Author: Thomas Lowson

In June, WWE announced that they would be investigating allegations into Vince McMahon, following claims against the then-Chairman published in the Wall Street Journal.

McMahon was alleged to have paid off several women who it is claimed he had extramarital relationships with.

McMahon stepped down as WWE CEO and Chairman amid the investigation into him, and announced his retirement on July 25.

The Statement

This week, WWE issued its quarterly report to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a statement, WWE explained how McMahon was able to make payments privately, which should have been recorded as company expenses (via PW Insider)

\”We did not maintain effective risk assessment based on the criteria established in the COSO framework which resulted in deficiencies in principles associated with risk assessment. Specifically, these control deficiencies constitute material weaknesses, either individually or in the aggregate, relating to: identifying and analyzing risks to the achievement of objectives across the entity.\”

The promotion added that they have plans to fix loopholes going forward that allowed such activity.

What\’s next for Vince McMahon and WWE?

McMahon has resigned from all duties with WWE but the investigation into him is still going on.

McMahon has promised to respect the result of the investigation no matter the result.

With McMahon gone, Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan have been appointed co-CEOs of WWE.

McMahon has also resigned as WWE\’s head of creative, with Triple H taking on the role.

\”The Game\” has undone several of his father-in-law\’s actions, from bans on certain words to rehiring some of McMahon\’s released Superstars.

In July 2021, WWE released Bray Wyatt, shocking fans and those in the wrestling industry.

As The Fiend, Wyatt\’s alter ego which had debuted two years earlier, the former Universal Champion had become immensely popular with audiences.

Following his release, it was reported that differences with then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon, health issues, and a $4 million contract were factors in WWE\’s decision.

Tick Tock

Wyatt has kept away from the ring since his release from WWE, but recent reports have suggested that he will return to the company soon.

On Twitter, former ECW personality Joel Gertner expressed his desire to see Wyatt face Karrion Kross, who returned to WWE alongside Scarlett on the post-Summerslam 2022 episode of SmackDown.

Gertner said that if the match was to happen, then he wouldn\’t need to watch wrestling anymore, as the industry would have peaked with the Kross-Wyatt match.

In response, Kross shared a tweet with a video, where a character encourages another to \”call me,\” signifying that the two-time former NXT Champion is interested in facing Wyatt.

The film clip also gave the impression that Wyatt is already in Kross\’ \’house\’ which would be WWE in this scenario.

Wyatt\’s Return

While Bray seemed gone for good when he was released from WWE in 2021, a lot has changed over the past year.

It\’s reported that Triple H is much higher on Bray than McMahon ever was and that several Superstars have made it clear they\’d \”go to bat\” for the former Universal Champion.

Wyatt hasn\’t commented publicly on the rumors of an imminent WWE return, but did recently share a social media post where he referenced WWE.

In the wake of Vince McMahon\’s retirement, there have been sweeping changes throughout WWE.

Not only has there been a change of management, with Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan now running things as co-CEOs, but the roster has also changed.

WWE\’s new Head of Talent Relations Paul \’Triple H\’ Levesque has brought back several Superstars released by the previous administration, and WWE went back on another old rule on this week\’s Raw.

McIntyre on Raw

During this week\’s WWE Monday Night Raw, Drew McIntyre made a rare appearance on the red brand, in order to scout possible opponents.

McIntyre spoke about Ciampa, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles as possible opponents for the night before being interrupted by Kevin Owens.

During a back-and-forth promo segment between the two, McIntyre used the term \’wrestle\’ which had been banned by the WWE\’s previous regime.

\”We’re wrestlers in a wrestling ring. Let’s just freakin’ wrestle!”

Drew McIntyre to Kevin Owens on this week\’s WWE Monday Night Raw.

McIntyre would defeat Owens by disqualification after being attacked by The Usos during their match.

Post-match, the two-time former WWE Champion would fight back against the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions but would take a stunner from Owens.

Undoing the Ban

McIntyre use of the term wrestling was a shock to some, but WWE has made an effort to use some of the previously banned terms.

