Patrick Clark, who wrestled as Velveteen Dream, was released by WWE in May. The belief was that it was related to serious accusations previously made against him. While he denied the claims, his name was tarnished, and any time he performed, fans on social media would bring up the allegations. Later though, it would come out that his release was related to an unspecified incident which when WWE found out resulted in them letting him go.

At the time, it wasn’t known if Clark intended to carry on his wrestling career when his non-compete expired. But on Wednesday evening, he was advertised for an indie show on September 11th in Toms River, New Jersey. However, within two hours, the promotion would announce on Twitter he was off the show due to the adverse reaction from fans.

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This doesn’t bode well for Clark being able to continue his career because if he can’t even wrestle an independent show without fan backlash, it’s doubtful any major company would want to deal with the repercussion. It should be noted that while the court of public opinion has seemingly found Clark guilty, he has never been arrested, and WWE is said to have investigated the claims and cleared him.

Samoa Joe was released in April by WWE after the company reshuffled their commentary teams. He’d moved behind the announce table after suffering two concussions in early 2020, and with him now deemed surplus to requirements, he was let go. However, it’s believed Triple H did not agree with this decision, and following a meeting at the Performance Center, he was brought back and quickly put on NXT. His return to the brand would see him become an authority figure as General Manager William Regal’s enforcer.

To have the role, Joe had to agree to not be a competitor in the storyline and not lay a hand on anyone unless provoked. This was clearly done to explain the lack of Joe’s physicality due to not being medically cleared but still build towards an eventual match with Karrion Kross. It now appears that Joe has been medically cleared, as during Wednesday night’s tapings set to air next week, a match between the pair was announced.

This was done by Joe tendering his resignation as an NXT authority figure so he could wrestle Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship at NXT Takeover 36 on Sunday, August 22. Regal would subsequently agree and signed the paperwork making it official. Later in the show, Kross would be confronted by Joe during a promo. Joe would end up beating up several security guards, but Kross would escape.

While it isn’t confirmed, it seems likely that Joe wins the NXT Championship as Kross debuted on Raw earlier this week and is expected to become a regular on the brand. Surprisingly though, Kross’ main roster debut wouldn’t be a monumental event. Not only was he not accompanied by his valet Scarlett, but he would also lose to Jeff Hardy in under two minutes. It has since been speculated that this was done by Vince McMahon to test Kross before WWE gives him a significant push, although it has undoubtedly taken some of the shine off the NXT Championship.

CM Punk walked out on WWE after the 2014 Royal Rumble due to becoming disillusioned with the wrestling business and being in poor health. He would detail his frustrations during the now-infamous podcast interview with Colt Cabana, which ultimately got the pair sued but let fans into what it was like to work for Vince McMahon’s company.

It was believed that Punk was done with wrestling, but over the years, his stance seemingly softened, and he would even appear under a mask on an indie show. Then in 2019, he would shock everyone by participating as an occasional analyst on WWE Backstage. Although it was noted that his contract was with Fox, and he remained critical of the company on social media.

Now in a report by Fightful Select, it has been claimed that Punk is currently in negotiations to make his in-ring return, with AEW thought to be his most likely destination. Subsequently, other sources have verified this by stating that talks have been going on for some. If Punk does indeed sign with AEW, their All Out pay-per-view on September 5, 2021, would seem to be the perfect time for him to debut due to taking place in his home state of Illinois.

In the past, Punk has claimed AEW him an offer via a text message sent by Cody Rhodes, which he felt wasn’t a professional way to conduct business. However, since then, Rhodes has refuted this by saying he has never made anyone an offer in that manner.

AEW has delighted and surprised fans multiple times by signing wrestlers like Jon Moxley, Sting, and most recently Aleister Black. But if they can agree on a deal with Punk, it will overshadow those and create the opportunity for multiple dream matches that many fans never believed were possible.

