Rapper Lil Yachty Says He is Ready for WWE Debut & Wants to Take A Beatdown

TMZ recently caught up with the famous rapper, Lil Yachty who was donning an old-school Hardy Boyz/Team Extreme T-shirt. When asked if he would ever step into the squared circle, the 19-year-old  rapper said he already had meetings with the WWE to make a “special appearance” for the company.

Yachty said that he wants to take a major beatdown by some WWE Superstars if he ever shows up in the squared circle. He then talked about his favorite tag team, The Hardy Boyz and also talked about how his signature move would be.

Shelton Benjamin Not Returning to WWE?

It was reported earlier this week via Pro Wrestling Sheet that WWE and Shelton Benjamin are in talks about a possible return to the company, however that may not be the case.

Shelton Benjamin addressed rumors about his return to WWE in a new video message. He mentioned that he has an upcoming commitment on June 30th for Great North Wrestling. He brought up how everywhere he looks, people are speculating on where his career is heading. He then proceeded to cut a promo on his opponent Amanuel Hassan without any indication or hints that he would be returning to WWE.

You can check out his video message below:

It is still very possible that the two parties are in talks about a return. If that is the case they are just trying to keep it a secret. We will keep you updated if we hear anything else regarding the situation.

Mauro Ranallo’s NXT Debut Revealed

As noted, Mauro Ranallo revealed on Instragram that he is returning to WWE under the NXT brand as part of the commentary team. Mauro also mentioned on Twitter that he will be making his NXT debut this Friday at Full Sail University, as the company is set to tape several week’s of television.

He sent out the following tweet, thanking others for making his return to the company happen:

Alberto El Patron Says His Match Against Lashley Will Be A Thousand Times Better Than Lesnar vs. Joe

Alberto El Patron recently spoke with Sports Illustrated. Here are some highlights from the interview:

Match With Lashley Topping Lesnar vs. Joe: “Our match is going to be a thousand times better. I have deep respect for Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe, and I know they’ll give the fans an amazing match, but they’ll be limited by the politics in that company. That company won’t let one of them give one-hundred percent to the audience, they’re going to hold them back. Impact Wrestling says, ‘Here is the ring, go do your thing.’”

Facing Bobby Lashley: “When you’re in the ring with Bobby, you feel it. You know you’re competing and performing with a guy that is not just a sports entertainer. He’s a real athlete and a real wrestler. When you combine two wrestlers with the same background and similar styles, you’re going to get magic. That’s what is going to happen at Slammiversary. We’re going to go the extra mile. We’re not afraid, and that’s just the way we were brought up in the business. If I punch him extra hard, and he kicks me extremely hard, then we’re OK with that–that’s part of what we want to offer to the audience.”

Calling Vince McMahon to Resign: “I was in a place where I was not happy. I was waking up every morning and really struggling to go to work. I got to the point where I asked myself if I wanted to continue in the pro wrestling business. I said to myself, ‘I’ve lost the passion and love for the business.’ But I was wrong. I never lost passion for the pro wrestling business. I lost respect for that other company. …I realized that it was not the business, it was the place where I was working. So I decided to call the one that matters in that company and said, ‘I’m sorry, sir. Thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for everything, but I’m not happy in this place and I need to move on.’ I am blessed and lucky to find a place like Impact Wrestling. They needed someone like me, and I needed a company like Impact Wrestling. It was perfect timing to start doing business together.”

Bischoff on Wrestling Recap w/ Joe Koff – ROH Talk, Money in the Bank Thoughts, McGregor vs. Mayweather, More!

Bischoff mentions that he predicted months ago that Mayweather vs. McGregor was going to happen, because there was too much money to be made on both sides for it not to happen. He says that while Mayweather might be the favourite, McGregor is not your typical boxer. This might lead to Mcgregor putting Mayweather in some uncomfortable positions in the boxing ring.

Bischoff says that he can’t even compare this bout to CM Punk’s debut UFC outing against Mickey Gall. He says that McGregor has a much better chance to beat Mayweather than Punk had to beat Gall. At least McGregor is a fighter, where Cm Punk is not.

Bischoff informs that at one point he had an opportunity to purchase the UFC for $2 Million. This was ’98-’99, and the UFC brand was in the toilet. He took the call and listened, but he had no interest in the company at that time. The Fertitta brothers and Dana White would soon come into the picture and turn the UFC into a massive organization.

