Author: Anutosh Bajpai

Shinsuke Nakamura has abdicated his crown and dropped \’King\’ from his name ahead of the crowing of a new King Of The Ring later this month.

WWE posted a backstage video on their YouTube before this week\’s episode of SmackDown. In the post as seen below, the Intercontinental champion claimed that he respects the tournament. So he is giving up his crown:

“A new King of the Ring being crowned in a few weeks. I respect the King of the Ring Tournament and I’ve proven myself as The King. Because of that, I am giving up my crown. So you will not call me ‘King’ Nakamura, but you can call me the Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura!”

The last King of The Ring tournament took place in 2019. Baron Corbin won this competition and became the king after defeating Chad Gable in the finals.

Shinsuke Nakamura started a feud with the then King Corbin in May this year. This led to Nakamura beating Corbin to earn the title in a \”Battle For The Crown\” match during the June 18 episode of SmackDown.

WWE announced the return of the tournament, along with the creation of a similar tournament for women named Queen\’s Crown earlier this month.

The tournaments began this Friday on SmackDown and the finals are set to take place at the upcoming Crown Jewel event on October 21. You can check out the brackets for the competition here.

WWE confirmed that they will be returning to Canada later this year. The company announced the news during the SmackDown broadcast, confirming that they will be holding a couple of live events there later this year.

The first event will be on Wednesday, December, 29 from the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto. The second will be on Thursday, December 30 at Place Bell in Laval, Quebec.

These will be the first WWE shows in Canada since the coronavirus pandemic forced them to halt touring last year. The last WWE event in the country was a Raw episode on February 24, 2020.

The event from Winnipeg was the final WWE show before their last Saudi Arabia event in Super Showdown that took place on February 27.

The show saw an appearance from the Beast Incarnate himself, Brock Lesnar. It also featured a number of WWE stars which have since been released.

The list of stars that were on the show but are no longer with the promotion includes names such as Aleister Black, Buddy Murphy, Erick Rowan, and more.

It\’s unknown whether these events will be under the Raw or SmackDown brand so it\’s hard to say which stars may make an appearance. We will keep you posted on the lineup for the show.

Fans have been puzzled by WWE\’s treatment of Davey Boy Smith Jr. He wrestled a dark match for WWE in July, but has disappeared from competition since then.

Dave Meltzer provided some updates on the former MLW star on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He revealed that the reason the heavyweight star was pulled from the ring is that he had contracted COVID-19:

\”One of the reasons Harry Smith hasn’t been seen since he did the one dark match with Austin Theory is that he contracted COVID. He’s fine now and was backstage for the draft show in Baltimore.\”

The former NJPW star first made his name with his WWE run from 2005 to 2011. He went on to wrestle for promotions such as NJPW, MLW, and AJPW after his release from the company.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. worked a dark match before a SmackDown episode in July this year. He teamed up with Austin Theory to defeat Odyssey Jones and Xyon Quinn.

It was reported afterward that the 36-year-old had actually been signed back in April. People aware of his signing were asked to keep it quiet until he returned.

Many expected him to make his TV return during the Drafts but it didn\’t happen. There is no word yet on when or if he will make his return to WWE programming.

Drew McIntyre has been moved to SmackDown from Raw because of the lack of credible contenders for the Universal champion Roman Reigns, according to latest reports. Dave Meltzer noted on the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the Scottish psychopath is next in line for a shot at Reigns after his match with Brock Lesnar. This rivalry will likely begin around December:

\’\’McIntyre was moved over since Roman Reigns desperately needs a new opponent, and on paper right now there is essentially nobody else for him. Plus, McIntyre goes over with multiple losses at the end of his Raw run and presumably another to Big E, and then will become Reigns’ big contender probably around December,\’\’

The roster changes announced during Draft are expected to take effect after the Crown Jewel PPV. Drew McIntyre will be facing Big E for the WWE title at the show on October 21. Roman Reigns on the other hand will be defending his Universal title against The Beast Incarnate. A title change at the show seems improbable.

Survivor Series on November 22 will follow Crown Jewel. If WWE follows the tradition we will see a clash between the two world champions in Reigns and Big E at the PPV. This means Reigns will not be ready for his next challenger until after. It\’s only logical that his feud with Drew McIntyre will commence in late November or early December.