At Summerslam 2022, Paul Heyman received an F5 from Brock Lesnar, and on the following SmackDown, Roman Reigns said his special counsel was being treated at a hospital.

Traditionally, WWE has banned the use of the term \’hospital\’ instead favoring the more vague \’local medical facility.\’

WWE\’s reasoning was that saying a Superstar was at a local hospital would lead to fans visiting nearby hospitals hoping to meet the wrestler.

Last week, WWE hosted their WrestleMania 39 tickets launch event in Los Angeles, in a star-studded event featuring names from WWE and entertainment.

JoJo Siwa, Gabriel Iglesias, and WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg appeared alongside the likes of The Miz, Raw Women\’s Champion Bianca Belair, and Becky Lynch.

WWE wanted to make a great impression with fans looking to buy tickets for WrestleMania 39 and they\’ve certainly succeeded.

WrestleMania 39 Tickets

With a maximum capacity inside SoFi Stadium of over 70,000, WWE has their work cut out filling the venue for both nights of WrestleMania 39.

The \”combo\” ticket package (WrestleMania Saturday & Sunday) was close to selling out a few days ago. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter noted last week that over 10,000 combo packages were sold during the pre-sale event, and around 1,000 tickets were sold individually for each night in the pre-sale.

Combo tickets were described as reasonably priced, while individual tickets ran much higher and were described in the Observer as ridiculously priced.

It\’s worth noting, only a limited number of sections were made available at the beginning. Additional blocks of tickets will be released as sales ramp up.

Internal Reaction

With WWE moving so many tickets in the first few days since they went on sale, it should come as no surprise that company executives are said to be \”ecstatic\” with the early ticket sales. Tickets for night two are selling especially well, according to PWInsider. This indicates fans are bracing for a big main event, presumably the long-rumored showdown between The Rock and Roman Reigns.

On last Friday\’s SmackDown, Michael Cole noted that this event marked the highest amount of first-day ticket sales for any WrestleMania event. 

• Current Plans for the WrestleMania 39 Main Event

For decades, Steve Lombardi worked for WWE before his release in 2016, under a series of gimmicks.

While he appeared as Kim Chee and Abe \’Knuckleball\’ Schwartz, Lombardi is best known as the Brooklyn Brawler, arguably WWE\’s most recognizable jobber.

The list of wrestlers who have picked up wins over the Brawler range from icons such as Kurt Angle and Triple H to lesser stars such as Tekno Team 2000.

Real Fights

Lombardi may have spent most of his career staring up at the lights, but is confident in his real fighting skills.

Speaking with Bill Apter in an interview for Sportskeeda Wrestling, Lombardi said that in a real fight, he\’d easily dispatch the majority of his opponents.

\”Every person I wrestled, every person that beat me, I would say 60 percent of them I could beat the hell out of.\”

Steve Lombardi on how he\’d fare in a real fight.

Lombardi did not name any of his opponents he is confident he could easily beat if they came to real blows.

Working with McMahon

Hired by the WWE in 1983, Lombardi spent decades working for Vince McMahon, who recently retired from all roles with the company.

McMahon\’s retirement comes amid an investigation into the ex-Chairman over allegations of misconduct with female employees.

Addressing McMahon\’s retirement, Lombardi said he had nothing but respect for his former boss.

\”He made me a rich man. He made me a well-off man. He always did me right.\”

Steve Lombardi reacts to Vince McMahon\’s retirement.

On last Friday\’s WWE SmackDown, Ronda Rousey returned to the show after serving a brief suspension.

Rousey had been suspended for attacking a WWE official at Summerslam 2022 following her controversial loss to SmackDown Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan.

Rousey\’s return came during a contract signing between Morgan and Shayna Baszler to make their title match at Clash at the Castle official.

Spending the Money

Rousey wasn\’t just suspended by WWE after her actions at Summerslam but was also forced to pay a heavy fine.

In her SmackDown return, Rousey produced a large bag of money which she used to pay off the fine.

Rousey had an interesting message for WWE in an Instagram post on Sunday, suggesting that the company could undo some budget cuts with the money.

