WWE released both Braun Strowman and Buddy Murphy in June, and since then, fans have been speculating where they would end up competing next full-time. There had been rumors of Strowman returning to WWE on a lower salary, and Murphy, who is now by the name Buddy Matthews is booked to face Brian Cage on an upcoming indie show in Philadelphia. However, based on a recent Twitch stream on independent wrestler Jade Chung’s channel, it was teased the duo could be set to join her husband, Josh Alexander, in Impact Wrestling.

During the stream, Impact Wrestling Executive Vice President Scott D’Amore asked George Iceman to announce Murphy’s debut. Iceman said he wasn’t allowed to do that yet. Then shortly afterward, D’Amore would refer to Impact’s upcoming flagship pay-pr-view Bound For Glory as “Braun For Glory” and called it an easter egg.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”z66ErDkj” upload-date=”2021-08-25T14:50:55.000Z” name=”Jade Chung Twitch With Scott D’Amore” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

D’Amore was clearly having a good time at the Toronto Blue Jays game with the rest of the group attending, and he could simply have been being mischievous and joking to entertain those watching on the stream. While Impact Wrestling does have a history of teasing released WWE wrestlers to help sell pay-per-views, they don’t usually mention them by name. So while it is a long way from confirmation, the pair will be debuting soon for the promotion and appearing Bound For Glory on October 23rd, it is the best clue yet.

Independent wrestler Nick Gage made his AEW debut back in March when he wrestled Chris Jericho’s hardcore persona, The Painmaker. It would be a no disqualification match and received mainstream attention due to the extreme violence rarely seen on television, with a pizza cutter used as a weapon. Thanks to that appearance, and an episode of Dark Side of the Ring that covered his incarceration for bank robbery after becoming addicted to oxycontin, he is undoubtedly at his most famous. Now proving he has really made it in the world of pro wrestling, he is set to become an action figure.

Zombie Sailor Toys recently announced that they are releasing the ultraviolent competitor’s first-ever figure and have now shared the design blueprint. The figure features Gage wearing his H8 Club shirt and MDK shorts and will even be coming with a pizza cutter accessory!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Time Traveling Toy Dealer (@zombiesailorstoys)

For those unaware, Zombie Sailor is a toy collector that regularly appears on Matt Cardona’s action figure podcast and is featured on Netflix’s “The Toys That Made Us.” He has since begun creating a line of fully licensed wrestling figures in the style of WWF Hasbro figures from the 90s and is working with Ron Rudat, who designed the initial toys to ensure they stay true to the originals.

So far, the line, which is titled “Heels and Faces,” has seen figures of Sabu, Dino Bravo, referee Earl Hebner, and Jeff Jarrett produced. While they have all sold out, several other wrestlers have since signed on, and a figure of Cardona in the deathmatch ring gear he wore against Gage is even being worked on. This means Game Changer Wrestling fans will soon be able to recreate the brutal match between the pair in the safety of their own living room.

Adam Cole’s WWE contract expired in July, and it was revealed he’d signed a short extension to resolve his program with Kyle O’Reilly and consider his future. With the feud now having concluded at this past Sunday’s NXT TakeOver 36 event with O’Reilly winning, there had been speculation he could debut for AEW as soon as this Wednesday. However, Bryan Alvarez of F4Wonline.com has confirmed on Twitter that Cole’s extension lasts until the end of the week. Therefore there is no way he could appear on Dynamite or Rampage, which is being pre-taped this week on the same day.

Given that Cole hasn’t already inked a new deal with WWE despite meeting with Vince McMahon, it does appear his time with the company is set to end. Although he may just be waiting to get an official offer from AEW so he can compare with WWE’s proposal before making his final decision. He did, though, recently provide a possible clue regarding his future when he stated during a recent Twitch stream there was zero chance his channel will ever go away. This is notable because WWE doesn’t allow main roster talents to have Twitch channels. Of course, McMahon could have agreed to make an exception to secure his signature. That, though, is doubtful because by doing that, he would likely cause unrest with the wrestlers who begrudgingly closed theirs.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”zuYEbNUl” upload-date=”2021-08-17T21:28:04.000Z” name=”Adam Cole Twitch” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Friday’s episode of Rampage will go down in history as the night CM Punk made his return to pro wrestling. While AEW hadn’t officially announced Punk ahead of time, it was well-known he would he’d be there, and fans flocked to Chicago’s United Center to witness the moment live. One Cult of Personalty hit, the building would erupt with cheers, and the camera would capture the excitement among those in attendance. One fan, though, would stand out as he had tears rolling down his face, and on social media would become known as “Crying CM Punk Fan.”

While most people on social media would comment on the fans’ passion, a section would go on to ridicule him for showing his emotions. Now during an interview with Kap & J.Hood, Punk himself would reprimand those for making fun of the fan, admitting he cries and stating that anyone mocking the fan is also mocking him.