Speaking about the controversy surrounding the finish of the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, Bischoff thinks all the fan backlash is silly. He says that this is a storyline, and if you’re trying to make some kind of social/political statement from this, you’re going too far.

Rumors on Why WWE Is Splitting Up The Miz & Maryse

There’s a rumor going around on various sites that claim WWE has decided to split The Miz and Maryse up on RAW because they don’t want two power couples in the company. These reports stem from recent comments made by Dave Meltzer’s on Wrestling Observer Radio, where he speculates what he believes is the reason behind the split between The Miz & Maryse.

“The end result is that they’re doing Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas as Miz’s new entourage and they’re dumping Maryse, I guess with the idea that because they’ve got Maria and Mike Bennett on the other brand, they don’t want another husband and wife team or something?” Meltzer said.

When asked if Maryse was done for now, Meltzer replied, “it looks like it.”

It’s pretty obvious by listening to Meltzer’s remarks that what he said is simply speculation only and not fact. He was saying that he believes that it could be a reason, and didn’t specify directly that it is.

Reason Why WWE Is Pushing Lana As A Top Female Superstar

As seen on WWE programming, Lana made her debut as a SmackDown Live Superstar and is already being positioned a top spot on the brand in the female division. Dave Meltzer discussed her SmackDown Live Women’s Championship match against Naomi and her position on the roster during today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio.

Meltzer claimed that the company is adamant on having an attractive top WWE Superstar to represent the women’s division and this reason attributes her push within the company. He indicated that this role was originally planned for Eva Marie, but with her out of the picture they decided to go with Lana instead.

Five Potential Opponents for Kurt Angle

Rumours have surfaced this week that Kurt Angle’s current storyline is going to result in a match-up between Kurt Angle and Triple H somewhere down the line.

While from a storyline point of view, this definitely makes the most sense, the rumour has been met with a mixed response from the WWE audience. Fans have dreamed of an Angle return for years and a match with Triple H was never near the top of their wish-list.

Angle’s return to the ring is really a case of if and not when, but fans would much rather see him do battle with a younger star or a more active one at the very least.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at 5 potential opponents for Kurt Angle who would be a better option than Triple H.

Brock Lesnar 

Okay, so I know that Brock is no spring chicken himself these days and that this match has been seen plenty of times before in the WWE. The last time these two wrestled, though, things were very different. Both stars have changed a lot since their last match and the two could no doubt produce something just as special as their old matches but still manage to add something new and exciting to it.

The two also share an amazing chemistry in the ring,  the kind that only really comes around once in a generation. Having the two square off would also prove to be box office gold for the company, with both men being household names around the world.

In terms of setting this up- a feud between a GM desperate to keep his job, and a champion who just refuses to perform really shouldn’t be too difficult to get off the ground- add in the pair’s history and this one pretty much writes itself.

Reason Why Tom Phillips Was Replaced on 205 Live

As seen on this week’s episode of 205 Live, former House of Hardcore announcer Vic Joseph made his debut at the broadcasting booth for the brand. He will be replacing Tom Phillips moving forward.

The reason Vic replaced Tom on 205 Live is because the company wants Tom to focus on other duties in the company and he has a lot on his plate with being the lead announcer for SmackDown Live. With Vic is on the rise within the company, the belief is that he is the perfect replacement. Since arriving in the company, Vic has worked on WWE Main Event and NXT in a short time. The company is very high on his work and that’s why Vic has been chosen as Tom’s replacement.

Tom posted the following on Twitter regarding Vic’s new role on weekly WWE television:

Speculation on John Cena’s Schedule After He Returns

As previously noted, John Cena will be making his return to weekly WWE programming on the July 4th episode of SmackDown Live and will be billed as a “free agent” moving forward. Dave Meltzer discussed Cena’s return on today’s installment of Wrestling Observer Radio and speculated what his schedule could be like when he returns to the company.

While none of this is confirmed, Meltzer presented a scenario that could see Cena work only RAW and SmackDown televised events on Monday’s and Tuesday. He would not work WWE Live Events later in the week. This scenario would leave Cena plenty of time to fulfill his non-WWE commitments and Cena would still have a strong presence on WWE programming. Cena would of course work both pay-per-view events for the RAW and SmackDown Live brands each month. So basically, he would work Sunday-Tuesday and have Wednesday through Saturday off.