“Use that cash wisely @wwe – Maybe it can help with those “budget cuts”. Bring back some asses for me to kick.”

Ronda Rousey on how WWE should spend her fine money.

Who Could Return Next?

In recent weeks, several WWE releases have been undone by the promotion\’s new management, with Triple H serving as the new Head of Talent Relations.

Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis, and Hit Row have all returned so far, with more returns expected soon.

It has been reported that Bray Wyatt\’s return is \”likely\” after being released from WWE in July 2021.

Fans have suggested that Tegan Nox may be back soon, possibly in time for WWE Clash at the Castle which will take place in her native Wales.

In April 2020, as part of company-wide budget cuts, Matt Cardona was released from his WWE contract.

Cardona, a 15-year veteran of the company, had worked for much of his run as Zack Ryder, having captured the Intercontinental and United States Championships during his run.

Since his release, Cardona (now working under his real name) has reinvented himself as a dastardly heel, a far cry from his WWE character.

A Possible Return?

Since Vince McMahon retired from WWE, the company has seen a series of returns approved by WWE\’s new Head of Talent Relations: Triple H.

Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis and Hit Row have all returned to WWE so far, with more names expected.

While speaking to Wrestling Inside The Ropes, Cardona addressed whether he would return to WWE now with the change of management (via ITR Wrestling.)

“With Triple H is calling everybody back supposedly, if he called me back, of course I’d have a conversation. But, I don’t know if I’d go back. I don’t know. I mean, of course ‘never say never’ but I mean, my schedule now is pretty great, I’m making a lot of money and I’m having a lot of fun so it’s hard to trade that in for just to be a name on a roster. I already did that.

\”I don’t know if I’d go back. I don’t know. I mean, of course ‘never say never.\’\”

Matt Cardona on whether he\’d return to WWE.

Cardona suffered a torn biceps injury earlier this year that forced him to vacate the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

He will return to the ring at NWA 74 on August 27.

In April this year, Gunther (formerly WALTER) was called up to WWE\’s main roster after a dominant run in NXT UK and NXT.

Just two months after his call-up, Gunther captured the Intercontinental Championship from Ricochet, his first title on the main roster.

Ricochet, Drew Gulak and Shinsuke Nakamura have all been beaten since Gunther arrived on the main roster.

Avoiding a Burial

From the outlook, it\’d seem like Gunther has had a lot of support on WWE\’s main roster, but that wasn\’t the case up until recently.

Wrestle Votes reports that WWE\’s previous regime had \”soured\” on the Austrian Superstar following his appearance on the July 4, 2022, edition of Monday Night Raw.

That episode saw Gunther, alongside Ludwig Kaiser, interrupt R-Truth during an independence day celebration and destroy the former 24/7 Champion.

Wrestle Votes adds that WWE had plans for Gunther to be buried on TV, and noted that the past month and change of regime has made a ton of difference.

What\’s next for Gunther?

Thanks to WWE\’s change of regime and Vince McMahon\’s retirement, Gunther has remained booked well and has kept his Intercontinental Championship.

On this week\’s SmackDown, the Austrian powerhouse retained his title against Shinsuke Nakamura.

At this time, Gunther hasn\’t been booked for WWE\’s next major event Clash at the Castle, which will air from Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on September 3.

Saraya, best known to fans as former WWE Superstar Paige, was hacked in 2017. Her personal photos and videos of her leaked online at a time when she was already experiencing personal hardships.

This hack occurred when she was serving a suspension for violating WWE\’s wellness policy. She was also recovering from neck surgery.

The suspension, her health battle and the privacy violation pushed her deeper and deeper into a dark period in her life.

During a recent appearance on Renee Paquette\’s The Sessions podcast, Paige recalled her reaction when she learned what had happened (via Wrestling Inc.).

\”I felt so f***ing stupid and I felt so embarrassed, and I was already a cokehead at this time and loved to drink. That really got me to the point where I didn\’t want to be alive anymore. It was f***ing awful. I was just so f***ing sad.\”

\”I didn\’t want to be alive anymore.\”

Paige on her thought process after the 2017 leak.

