Author: Anutosh Bajpai

Cesaro has achieved a lot in his wrestling career which spans over two decades. However, with his 40th birthday approaching slowly, the talks about his retirement have started creeping in as well.

The SmackDown star recently had an interview with Sport1 where he talked about a number of things including his partnership with Shinsuke Nakamura, potential singles run and more.

When asked how long he plans to continue wrestling, the former US Champion revealed an advice he got from John Cena and Cesaro said that he will stop when he can\’t get any better:

\”I want to get better every day, that\’s how I handle my career. If I can\’t do it anymore, it\’s time to stop. A wise man named John Cena once told me that you are only as good as you were in your last match.

I want my last match to be great. When I see that this is no longer possible, you have to stop. I don\’t know when that is.\”

• Also Read: WWE Reveals The Name Of New Faction

Cesaro was also asked about potentially pursuing a career in acting like Cena or the Rock and the Swiss Superman said that he would take the chance for an acting role if he gets one.

Apart from this, the WWE star talked about things like the rise of German-speaking stars in WWE, the future of NXT UK Champion WALTER and more. You can check out his full interview at this link.

This week\’s episode of WWE Monday Night Raw saw the debut of a number of new things including concepts like Raw Underground and the arrival of a new mysterious faction as well.

While the new faction didn\’t get a lot of screen time, it did became a talking point among the fans and now the company has officially revealed the name of the new group.

WWE announced on their website that the group responsible for the technical glitches on the broadcast of the show is calling themselves \’RETRIBUTION.\’

Previous reports have revealed that the storyline is specific to WWE and it\’s not intended to coincide with the current happenings in the country.

The group is apparently aiming to change the way the company operates. They are trying to \’loosen control\’ over the WWE superstar and they will do anything that\’s necessary to get the management\’s attention.

• Eric Young Says That Triple H Did Not Know About His WWE Release

Though at the moment we don\’t know much about the members of the group. It\’s said that the company officials are keeping the names a secret and they intend to take their time in revealing the faction members.

What did you think about the new WWE faction and the idea that\’s being presented through it? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Eric Young was one of the guys Triple H had signed to NXT. He found success in the development territory of the company but couldn\’t replicate the same after being called up to the main roster in 2018.

After making sporadic appearances for the company for a couple of years, the former TNA Champion was released in April earlier this year and according to him, HHH did not even know about his firing beforehand.

Young recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. During the talk, the former leader of Sanity revealed that The Game was the first person to call him after his release and that the DX member did not know about his firing:

“I can tell you now Scott D’Amore was the second person I heard from when the news came out. This is going to sound weird, but Triple H was the very first. He was unaware that it was happening. He’s in a different position in the company now. [We] have always had a very good relationship.”

• Also Read: Eric Young Says Vince McMahon “Failed As A Leader”

After being released from WWE, Eric Young has returned to his roots in Impact Wrestling and he made his surprise return to the company during the Slammiversary PPV last month.

Young took part in a 5-way match for the Impact World Championship during the show and he established himself as a heel during the bout.

A lot of people including many legends have praised Big E over the years and characterised him as a potential world champion if the New Day member wrestles as a singles competitor. Now that he is finally getting a chance to showcase his skills on his own, the former IC Champion feels that he is ready to go solo after being a team player for over half a decade.

Big E recently had an interview with Yahoo Sports and discussing his singles run, the former Tag Team Champion mentioned how it all came out of nowhere. Though he later said that he hopes that the people who have clamoured for this for years will not be disappointed:

“This is all kind of coming out of nowhere. I feel confident that I am ready for this. The interesting thing and weird thing is we don’t have that organic response. I hope people enjoy this run, I hope it’s good and entertaining, I hope all of the people who have clamored for this for years are not disappointed.”

• Also Read: Big E Talks Vince McMahon’s Support For New Day Taking A Knee

Even though he is getting the opportunity for a singles run, the former NXT Champion still sees himself as a representative of the New Day and he believes that his singes achievements will add up to the legacy of the group:

“I always see it as I am a representative of the New Day. The same way that Kofi credited Woods and me and said that when he won it was for all of us, that’s the same feeling I have.  This adds to all of our legacies because I don’t get this far, I don’t have this much without those two. I don’t even know if I am around in this company without those two.”