QUOTE

As of writing, Crying CM Punk Fan, as he will likely forever be known, has not revealed himself, despite many people trying to track him down. Tommy Dreamer of Impact Wrestling has pledged to fly him into Bound For Glory later this year and even arrange for him to meet Punk, so hopefully, word gets back to him. While it obviously wasn’t his intention to become a viral star, hopefully, he can benefit from it and go on to enjoy his fleeting fame, much like Brock Lesnar Guy, Shocked Undertaker Guy, Angry Miz Girl, and arguably the most famous of them all, It’s Still Real To Me Guy.

Keith Lee returned to WWE on 19th July, having been away due to medical issues relating to his heart. However, after just wrestling three times on television, he has found himself again off the tv. Thankfully, there hasn’t been any reoccurrence of his health problems, but instead, he is wrestling dark matches ahead of a potential heel turn.

Seemingly WWE management thinks is he needs to practice being a heel and has now competed three times before Smackdown going on air and three times before Raw. Except for a match against Austin Theory, all the matches have been against enhancement talent, and reports are he is working dominantly, using high-impact moves and winning quickly.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”LufG9g7d” upload-date=”2021-08-24T12:24:04.000Z” name=”Keith Lee Dark Match – twitter.com/ZumbaPowerHour” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Lee initially received a solid push upon his main roster callup in August 2020, and reportedly Vince McMahon told Randy Orton to make him a star. Shortly afterward, though, his push stalled due to McMahon being unhappy with his ring work. As a result, he would be sent to train at the Performance Center with Drew Gulak and Adam Pearce. While many fans and critics considered this absurd due to his experience working for Ring of Honor, Evolve, and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla before signing with WWE, the only person whose opinion counted in this situation was McMahon’s.

Ric Flair left WWE earlier this month ago following a text conversation with Vince McMahon over his daughter Charlotte’s booking. Flair says that he asked for his release, although it’s claimed McMahon actually fired him. Regardless of details, Flair is no longer with WWE and has already appeared alongside his future son-in-law Andrade El Idolo in AAA and is booked to appear on an upcoming show put on by Billy Corgan’s NWA.

Now during this past week’s episode of Raw, Charlotte would cut a promo putting herself over for winning the Raw Women’s Championship at SummerSlam and said, “I don’t need friends, I do not need family, and I sure as hell don’t need the WWE Universe.” The line about family would receive the biggest crowd reaction and likely was referring to her father no longer being with the company.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”RuiULrWk” upload-date=”2021-08-24T12:22:36.000Z” name=”Charlotte Flair Raw Promo” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

It has been reported that Andrade wants both Ric and Charlotte to join him AEW eventually, however considering how strongly WWE pushes Charlotte, it will likely take a big offer for her to leave the company. That said, she has trademarked the name “Ashley Flair,” with Ashley being her real first name, so she does have things in order so she will be able to use her legendary surname elsewhere.

Karrion Kross was a domineering force on NXT, but his stock rapidly fell once he was called up to the main roster. Scarlett is no longer by his side, and he lost to Jeff Hardy on his Raw debut before trading wins with Keith Lee, which took away the aura he’d built up. This past weekend he’d wrestle what is assumed to have been his final NXT match putting over Samoa Joe, and is considered full-time part of the Raw roster with fans now hoping he is now be set for a renewed push.

During this week’s episode of Raw, Kross would get to look strong by quickly defeating Ricochet. However, it wasn’t his performance that had fans talking, but instead, all the attention was on his new outfit, which saw him trend on Twitter. His new look featured him entering the ring wearing a bizarre mask, somewhat reminiscent of Lord Humungus from Mad Max 2, as well as 80s tag-team Demolition. Additionally, he’d compete in gladiator-style gear. While a few fans would complement the look, saying it made him look less generic, the general consensus was that he looked ridiculous.

At one time, Kross looked like a can’t miss talent and future main eventer, which now seems highly unlikely unless things quickly change. It was reported that Vince McMahon’s initial plan to get Kross over on the main roster was to have him go on a losing streak on Raw, but once Scarlett joined him, he’d resume his winning ways, thus making the pair stars. However, that plan was dropped after just one week for unexplained reasons.

AEW held the second-ever episode of Rampage this past Friday night in Chicago, which was built around an unadvertised yet known to be the happening return of CM Punk to wrestling. Only the biggest AEW haters would criticize how the company presented his debut, and the internet was buzzing with videos of his appearance trending on YouTube all weekend. While all this is great for AEW in terms of buzz, the key indicator on how successful his debut was would always be the ratings, and on Monday afternoon, the official numbers were revealed.

It can now be confirmed the episode was watched by an average of 1.1 million viewers on TNT, which is a massive 52.6% increase from the previous week’s premiere episode. Additionally, in the key 18-49 demo, Rampage would deliver a 0.53 rating, which was an increase of 71% week on week, and the highest demo AEW has produced since the first-ever episode of Dynamite back in October 2019.