The Rock\’s rumored Survivor Series return is a factor that can affect these plans. Though the head of the table has shown that he can handle multiple feuds at the same time. With the Roman Reigns vs. The Rock match not expected until WrestleMania, it seems less likely that it will affect the plans for Drew in any way.

The Undertaker is not shying away from his 9-year-old daughter Kaia pursuing a wrestling career. He is promising to coach her the best he can if she does decide to follow in the footsteps of his parents. The Dead Man recently appeared on ET Online to promote his new Netflix interactive movie with The New Day.

During the talk, he was asked about his daughter possibly joining the pro wrestling world. Replying to it, the former world champion said that it\’s up to his daughter what she wants to do. Though if she does decide to step inside the ring, Undertaker said that he would do his best to prepare her:

\”I tell you what, I don\’t know, I mean, if it\’s in her heart and that\’s what she really truly wants to do one day, I\’ll do my best to coach her up and obviously her mom will too, but yeah, we’ll see what happens. We have a long way to go before actually worrying about that.\”

The Undertaker On His In Ring Status

Even though he has said numerous times over the last year and half that he is now retired from active competition, you can never count The Undertaker out for good. The last outlaw was once again asked about his in-ring status and he explained that his heart still wants to go out and wrestle. However, his body can\’t deliver what his mind can envision. So he wants to stay retired to make sure he doesn\’t cheapen the legacy of his character:

\”As of this moment, yeah, my days in the ring are done, and it\’s not because I don\’t want to be in the ring, I mean, that is where I\’ve spent most of my adult life — my whole life, really,\” More than half of my life has been spent in the wrestling or sports entertainment ring. So, in my mind, I still can see everything and, in my heart, you know, I want to be out there, but it\’s just at a point where my body can\’t deliver what my mind and my heart see.

My body can\’t deliver that and I just don\’t want to cheapen the legacy of that character and I\’d hate for people to pay money to see me work and be disappointed.\”

The Undertaker competed in a cinematic boneyard match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36 last year. It was his last match as an active competitor. While Styles has expressed interest in having a live rematch with the wrestling veteran, Taker has maintained that he is done with wrestling.

Bryan Danielson leaving WWE to join AEW is one of the most impactful wrestling moments of the past decade. Brie Bella recently revealed what she told Bryan before he had made his choice. The female star appeared on Sippin’ the Tea. She mentioned how her husband took the summer off and he kept contemplating the decision.

Detailing her conversation with Bryan at the time, Brie revealed that she told the AEW star he had to let his heart decide where he wanted to go. She also mentioned to him that she may not make her comeback after all:

\”I was like, I’m not helping you make this decision, you are 40 years old. This is probably going to be your last run, so you have to just let your heart tell you where to go. I was like, just because I’m with WWE doesn’t mean you have to be there.  I don’t know if I’ll make a comeback. I told Nicole maybe in a year or so, but right now in my life, we’re so busy with our companies and the kids..\”

Brie Bella discussed how she went back and forth about the decision of her return. She mentioned that she had to leave Birdie at home every week when she made her return at Royal Rumble 2018. Now that she has two kids, it would be that much more difficult to leave them at home, especially with Bryan being on the road as well.

Bryan Danielson\’s WWE contract expired in April this year. He took time off to consider his future options. The former world champion was written off TV after losing a career vs. title match to Roman Reigns. After staying away from spotlight for 4 months, the former US champion made his AEW debut during the All Out PPV on September 5.

After being drafted to SmackDown, Drew McIntyre is looking forward to a future feud with the Universal champion Roman Reigns, who he calls the \’final boss\’ of WWE.

The former WWE champion recently had an interview with DAZN. He discussed things such as Big E finally becoming a world champion and his return to SmackDown.

McIntyre was asked if he feels he has unfinished business with Reigns. Replying to it, he said that there is definitely some unfinished business with him and he is looking forward to completing the story when the time comes:

\”There\’s unfinished business there with Roman 100 percent. In WWE, he\’s the final boss, and I\’m excited when the time comes for that story. Maybe it\’s not right now. Perhaps it\’s the future. But when it happens, it\’s going to be big.\”

Drew McIntyre was also asked if he thinks a match with Roman Reigns is the biggest money match for him and he replied positively. He mentioned how the tribal chief was already the top dog of the company before his heel turn.

The Scottish Psychopath said that he has been operating at a very different level over the past year. He wants to step up to that level and put the head of the table down.