Tony Schiavone shocked fans worldwide when he introduced Mark Henry at Double or Nothing as an upcoming analyst for the AEW’s upcoming show named Rampage. The WWE Hall of Famer had been attached to the company since 1996 and looked to be a WWE lifer. However, the same was thought of Paul Wight, who also jumped to AEW this year.

While his primary role is set to be behind the commentary desk and be a familiar face to those checking out AEW’s new show, it’s also believed he will step into the ring. He has previously revealed he wanted to compete again, saying his motivation was to catch Wight’s wrestling record of competing in four decades. And now in an interview with the Battleground Podcast, Henry would confirm he will be wrestling in AEW, but it won’t be imminent.

Henry’s last singles match took place in February 2017 when he lost to Braun Strowman on Raw. Since then, he has wrestled in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 and the Greatest Royal Rumble match in 2018. While not ever officially retiring, it was thought his in-ring days were behind him. However, he clearly feels he has something left in the tank and will resume his in-ring career in an AEW ring.

On the July 7th episode of AEW Dynamite, MJF told Chris Jericho he had to go through four opponents if he wants to wrestle him again, with each contest having a different stipulation. The first of what is being called the Labors of Jericho was announced to be Shawn Spears, with The Pinnacle member permitted to use a chair during that contest.

That match would take place during this week’s edition of Dynamite, and after a back-and-forth match, which saw interference from Tully Blanchard and Spears freely using multiple chairs, Jericho would be victorious. This led to an angry MJF who had been on commentary, announcing that Jericho’s second labor will come in the form of a No DQ match with Nick Gage at next week’s Fight For The Fallen special Dynamite. Additionally, Jericho can’t receive any help as Sammy Guevara had made the save earlier when Blanchard tried to get involved earlier.

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Later in the show, Jericho would be interviewed and be in his Painmaker gear, revealing that he’ll be competing next week as his alter-ego. Jericho first came up with the character “The Painmaker” when he studied tapes of the legendary Bruiser Brody during the 30th anniversary of his tragic death. Brody was notorious for his wild and hardcore brawling style and inspired Jericho to debut this hard-hitting character when he worked with Kenny Omega in New Japan. The name “The Painmaker” then followed once he began working with Okada, who is known as “The Rainmaker.”

For those unaware, Jericho opponent Nick Gage is a deathmatch wrestling icon who was a subject on the latest series of Dark Side of the Ring. The documentary series would cover him almost bleeding to death in a match and the bank robbery he committed in 2010, which saw him steal $3,000 and go on the run with his girlfriend. He’d end up incarcerated after ended up turning himself in and was sentenced to five years. While he did receive early parole, he would be imprisoned again due to a drug-related parole violation.

Since his release, he has become a cult hero on the independents and made headlines when he cut David Arquette during a match in 2018. The former WCW was cut so severely that he would leave the venue midmatch and seek urgent medical attention. He currently wresters for Game Changer Wrestling and is working programs with both Jon Moxley and Matt Cardona. However, his career looks set to reach a new level next week when he wrestles Jericho on national television.

In addition to Nick Gage making his debut for AEW during the July 21st episode of Dynamite, so did former WCW and WWE wrestler Chavo Guerrero Jr. He would be introduced by Tony Schiavone and is now the Executive Consultant of Andrade El Idolo. Andrade had initially been aligned with Vicki Guerrero when making his debut on June 4th. However, seemingly, AEW management wasn’t a fan of the partnership and decided to bring the third-generation veteran in to be his mouthpiece.

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Chavo, whose name was chanted by the fans, would say he’d heard AEW was the place to be, and he was blown away by the talent backstage. He’d then put over Andrade by saying that none, though, were as talented as him. This led to PAC, Penta El Zero Miedo, Rey Fenix, and Alex Abrahantes coming out, and PAC would address Andrade mentioning them last week. Andrade would ask why Penta and Fenix why they worked for PAC and requested they work for him. This was rejected, and multiple referees would keep everyone apart before it got physical.