While both WWE and AEW play down the promotional battle at times, obviously, comparisons will be made with SmackDown on Fox airing directly before Rampage. This week’s episode featured Edge giving Seth Rollins a “Brood bath,” Bianca Belair wrestling, and a face-to-face between John Cena/Roman Reigns. Overall the episode would handsomely beat Rampage with an average of 2.1 million viewers. However, SmackDown only just edged out Rampage in the key demo with a 0.57 rating.

Considering it’s believed TNT was happy with Rampage’s premier numbers, it’s assumed they will be delighted with this week’s. The big question will now be whether Rampage can continue to deliver in the ratings, which may be challenging at times because most episodes are scheduled to be pre-taped and won’t feature such significant debuts.

Becky Lynch returned to WWE at this past weekend’s SummerSlam event. She’d been off television since May 2020, shortly after she learned she was pregnant with her and Seth Rollins’ baby. Since the birth, she has frequently teased her return, and fans have eagerly anticipated her comeback, chanting “We Want Becky” during shows. It had been heavily rumored she was set to return in time for WWE’s draft in October. However, with Sasha Banks unavailable, WWE brought Lynch back earlier to defeat Bianca Belair for the SmackDown’s Women’s Championship.

While fans were happy to see Lynch back, the fact she defeated Belair in less than 30 seconds left a bad taste in many mouths, with fans on social media declaring Belair had been buried. It’s since been revealed that the idea for Lynch to squash Belair came directly from Vince McMahon, and now PWInsider has reported that his overall plan is for Lynch to become a heel.

WWE is making a bold move in turning Lynch heel, considering how popular she was before her maternity leave. The only logical reason is that WWE wants Belair to remain SmackDown’s top babyface, and the only way to logically have the pair work a program is to turn Lynch. However, if that is the case, Lynch’s dominant win does seem counter-productive, but perhaps that will play into the long-term storyline.

Despite previously confirming she would be attending SummerSlam, Nikki Bella would go on to share that she’d been notified she wasn’t permitted to visit backstage. Bella provided no reason, but it’s speculated it could be related to her past relationship with John Cena or even her vaccination status due to WWE’s strict backstage policies. However, she got to frequent the afterparty and was interviewed about her favorite part of the show. However, the usually diplomatic Bella would say she didn’t know if she had a favorite but did have a least favorite and was frustrated that Bianca Belair lost in seconds.

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”L2yhuUoZ” upload-date=”2021-08-23T10:05:56.000Z” name=”Nikki Bella Comments On Bianca Belair’s Defeat” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]

Fans on social media have been vocal about WWE’s decision to have Belair beaten so swiftly by a returning Becky Lynch. While most acknowledge that given how Lynch was a surprise return, it should have won the match. The fact it lasted less than 30 seconds was humiliating to Belair. The belief is WWE intends to turn Lynch heel, so it’s likely the decision was made to play into a longer-term storyline, but at present, defeating the woman who had been the promotion’s top female babyface for the past six months in what was essentially a squash match does appear to be counter-productive. 

Horrorcore band The Insane Clown Posse held their annual Gathering of the Juggalos event this past weekend, and one of the hip hop duo Violent J, real name Joseph Bruce would reveal he is dealing with a worrying health issue. He is suffering from Atrial fibrillation, a heart condition that causes an irregular and usually fast heartbeat. Often people affected with this condition suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, or obesity and are at risk of suffering a stroke.

Violent J would explain to the Juggalos in attendance that he has been struggling with shortness of breath when doing minor tasks like going to his mailbox and found out he was suffering heart failure after seeing doctors. He would then announce that ICP will have one final tour traveling the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia and that the music would not be adversely affected by his condition.

While the controversial pair are best known for their music, they are also connected to pro wrestling. Both Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope would actually start out backyard wrestling before forming the band. They wrestled in WWE, WCW, ECW, and TNA at the height of their popularity and fame, and in 1999 started Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Twenty-plus years on, and they continue to run shows 20 years later, with some even taking place in Violent J’s backyard at times.

It was revealed following the release of Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson last year that Paul Heyman had suggested their release to Vince McMahon. On their Talk N’ Shop podcast, the Good Brother would explain that they found out from AJ Styles, who was told by Vince McMahon directly it was a “Heyman thing.” As Styles had previously asked Heyman about it and denied being involved, Styles would call Heyman “a bold-faced liar” on a gaming stream, and he requested to switch brands to be away from Heyman.

Now in an interview conducted for Inside The Ropes magazine, Heyman would be questioned about this situation. However, instead of attempting to clear his name or even confirming the story but giving his side, he would instead state he would not talk about things that happen behind closes doors.

Heyman’s reputation of playing fast and loose with the truth is legendary, and based on his response, it certainly seems likely he did recommend the pair were released. Jim Cornette famously has said, “Paul Heyman would rather climb a tree and tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth.” While the stories of Heyman lying are seemingly endless, many fans choose to give him a pass because he is charismatic and gave the world Extreme Championship Wrestling. However, Styles, Gallows, and Anderson certainly aren’t among them.