Xavier Woods has been out of action due to an Achilles injury since October last year. Kofi Kingston revealed during the July 24 episode of SmackDown that he will be out of action for 6 weeks after losing a Tables match at Extreme Rules, effectively giving Big E his first singles run since the formation of the group in 2014.

WWE is planning to hold the annual draft in October this year once again, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE had 5 dates under consideration for next \’Superstar Shakeup.\’ Company officials have since narrowed it down to two possible dates in October.

Last year\’s draft saw The Street Profits being called up to the main roster. There is no word yet on if NXT stars will be included in the draft but it\’s very likely that the brand will be represented in some capacity this year as well.

The drafts last year took place in October, one week after SmackDown moved to Fox Network. It started on the blue branded show and concluded on the Raw episode the following week.

Also Read: Drew McIntyre & Top WWE NXT Star Tease Possible Match

A number of big names switched brands during the last drafts. The most notable moves included the then Universal Champion Bray Wyatt moving to SmackDown and people like Randy Orton and Kevin Owens being moved to Raw.

The WWE Champion Brock Lesnar who won the title from Kofi Kingston on SmackDown\’s Fox Premiere then quit the Blue Branded show and later joined Monday Night Raw.

Now it would be interesting to see if the Black and Yellow brand of the company is also included in the shake up and if the company adjusts the format of the event to incorporate moves from NXT into the drafts this year.

Roman Reigns\’ win over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 33 created a lot of buzz but the company did not utilise the heat the Big Dog had gained in any significant way and Ric Flair believes that the promotion dropped the ball with Reigns after the event.

The WWE Hall of Famer recently had an interview with Metro.co.uk where he talked about the match between the two WWE stars after it has become a topic of discussion again with the airing of The Last Ride documentary.

Flair explained that the win was the hottest tag anybody has ever gotten in the history of the business and if he was in the position, he would have ridden on that heat forever:

\”All I thought about was, “God dang, Roman just got the hottest tag in the history of the business!\” To me, when Mark hauled up his stuff, put it in the middle of the ring and walked out. The next day, on Raw, Roman couldn’t talk!

I thought to myself, man, I’ve been in a lot in my life but if I’d had that hot tag brother, I could’ve rode that forever.\” said Ric Flair, \”I don’t know what happened! But that was the hottest tag in the history of the business! That’s made the thing with Brock beating him pale, in terms of emotion!’

• Also Read: The Ascension Reveal Their New Post-WWE Name

The 16 time world champion later also complimented the match saying that two wrestling veterans had a hell of a match and people focused too much on the botches.

Undertaker suffered a loss at the hands of Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 33 and many believe that this match was more significant than the ending of the streak because Taker left his gear in the ring after the bout, with the intention to end his career.

Edge made his return to in-ring action after almost 9 years of absence at Royal Rumble in January and his return has been one of the biggest stories of the wrestling world this year.

However, his comeback hasn\’t been free of controversy and the former world Champion has received criticism over the length of his matches with the Viper Randy Orton.

Edge discussed the complaints from fans during a recent interview with ESPN MMA, and the Rated R Superstar mentioned how people also complain when stars like Brock Lesnar put on shorter matches:

\”After nine years and a triple fusion in my neck, I went out there for 41 minutes, People complained that Bill [Goldberg] and Brock [Lesnar] go out and do four [minutes].

So what is it? What do you want? I\’m going to bust my ass and I\’m going to try and give you the best product I possibly can\” said Edge, \”Because I\’m not gonna phone it in. To me, that\’s what WrestleMania was, that\’s what Backlash was.\”

• Also Read: Rey Mysterio\’s WWE contract has reportedly expired

The former champion wrestled his first singles match after his return against Randy Orton at WrestleMania 36 and the two then competed in a rematch at the Backlash PPV.

However, Edge, unfortunately, suffered a triceps injury during his Backlash bout which is likely to keep him out of action for somewhere between 6 to 9 months.

Charlotte Flair has been a polarising figure since her debut in WWE. Many fans believe that she is given more opportunities than others due to her last name and WWE star Sonya Deville recently revealed her thoughts on the matter.

The former NXT star recently had an interview with the Sun where she talked about things like the coronavirus pandemic, adjusting to shows without an audience and more.