While it is believed Chavo’s role in AEW will be mainly as a manager, it should be noted he does still wrestle on occasion. Earlier this year, he competed at GCW Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport 6 pay-per-view against Rocky Romero in April. Before that, he worked on both Talk ‘N Shop A Mania comedy shows in 2020.

This past weekend Impact Wrestling held their 17th annual Slammiversary event. It had been promoted by advertising there would be multiple surprises, and they would deliver matches featuring Chelsea Green, No Way Jose, and Thunder Rosa. Plus, Mickie James and Jay White made appearances, and a video vignette aired promoting Aiden English’s upcoming debut. This resulted in much online buzz for the company, and fans hoped they would continue the momentum on the next set of tapings.

Now ImpactAsylum.net has provided some bare bone spoilers, and there were multiple tidbits worth noting coming from the tapings. Firstly Jay White would align with Chris Bey with him officially joining the BC, then later they would team against The Good Brothers. Up and coming indie wrestler Savanah Evans and former AEW Dark regular John Skyler would make their debuts. AEW’s Kazarian made his return to the promotion. English teamed with Knockout Champion Deonna Purazzo in an intergender tag tournament which also saw Missy Hyatt compete. Then promoting NWA’s upcoming NWA Empowerrr all-women’s show, former WWE star Melina would be revealed by Mickie James to be Purazzo future opponent, and she’d say she intends to win her championship on the PPV.

These tapings show Impact’s working relationship with AEW, New Japan, and now Billy Corgan’s NWA is going strong. So much in the way that AEW helps them get more eyeballs thanks to Kenny Omega appearing on their show, they are doing similar for the NWA by promoting Empowerrr and allowing Purazzo to perform. Additionally, at the tapings, Impact Wrestling Champion Kenny Omega’s next opponent is confirmed via a battle royal with details available in ImpactAsylum.net‘s report.

Two years ago, Fox Nation host Britt McHenry began legal action against George Murdoch, better known to wrestling fans as Brodus Clay. She claimed he sent her sexually explicit text messages when they worked together on Fox News. Plus, she alleged he became hostile to her when she disclosed she had a boyfriend. She’d go on to accuse the network of being a “sanctuary for sexual harassers,” and in addition to Murdoch, defendants included Fox Entertainment Group, Fox Corp, News Corp, Fox Nation boss John Finley, executive producer Jennifer Ratchet and human resources executive Monica Mekeel.

Now though, the case has been dismissed without prejudice, meaning it can’t be refiled. This is due to a settlement being agreed upon, with the specific details not being made public. However, Fox News would say that while they believe they’d have prevailed in the lawsuit, they are pleased to have concluded the litigation. Additionally, Murdoch’s attorney would say his client denies the allegations made against him and is not making any financial payments. Seemingly this means Fox determined it was more cost-effective to settle now than go to court.

Since departing WWE in 2014, Murdoch began using the name Tyrus and infrequently wrestling on the independents. Still, he did have extended runs in TNA/Impact Wrestling, where he was aligned and then feuded with EC3. After taking a hiatus from the business while he focused on his television career, he would resume wrestling with the NWA earlier this year.

Karrion Kross has been having dark before both Raw and SmackDown since late June and wrestled Shelton Benjamin on Main Event. The belief was WWE management wanted to see him up close, rather than just watching him in NXT ahead of his full-time main roster callup. Surprisingly in these matches, his valet Scarlett hasn’t been by his side. Still, it was assumed that would be rectified once he appeared on Raw or SmackDOwn due to them being such an effective double act.

However, during this week’s episode of Raw, Kross would appear on the show for the first time since working as an enhancement talent and was without her. With it being his 36th birthday, it could have been a special night for the NXT Champion competing in front of more than at any other time in his career. Unfortunately for him, he would be defeated by Jeff Hardy in less than two minutes, ending his 15 month undefeated run in WWE.