Paige said that immediately after finding out what had happened, she hid in a bush in fear of people recognizing her and judging her.

Family Help

It was while hiding in the bush that Paige rung her father, wrestler/promoter Ricky Knight to apologize for what had happened.

Knight made it clear that he was supportive of his daughter and there was nothing to be sorry about.

\”I remember being like \’If my dad is disappointed with me, I don\’t think I could be here anymore. I was just crying my eyes out, and I was like, \’I\’m so sorry.\’ My dad was like, \’What are you sorry for?\’ And I was just like, \’I don\’t know. I just don\’t want to disappoint you.\’\”

\”I just want you to know that I\’m still proud of you and I\’m not disappointed.\”

Ricky Knight\’s kind words to his daughter Paige after the leak.

\”He was like, \’It is what it is. You\’ve got to suck it up. It\’s going to hurt for a little bit and people are going to make fun of you for forever. But I just want you to know that I\’m still proud of you and I\’m not disappointed.\’ He instantly changed the way I was feeling because I was very down. It was bad. I was ready to f***ing end it all.\”

WWE\’s Response

WWE did not publicly address the explicit videos and photos being leaked at the time.

In the interview, Paige explained that the company\’s internal response earned her goodwill for years to come.

\”I spoke on the phone with Mark Carrano, and I was like, \’I\’m going to lose my job. This is it too,\’\” Paige said. \”But they were like, \’Listen, it\’s not your fault.\’ That\’s why I will never talk s**t about them, at least publicly.\”

WWE also promised to work incredibly hard to get her images and videos off the internet as much as possible.

Since debuting on WWE\’s main roster, Roman Reigns has faced, and defeated some of the company\’s biggest stars.

Triple H, John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and AJ Styles are just some of the names to fall to Reigns, and that\’s before his heel turn in August 2020.

Since adopting the moniker as the \’Tribal Chief,\’ Reigns has kept an iron grip on the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship which he holds to this day.

For the First Time Ever

Reigns has defeated some of WWE\’s biggest names, but there are a select few that the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion is yet to take on one-on-one.

During last Friday\’s SmackDown, Karrion Kross returned to WWE attacking Drew McIntyre, and made it clear that he has Roman Reigns in his sights.

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported that a plan between Kross and Reigns is in the works, and could be at this November\’s Survivor Series Premium Live Event (via Sportskeeda.)

\”Reigns is not booked on Extreme Rules in Philadelphia at this point. If they go with Reigns vs. Kross, as things stand right now, it would either be TV or the earliest would be Survivor Series barring the weekly circumstances involved in wrestling.\”

Survivor Series will mark a decade of Reigns on the main roster, as he debuted at the event in 2012 as part of The Shield.

Before Survivor Series, Reigns will defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at next month\’s Clash at the Castle event.

Tonight, WWE SmackDown on FOX will descend on the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina for the latest installment of the show.

After some monumental changes to WWE\’s management and several returns, fans are interested in what will happen on the show in this post-Vince McMahon era of the company.

WWE\’s Head of Creative Triple H will be running things behind the scenes, and thanks to a report, we have an idea of what will be taking place during tonight\’s two hours of the blue brand.

Karrion Kross\’ Return

On last week\’s SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE, with the former NXT Champion attacking Drew McIntyre.

Kross\’ abrupt appearance at the end of last week\’s show also saw him stare down with Undisputed Universal Champion Roman Reigns, making it clear he wants to be champion.

According to Fightful, Kross will be on tonight\’s show, \”with full presentation\” including his hourglass entrance.

The Contract Signing

Tonight\’s SmackDown will continue the build to WWE Clash at the Castle, which will see SmackDown Women\’s Champion Liv Morgan defend against Shayna Baszler.

The pair will have a contract signing tonight, where Morgan will still wear a sling, selling her kayfabe injury from Baszler earlier this month.

Ronda Rousey has been scheduled to get involved with the contract signing in some way.

And More

Fightful also reports that there is a table spot planned for tonight\’s SmackDown on FOX.

Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, the Street Profits, and Roman Reigns are all tentatively scheduled for the show, though the card as always is subject to change.