During the interview, the female star was asked about the perception that Flair receives more opportunities because of her heritage, and Deville said that whether it may be true or not, she delivers every time:

\”Yeah, I mean, it\’s a two-fold question because it\’s like, does she get opportunities because of who she is? \”Maybe, but does she deliver every single time? For sure.\”

• Also Read: Charlotte Flair Takes Shot At “Entitled” Wrestlers Who “Stay Home”

Though Sonya Deville continued by explaining that a lot of women in the WWE locker room would step up and work hard if given the same opportunities, citing herself as an example:

\”I\’m the same way where anything you throw at me, I\’m going to deliver. You could throw anything at me. If I\’m given the same opportunities as Charlotte Flair, I will be as big if not bigger than Charlotte.\”

Sonya Deville was signed by WWE in 2015. However, despite being called up to the main roster in November 2017, the former NXT star is yet to hold a title in the company.

Do you think Charlotte Flair receives more opportunities in WWE because of her last name? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

There have been conflicting reports about Charlotte Flair\’s return after it was revealed that she needs surgery but the Queen herself has now confirmed her status.

The former Women\’s Champion recently had an interview with Sport Hiatus where she talked about things like the coronavirus pandemic, the health of her father and more.

During the interview, Charlotte also confirmed the reports of her surgery and claimed that she will only be gone for a few weeks, opposing the reports which suggested that she could be out until Royal Rumble 2021:

\”Yes, I\’ll only be gone for a few weeks, they can still play things on the WWE Network [to keep fans thinking about me], but utilizing my social media will be most important while I\’m gone… No one is going to miss me. They\’re still going to feel like I\’m there is basically what I\’m saying. I\’m gone but I\’m not really gone.\”

Charlotte Flair competed in a match against Raw Women\’s Champion Asuka on this week\’s episode of the Red Branded Show. She was also involved in a backstage fight with Nia Jax which effectively wrote her off TV for near future.

While the exact date for her return is not known, it believed that Flair will challenge Asuka for her title at SummerSlam and after her confirmation; it would be interesting to see if she returns in time for this feud.

The Undertaker feuded with a number of giants during the early years of his WWE career and the names he had rivalries with include King Kong Bundy, Kamala, a copycat Undertaker and more.

However, not all these rivalries were a pleasant experience for the Dead Man and according to the WWE legend, once such feud \”took years off\’ his career.

Taker recently had an interview with Sam Roberts on the Notsam Wrestling Podcast and discussing his matches with Giant Gonzalez, the former World Champion claimed that he would be in much better shape if he could have skipped that one program:

\”That whole thing took years off my career, I would be in much better shape now if I could\’ve skipped that one program. As physically demanding as it was, it was twice as much the mental strain.

Because you have Bret, Yokozuna going out and having these great matches.\” said The Undertaker, \”Obviously you want to be mentioned in the same breath as those guys and it was just not possible.\”

• Also Read: Renee Young Confirms She Has Covid-19

The Last Outlaw continued by saying that it was survival every night for him trying to figure out what Gonzalez can do in the ring to make their matches work.

Apart from this, The Undertaker talked about his matches with Bret Hart, how he did not take a lot of bumps early in his career and more.

After reports came out that multiple WWE talents across the board have tested positive for coronavirus, backstage announcer Renee Young has confirmed that she is one of the people who have been infected with the deadly virus.

The WWE star confirmed the news in a recent tweet where she mentioned how her show got cancelled and she got coronavirus in a matter of few days:

It hasn\’t been long since WWE confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the company and the promotion had released a statement announcing that the person has been in the performance centre recently.

Reports which then came out yesterday stated that multiple people have tested positive for the virus. At first, it was said the number was in single digit.

However, an update on the matter then concerned the fans which suggested that the number of positive cases in the company is in \’two dozen range\’ and now Renee Young has been confirmed as one of the names.

• Also Read: Former WWE Security Guard: Brock Lesnar Hated WWE

Though since WWE had tested people after the first registered case, it\’s likely that the virus did not spread through the development talent who had first tested positive and it has infected the company through a different source.

It\’s worth mentioning here that AEW World Champion and the husband of Renee Young, Jon Moxley had pulled out of this week\’s AEW Dynamite due to exposure to coronavirus.

This update now confirms where Mox came in contact with the coronavirus and we will now have to see how his own test report turns out to be. We\’ll keep you posted on his status.

It was revealed recently that Kevin Owens made the decision to not work Wednesday\’s WWE tapings after a positive coronavirus test in the company.