Former Spirit Squad member Kenny Dykstra, real name Ken Doane has been hired by WWE as a performance center coach according to reports from PWinsider. The 35-year-old, who was trained by WWE Hall Of Famer Killer Kowalski, has already joined his new position. He has been working at the PC for at least the last several weeks.

Dykstra made his wrestling debut at the age of 15 in 2001. After making several appearances as an enhancement talent, he was signed to a development contract by WWE in June 2004. He made his main roster debut as part of the Spirit Squad in January 2006. They were used by Mr McMahon in his feud against Shawn Michaels.

Kenny, alongside fellow squad member Mikey even won the tag team championships back in April the same year. They defeated the team of Big Show and Kane with help from the other three members of their group.

They went on to have a feud with a reunited DX, alongside other people such as Ric Flair. The faction disbanded in November after being defeated by the team of DX and Flair. Kenny was repackaged as Kenny Dykstra after the group ended but he couldn\’t find a lot of success. He was released from his contract 2 years later in November 2008.

• Ricochet Recalls Being Pulled From DX Segment At Last Minute

Ricochet grew up admiring D Generation X and he got to work with both Shawn Michaels and Triple H closely behind the scene in NXT. Though he missed out on a dream opportunity to work with them on air due to an elbow injury. The one and only recently made an appearance on the With Authority! podcast. He discussed things such as being part of a special class of Michaels during his NXT days and more.

Ricochet also recalled the time when he was supposed to be part of a DX segment on Raw. However, he had to be pulled from the show on the day of the event itself because of an elbow infection:

“One time I had a bursa sac in my elbow had busted and it was pretty swollen, Well then, I guess that got infected so they had to cut it open to get the infection out. It was the day of the Raw and I was supposed to do something with D-Generation X, and I was supposed to do the cross chops and say ‘we’ve got two words for you.’ It was going to be a childhood dream. And they were like, ‘no, you can’t go out.’\”

Ricochet Doesn\’t Blame The Medical Staff

While Ricochet did not get to fulfill his childhood dream, he doesn\’t blame the medical staff for it. He admitted that it was for his own good:

\”It was for my own good because obviously, I could’ve gotten more infected or could’ve infected someone else. I was just like ‘no, no no!’ I was so defeated, but the WWE medical staff is A+. Everybody is there for you.”

The high-flying star signed with WWE back in January 2018. He won the NXT North American championship once before moving to the main roster in February 2019. Though many feel that his main roster run has been very lackluster.

Dominik Mysterio has expressed his interest in continuing the legacy of his father and donning the iconic mask one day. Though this is not all, and he is ready to go as far as adopting the Rey Mysterio name in the future. The 24-year-old recently made an appearance on the Out of Character podcast. He discussed things such as facing Seth Rollins at SummerSlam and more.

When asked if he plans to wear the mask and use his father\’s name one day, Dominik replied positively. He said that he thinks that\’s the endgame for him:

“Most definitely. I think the long goal here, the endgame, is to eventually take over the Rey Mysterio name. That’s the legacy within it. He’s Rey Mysterio. It’s only right to make a Jr. Traditionally in Lucha culture, and in Hispanic culture, that’s tradition. That’s what you do. I kind of just showed up and Dom Mysterio organically happened. Everything happened so fast.\”

Dominik Mysterio went on to mention how they didn\’t really get to put things together when he made his WWE debut but claimed that they have discussed it. The WWE star recalled how his father has previously said that he would have to earn the mask and Dominik said that he is up for it.

Would you like to see Dominik Mysterio adopting the Rey Mysterio mantle one day in the future? Let us know what you think of the possibility below.

Rhea Ripley misses being part of the NXT brand and wants to go back. Though she is not sure how she would fit in after the rebranding of the show.

The former NXT women\’s champion recently had an interview with Battleground podcast. She discussed things such as teaming with Nikki A.S.H. and more.

When asked if she would like to go back to the development brand, Ripley admitted that she would love to do it. She explained that the new NXT is not bad but it\’s more focused on the newer stars:

 \”I would love to. Honestly, I miss NXT. Right now, how it’s all changed, I don’t know if I would really fit in. When it was the metal scene and very grungy, I loved NXT.

I’m not saying the one now is bad or anything, but it’s definitely more for the up-and-comers, and everyone is trying to make a name for themselves.\”

Although despite the change, Rhea Ripley later claimed that she would definitely go back in a heartbeat, especially to help Raquel Gonzalez. She explained that she doesn’t like the way Gonzalez gets jumped.