WWE fans are no strangers to seeing romance on their screen, with huge stars like Triple H and Edge being involved in romantic angles throughout their careers.

While WWE Superstars often have on-screen relationships, many on the roster enjoy happy relationships with other wrestlers when the cameras aren\’t rolling.

Budding Romance

With Superstars spending so much time together, it\’s natural that some wrestlers will fall for each other while at work.

On Instagram, Cora Jade took to her Stories to reveal that she is seeing reigning NXT Champion Bron Breakker.

Jade shared a picture of the second-generation Superstar over a pastel background and included a heart, showing her emotions for the NXT Champion.

Jade also tagged Breakker in the post.

Bron Breakker

Cora Jade is certainly smitten with Bron Breakker, and WWE higher-ups are also fond of the second-generation Superstar.

Since NXT\’s relaunch as NXT 2.0, Breakker has been the brand\’s biggest star, defeating some of NXT\’s veteran performers.

It took Breakker 112 days from debuting to becoming NXT Champion, dethroning Ciampa at the NXT: New Year\’s Evil event in January 2022.

Breakker\’s second title win came over another WWE veteran, Dolph Ziggler on the Raw after WrestleMania 38.

It has been reported that WWE wishes to fast-track Breakker to the main roster, but it is unclear if that is still the plan following the recent management changes.

Cora Jade

Joining WWE in early 2021, Jade had previously appeared for both AEW and Impact Wrestling before reaching the McMahon/Khan promotion.

At last month\’s Great American Bash special, Jade and Roxanne Perez captured the NXT Women\’s Tag Team Championships, marking both women\’s first titles in WWE.

The following week, Jade turned heel and attacked Perez, costing her the NXT Women\’s Championship match against Mandy Rose, and would later throw her own title in the trash.

This week, WWE hosted its WrestleMania 39 tickets launch event, with a star-studded show in Los Angeles, California.

Snoop Dogg was at the event, and presented Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair with some Death Row chains as a gift, but the pair also had something special for him.

Snoop\’s Title

A WWE Hall of Famer, rap legend Snoop Dogg already has plenty of accolades to his name, but now has his own custom championship title.

During the event, Lynch and Belair were on hand to present Snoop with the title, with the help from some of the LA Lakers Cheerleaders team.

Belair said it was a one-of-a-kind custom WWE Championship, which is white and gold with green accents.

Snoop was clearly thrilled by the gift, which he proudly held over his head.

Snoop and WWE

The self-professed \’Dogg-father of WrestleMania\’ has made multiple appearances for WWE over the years.

At WrestleMania 24 in 2008, Snoop was the master of ceremonies for the Lumberjill tag-team match between Maria & Ashley and Melina & Beth Phoenix.

After being confronted by Santino Marella, Snoop leveled the former Intercontinental Champion before sharing a kiss with Maria.

In 2009, Snoop was the guest host of Monday Night Raw and again got physical, tackling Chavo Guerrero with a spear during a segment including Hornswoggle.

In 2016, Snoop performed at WrestleMania, providing a track for his cousin Sasha Banks, who challenged for the WWE Women\’s Championship.

That same year, he would enter the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the celebrity wing.

Since Triple H took over as WWE\’s Head of Talent Relations, the company has seen several returns.

At Summerslam 2022, Dakota Kai returned to WWE to align with Bayley and IYO SKY, the latter of whom had been expected to leave WWE this year when her contract expired.

On the post-Summerslam SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned, with the former NXT Champion attacking Drew McIntyre.

During this week\’s Raw, Dexter Lumis made his presence felt in the crowd and teased a program with AJ Styles.

Two More Returns

Plenty of Superstars have returned to WWE in the post-Vince McMahon era, and two more could be appearing on tonight\’s episode of SmackDown.

Ashante \’Thee\’ Adonis and AJ \’Top Dolla\’ Francis are scheduled to be at tonight\’s SmackDown in Raleigh, North Carolina, according to pwinsider. It was not confirmed that the pair will be appearing on-screen though it seems likely given the recent returns.

The Hit Row members were released by WWE in November 2021 alongside the rest of the group.