Many fans and critics on social media were disappointed with this, as while Hardy is an all-time great, he has been somewhat of an afterthought in recent months. The former WWE Champion’s stock is near an all-time low, having suffered defeats to Veer, Mustafa Ali, John Morrison, Jinder Mahal, and The Miz this year.

Kross was expected to become a massive star on the main roster, and while he still can be, this situation doesn’t bode well for him and has taken the shine off the NXT Championship. But, of course, one defeat doesn’t equal a burial, and Hardy’s victory was less than emphatic as he had his feet on the ropes. So Kross’ callup can still be turned around if he becomes a decisive victor in a feud against Hardy.

During this week’s episode of Raw, WWE Champion Bobby Lashley, fresh off his dominating victory over Kofi Kingston at Money In The Bank, would issue an open challenge. This would be answered by Keith Lee, who hadn’t appeared on WWE television in over five months due to speculated health issues. With the show being held in Dallas, Keith, who is a Texan, had the crowd fully behind him but ultimately would be defeated clean in just under six minutes.

Following the match, Goldberg’s music hit, and the WCW legend would enter the ring and yelled into Lashley’s face, “I’m next!” While it’s anticipated the pair will wrestle at SummerSlam, it isn’t yet official as MVP would later say backstage that they weren’t dignifying his challenge with a response.

Goldberg last competed for WWE at January’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view when he challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship. The match would last less than three minutes, and Goldberg subsequently went on hiatus until now. As Goldberg only has one match left on his contract for this year (and two more next year), it seems a foregone conclusion Lashley will be victorious. However, things can always change in WWE.

After his victory against Edge in the main event of Money In The Bank, Roman Reigns would begin cutting a promo about the whole world acknowledging him. During this, he would be interrupted by John Cena’s music hitting and the WWE legend would make his return to the company to a monstrous pop. Once he entered the ring, he’d make the “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture towards Reigns, which Reigns no sold. The show would go off the air with both men in the ring, and while there wasn’t an actual confrontation, it was clear a match against the two is happening at SummerSlam.

Once the show was off the air, a delighted John Cena would address the fans in attendance, saying it felt weird as he was used to fans telling him he sucks. He would also point out a sign in the audience that said, “if Cena shows up, we cheer” and called it Bizarro World. He’d then say he isn’t back for a one-night-only, and he had missed the fans. You can watch this for yourself below.

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Cena last appeared on a WWE show at WrestleMania 36 and has since been focusing on his acting carrier, most recently filming Peacemaker for HBO Max. Additionally, he has been promoting the movie F9, which he stars in alongside Vin Diesel and has grossed over $590 million worldwide since its initial international release on May 19, 2021.

Earlier this year, he commented on his part-time WWE status in an interview earlier this year by saying he has become what he despised. This was in reference to when he famously called out The Rock for being a part-timer. The real-life situation eventually resulted in two huge WrestleMania matches between the pair. Cena has since gone back on what he said about The Rock, calling it the “stupidest stuff ever” and that he was looking at it through blinded eyes at the time.

WWE is now back in front of fans, and unlike in the ThunderDome can no longer control reactions. This was evident on last night’s Money In The Match pay-per-view during the match between Charlotte Flair and Rhea Ripley. Fans would disrespect the women in the ring by chanting “we want Becky,” with it known Becky Lynch was in attendance at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. This prompted an annoyed Charlotte to flip off fans, and WWE would try to censor this by turning the screen black. However, it was ineffective, and her hand gesture was clearly viewable, as you can see below.

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Charlotte would beat Rhea Ripley to win the Raw Women’s Championship after putting Ripley’s legs between the post and steel steps and kicking the steps repeatedly. This led to Flair putting her weakened opponent in the Figure Eight Leglock and Ripley tapping out. This victory now makes Charlotte a five-time Raw women’s champion and 14-time women’s champion overall.