Dave Meltzer provided some more updates on the situation during the latest Wrestling Observer Radio revealing why the former Universal Champion decided not to work the tapings despite living in the area.

According to Meltzer, the grandfather of Owens\’ wife passed away due to COVID-19 sometimes in the past two weeks and his family was concerned about the former NXT Champion working in a building where someone had just tested positive.

• Also Read: Backstage Updates On Bianca Belair\’s WWE Status

WWE has previously said in their statement that any employee including the talents who want to stay home during the pandemic can do so without any repercussions

Kevin Owens is the third big name to take advantage of this announcement after Roman Reigns pulled out of WrestleMania and former Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn made the decision to stay home after the Show Of Shows.

Though the reports suggest that the former NXT star is not scheduled to stay away for long. He is expected at the next set of Raw tapings taking place on June 29 and it would be interesting to see what he does at the show.

Bianca Belair had established herself as a member of the Raw roster after WrestleMania, but she hasn\’t been seen on WWE programming in recent weeks. Fans have wondered about her status and Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline recently provided some updates.

Belair is still with WWE, but has been held off television due to creative reasons. The primary reason is that she\’s has been portrayed as a more serious character and creative felt she did not fit into the \”wacky skits\” the Street Profits have been involved in recently.

Since she wasn\’t involved in any current program other than her appearance alongside the team of Angelo Ford and Montez Ford, the company decided not to put her on TV.

Regarding the recent major changes to the creative team in WWE and how it might affect the status of Bianca Belair, Meltzer wrote that \”now it\’s a new cycle and we\’ll see.\”

The EST Of NXT competed in the Royal Rumble match earlier this year and she then got involved in the storyline between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley leading to WrestleMania.

The former NXT star made her main roster call up official during the Raw episode after WrestleMania, where Belair announced that she was now part of the Red Brand\’s roster alongside the Street Profits.

• Also Read: Fox Officials Reportedly Unhappy With SmackDown Segment

The Royal Rumble 2020 event saw the start of Drew McIntyre\’s journey to becoming the WWE Champion as the Scottish Psychopath won the battle royal at the event and earned the opportunity for a title match at WrestleMania 36.

The same event was also the start of a new road for Edge who made his in-ring return after 9 years of absence from active competition due to his neck injuries.

During a recent interview with Sportskeeda, The current WWE Champion discussed the Rated R Superstar\’s return and McIntyre commented on the possibility of facing Edge in the future:

\”You know Edge had this amazing career. I was thankful that I traveled the world with him. Learned a lot from him as a kid, but to see him back… of course the wheels started turning.

And I thought to myself, \’Oh yea, we\’re going to have that big match.\’\” said Drew McIntyre \”And I\’m absolutely ready for that big match now, you know, physically and mentally.\”

• Also Read: WWE Re-Hires Producer Released As Part Of Budget Cuts

During the interview, the former NXT Champion also shared a concern he had in the Royal Rumble mentioning how Edge was returning after such a long time.

So McIntyre was worried that the crowd may turn on him if they realise that Edge was not winning the match. Although thankfully, this didn\’t turn out to be the case and fans were as thrilled to see him win the bout as everybody hoped.

Though it will be a while before we can actually hope to see a match between Drew McIntyre and Edge as the latter has suffered a serious injury during his match at Backlash. You can check out a report on the matter at this link.

WWE has re-hired at least one of the producers they had released as part of their coronavirus budget cuts in April earlier this year, according to latest reports.

According to reports from PWinsider, the company has rehired Pat Buck and the producer worked on both Raw and SmackDown tapings in Orlando this week.

Buck co-owned Create-A-Pro wrestling school with former WWE star Curt Hawkins and he also ran the Wrestle Pro promotion before originally being hired by WWE in August 2019.

The site notes that at least one other wrestling company had an internal discussion about bringing him in as a producer after his WWE release before his re-hiring. Though the report does not reveal the name of the promotion.

• Also Read: R-Truth Reveals His Favorite Match In WWE

Pat Buck is not the only name who has been rehired by WWE after being released in April and Drake Maverick was recently offered a new contract by the company.

The former 205 Live GM was taking part in the Cruiserweight Championship tournament and even though he lost, the compelling story about Maverick fighting for his job created a lot of buzz, forcing the company to re-think their decision.

With WWE officials now planning to return to their regular schedule and start producing events with fans once again slowly, it would be interesting to see if any other released names are brought back by the promotion in near future.