The former NXT star won the tag team titles with Nikki A.S.H. during the September 20 episode of Raw. Though with all the female tag teams being broken up in the WWE Draft, it would be interesting to see who steps up to challenge them next.

Both Kofi Kingston and Big E have now won the WWE championship. This naturally makes people wonder if the third member of their group Xavier Woods will get to hold the title someday as well. The current champion recently had an interview with comicbook.com. He discussed things such as trying to get WWE to make “Big Meaty Men Slapping Meat” merchandise and more.

When asked if Woods can become the WWE champion one day, E explained that his long time partner is very underrated and he deserves to be pushed more:

\”I think so. I think he\’s a guy who is still underrated, still very underrated. I think he has all the tools. I think it\’s just a matter of changing perception and getting him the opportunities that he deserves to be pushed more, to be given that opportunity. I think he\’s incredible in ring.\”

Big E Thinks Xavier Woods Has All The Tools

Big E recalled watching a random match of Xavier Woods with Riddle from a Raw episode in May and said that he was blown away by it. The former NXT champion said that Woods has all the tools necessary for success:

\”He\’s so incredibly talented and such a great talker, charismatic as hell. He has all the tools. He just has to be given those opportunities that Kofi and I have been given in our careers. Once he\’s given those opportunities and you see him shine, you see him taken more credibly, you see him in those (big matches).\”

E also mentioned how Xavier Woods has been talking about competing in the King Of The Ring tournament. He said that he hopes Xavier gets the opportunity so he can show what he can do. Once the perception changes, the door will open for him.

Dana Brooke has apparently responded to the criticizing comments of Corey Graves he made during her match on this week\’s episode of Monday Night Raw. The female star posted a story on her Instagram account mentioning that you cannot entertain everybody. She claimed that you should let people talk:

“You cannot entertain everything regardless if its indirect or direct!! Let people do what they do best. talk!! Y’all act like y’all gone die because somebody said something about you.\” wrote Brooke, \”It is not that deep!! You cannot stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. once you entertain a clown, you become one.\”

Corey Graves On Dana Brooke

For those who don\’t know, the female star had a match with Shayna Baszler on this week\’s Raw. At one point during the bout, Graves who was on commentary claimed that Brooke has not accomplished anything:

\”I am all for giving people time to develop, giving people time to realize their potential. But in a long enough timeline, you got to cut your losses. Dana Brooke has not accomplished much of anything.\”

Baszler won the match on Raw and she went for another post-match attack on her opponent. Brooke was then saved from the assault by Doudrop. Prior to this, Dana Brooke was seen during the September 9 edition of Main Event. Her last Raw match was against Charlotte Flair on May 3.

John Cena has found success in Hollywood after stepping down from his role as the face of WWE. Though his arch-rival CM Punk is not very surprised by it. The AEW star recently had an interview with Shakiel Mahjouri of ET Canada. He talked about the various WWE stars who have gone on to find success in the movie biz.

When asked if he is impressed with Cena\’s acting skills, Punk admitted that he is impressed but not surprised. He explained that his skills were developed while working on WWE TV which according to the straight edge star, is similar to theatre:

\”100 percent, but I\’m also not surprised, I think a lot of people conflate the two. Cena has always been that funny guy. I always thought behind the scenes, and I think anybody who has worked with him always thought. A lot of the guys at that top-level in WWE may not want to admit it, but alls we are theatre actors. We\’re doing live theatre every Monday, every Friday, Thursday, Tuesday, whatever the hell the schedule is now.\”

CM Punk Is Not Surprised With John Cena\’s Success

The former world champion said working on WWE programming gets you accustomed to improv and working on the fly. He then mentioned how Suicide Squad director James Gunn praised John Cena saying that the Cenation leader is the best improv actor he has ever worked with. CM Punk explained that this doesn\’t surprise him at all:

\”I read James Gunn said that John Cena was the best improv actor he\’s ever worked with. That does not surprise me in the least. We do it every week for decades. When we transition to film, I think people are pleasantly surprised like, \’Oh wow, I thought you were just going to be this muscled up stiff guy.\’ I\’m not surprised that John is killing it.\”

CM Punk had a number of high-profile feuds with John Cena during his time in WWE. Many believe it was their 2011 feud, consisting of moments such as the infamous pipebomb promo that helped establish Punk as a main event caliber talent in the company. The former WWE star recently revealed the backstage reaction to that promo and you can check it out here.