Hit Row

Hit Row was a popular quartet of Superstars, comprising of Adonis, Francis, B-Fab, and their leader Isaiah \’Swerve\’ Scott.

In October 2021, the group was called up to the main roster, but it was reported that Francis would serve as the group\’s leader.

The group\’s tenure on the blue brand was short-lived, as B-Fab was released on November 4, with the rest of the stable cut two weeks later.

There is no report that B-Fab will appear on tonight\’s SmackDown.

Scott will not be appearing as he is with AEW, competing as one-half of the World Tag Team Champions as Swerve Strickland.

Since coming to WWE, Bianca Belair has become one of the biggest stars of the promotion\’s women\’s division.

In her first WrestleMania match, Belair headlined Night One of WrestleMania 37, defeating Sasha Banks to capture the SmackDown Women\’s Championship.

Just one year later, Belair would repeat her success, dethroning Becky Lynch to win the Raw Women\’s Championship, becoming the first person to beat \’The Man\’ for a title in nearly three years.

Her Inner Struggle

Belair isn\’t just a fighter in the ring, but has been fighting a much different battle within herself.

Sitting down with Ariel Helwani, the reigning Raw Women\’s Champion spoke about her struggles with mental health, which dated back to her freshman year at the University of South Carolina.

\”My freshman year, I just struggled so much mentally. I was struggling with an eating disorder secretly in high school, so when I got to college I told myself \’okay I\’m not going to do this anymore. I\’m gonna be healthy.\”

\”I had a very unhealthy relationship with food… Mentally or physically, I just wasn\’t able to get back to where I was.\”

Bianca Belair on the eating disorder she struggled during high scholl and college.

Belair said that after her freshman year, she transferred to Texas A&M, where she continued to struggle with her mental health.

The Raw Women\’s Champion mentioned her coach at the time Vince Anderson for being an enormous help when she was struggling.

\”I was put into a psychiatric hospital. It got that low… That\’s when everyone found out. He [Anderson] was the one, once I got out, who said \’you can\’t come back.\’ He made me go see a psychiatrist. He was like \’you have to get yourself together mentally because that\’s what is more important.\’

\”I was put into a psychiatric hospital. It got that low.\”

Bianca Belair on her struggles with mental health during her athletics career.

After Texas A&M, Belair transferred again to the University of Tennessee, where she was not allowed to compete.

\”I wasn\’t allowed to compete for the team. But she [UofT coach Heather Van Norman] told me \’I\’ll train you for a whole year, even if you can\’t contribute to the team.\’ And she\’s the person who really got me back on my feet.\”

On September 3, WWE will host their Clash at the Castle Premium Live Event from Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Wales.

The show will be WWE\’s biggest event in the UK in over 30 years, with the last major event on British soil being Summerslam 1992 from London, England.

Something Special

WWE Clash at the Castle will be headlined by Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns defending his title against Drew McIntyre.

McIntyre earned a title match by defeating Sheamus on the go-home SmackDown before Summerslam 2022.

On Twitter, the Scottish Superstar promised that he has been working on something extremely special in the run-up to the show.

Is Drew the One?

Roman Reigns has dominated as Champion for over 700 days, but some have suggested that McIntyre will be the one to dethrone the Tribal Chief.

Not only is McIntyre one of the few Superstars WWE has pushed as on a similar level to Reigns, but many fans have said that WWE\’s desire for a big moment at their first UK Premium Live Event since 1992, will see a new champion be crowned.

Others have suggested that Reigns most lose the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship ahead of WrestleMania 39, if the plan is for him to face his cousin The Rock.

The belief is that a Reigns-Rock match would not need a title involved, and it would only spoil that Reigns would win, as Rock\’s busy movie schedule would keep him away from the ring.

No Triple Threat

On last week\’s SmackDown, Karrion Kross returned to WWE, attacking Drew McIntyre.

After the attack, Kross stared down Reigns, making it clear he desires the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Despite speculation that this will lead to a Triple Threat at Clash at the Castle, it\’s been reported that WWE remains focussed on a singles match to headline the Cardiff show.