ravishing Russian has always been over with the WWE Universe. Her association with Rusev will easily transfer onto her despite little time on television. Aiden English acting as a valet for her also gives the fans a reason to cheer.
It’s unlikely she will actually win the briefcase at Money in ..

What could have been. If you’re any kind of a wrestling fan, you can probably list off some of the all time best rivalries in history. There have been some great rivalries over the years which have produced some incredible matches and moments. If there’s one thing more fun than talking about the great rivalries that did happen, it’s talking about great rivalries that didn’t happen. There may be even more “what ifs” than “already did” rivalries and of course they’re worth checking out.
Did your pick make the list? Check out WWE’s choices.
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WWE has released a new video looking at four rivalries that they wanted to see happen. These rivalries are ones that conceivably could have happened, at least in the short term. Several of them almost did happen and more than one of the combinations did have matches or at least interact in the ring at some point. The majority of these are modern choices but a fair number of the wrestle..

What more is there to say about NXT? The promotion, which started off as nothing more than a developmental territory to build up some of WWE’s stars, has taken on a life of its own. There have been more classic matches, more stars made and more great moments there than anywhere else in recent wrestling memory.
In this book, I’ll be breaking down over one hundred more episodes of NXT plus ten live specials, ranging from the first show after Takeover: Dallas through Takeover: New Orleans. I’ll also be breaking each one down match by match and segment by segment. Included will be analysis and ratings for the shows to see what worked and what didn’t.
The book runs about 450 pages and is available on Amazon both in a physical paperback for $11.99 or an e-book format (which has ALSO been updated) for $2.99. In case you don’t have a Kindle, there are plenty of FREE apps you can get from Amazon for pretty much any electronic device, all of which are available at this link.
You can pick up t..