Nikki and Brie Bella both recently gave birth to baby boys just 22 hours apart. Since then, the wrestling twins’ fans have been eagerly awaiting confirmation of what they named their sons.
Speaking to People.com they’d reveal that Nikki and fiancé Artem Chigvintsev have named their first child Matteo Artemovich Chigvintsev. Brie and Bryan Danielson chose Buddy Dessert Danielson for their son. Seemingly Buddy is a favorite name of Bryan Danielson’s as it was one of the names he suggested he used when he signed with WWE in 2009.
The Bella Army don’t have long to meet the bundles of joy, as season 6 of the reality television series Total Bella’s is due on E! this fall.
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Wade Barrett is set to return to NXT tonight as a commentator. It’s understood it’s a one time deal to cover for Mauro Ranallo, who also missed this past weekend’s NXT TakeOver event.
Since leaving WWE in 2016, Barrett hasn’t wrestled, although he did come close to wrestling for Lucha Underground. Instead, Barrett, under his real name Stu Bennett has worked as a commentator for both World of Sport Wrestling in the UK, and Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance, which he showed a great natural ability for.
Interestingly, WWE has decided to bring in Barrett when Nigel McGuinness is still furloughed. This could be an ominous sign for the former Ring of Honor champion.
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WWE’s move to the Amway Center and introduction of the WWE Thunderdome was meant to give shows some sense of normality by allowing virtual fans to attend shows and be shown on screen reacting to the action.
It seemed inevitable some fans would have some “fun” with the technology. It started harmlessly enough with Mario and Pikachu’s images appearing on screen, then “Fire Velveteen Dream” and “MJF 2020” signs appeared. Soon things escalated to include photos of Chris Benoit, someone in a Klan robe, and most disturbingly, someone appearing to have their throat cut execution-style.
The apparent execution video aired in the background during Raw’s closing angle with Retribution. For obvious reasons, we will not link to it, but it can be easily found on Twitter. It isn’t known if it is genuine or fake footage, but regardless could get WWE in hot water with the USA Network.
While it is claimed WWE has moderators for the screens, the fact the videos need to be live to get fans reactions is clearly not working. WWE now has until SmackDown to clamp down on what is becoming a disturbing game of one-upmanship between trolls.
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Shaquille O’Neal has agreed on a new multi-year deal with WarnerMedia, and Variety revealed that could include appearing on TNT’s coverage of All Elite Wrestling. He is also interested in having a match after telling The Athletic he has his sights set on Cody Rhodes.
I’d love to fight Cody. Write it. Print it. Text it to him. Call AEW up and tell them.Shaq
Shaq’s love of pro wrestling is well-known, and he has appeared many times over the years for WCW, TNA, and WWE. His most memorable moment being a participant in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 32. He was also very close to wrestling Big Show at WrestleMania 33, but it fell apart due to either scheduling or monetary issues depending on who you believe.
If Cody isn’t available, our very own Chris Jericho would be a great alternative considering they have a history dating back to when Shaq was a guest host on Raw.
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Roman Reigns has been absent from WWE since he went home the day his WrestleMania 36 match against Goldberg was scheduled to be taped. On the day The Miz turned up sick, and due to Reigns having a weakened immune system and having two newborn babies at home, he opted to go home. It was believed he wouldn’t be back in WWE until a vaccine was available, but tonight he returned at the end of SummerSlam following The Fiend winning the Universal Championship.
Reigns would appear out of nowhere to spear The Fiend and then brutalize Braun Strowman with a chair on the outside. Reigns would then return to the ring, hit The Fiend with another spear, and hold up the Universal Championship as SummerSlam went off the air.
With the Payback pay-per-view scheduled for next Sunday and no main event announced as of writing, it now seems extremely likely Reigns will be involved.
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Karrion Kross became NXT Champion at NXT TakeOver last night in only his seventh match in the promotion. It’s obvious WWE sees big things in his future, but his title reign is already under threat after it was revealed he had separated the acromioclavicular joint in his right shoulder during the match.
Kross spoke to ESPN earlier today about the injury, where he stated he would be getting the damage thoroughly checked, but seemed optimistic about not needing surgery.
I will get the professional, educated opinion on what the severity of it is. But it’s definitely separated. I won’t beat around the bush about that. As the saying goes, it’s not ballet.
I feel mixed emotions right now. The whole situation is very bittersweet. I think from a natural place, I’m always a very motivated individual. I’m a solution-based thinker, rather than a pity-based thinker.
I’m very intuitive with my body. And the range of emotion that I have right now, while it’s not what I would like it to be, for me personally it would indicate to me that I’m going to be able to get through this without any sort of extreme measures, so to speak.
Whatever is going on with my shoulder is not as important to me as proving right now to every single person that I work with, every single person that’s taken time or equity out of their careers to elevate me, that I’m worth a shit and I’m gonna finish this strong, no matter how severe this is.Karrion Kross
Hopefully, the injury isn’t severe, because if it is minor, Kross may only miss two to three weeks. If he does require surgery and subsequently full rehabilitation, he is likely to be out of action for at least three to four months, and almost certainly, WWE will need to vacate the NXT championship.
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Earlier this week, WWE removed several documentaries featuring Bret Hart from the WWE Network. Speculation was rife on the reasons why, with some fans suggesting it was due to recent comments where Hart revealed that Triple H and Shawn Michaels bullied The Rock back in his early years. However, the truth is far less exciting, and it was Bret Hart who instigated their removal.
While WWE owns Stampede Wrestling footage, they do not own the footage, which features Bret Hart, and he previously purchased this himself. Hart was fine with WWE using it previously, but after seeing a match of his against The Dynamite Kid on the Network, he contacted Mark Carrano, who is WWE’s Senior Director of Talent Relations. Carrano would disregard Hart’s complaint and told him to contact WWE’s legal department. Hart instead texted both Vince McMahon and Triple H, who promptly had the documentaries that featured his footage pulled.
The ones removed were:
It now remains to be seen whether WWE leave the documentaries off the Network indefinitely, edits out the footage, or agree on a deal with Bret to license it.
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Mickie James returned to the ring during last Monday’s Raw, having missed the previous 14 months due to a torn ACL, which required surgery. Thankfully she was able to return, and her comeback match was against Natalya. Disappointingly James didn’t get an entrance, and the match lasted just over three minutes. It was also overshadowed by Rollins and Murphy confronting Samoa Joe on commentary. With Rollins and Murphy at ringside, the woman’s match continued in the background until James was counted out. It was about as flat of a comeback as anyone could have, and Mickie James was not happy with how it played. She’d tell Ring The Belle‘s YouTube channel that it was “bullsh*t.”
I felt like we’re gonna have a great match, we’re gonna kick butt. I felt like there’s some genuine magic to be made there and to tell a really great story. It’s just unfortunate that nobody saw it, you know, it’s bullsh*t. I’m hot about it, but I am grateful to be back. It’s just unfortunate.Mickie James
Mickie James’ frustration is understandable, and hopefully, WWE realizes their mistake because her treatment diminishes the excellent work they’ve done with the women’s evolution.
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Earlier today, Warner Bros released a teaser trailer for James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad,” the sequel to 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” In it, John Cena was revealed to be playing Christoper Smith, aka Peacemaker. In the comic books, this character is a pacifist that uses non-lethal weapons. Not much is known about the plot, other than the Suicide Squad are on a mission to liberate a South American country. The movie is scheduled for release on the 6th of August 2021 in the US.
Below is the trailer.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”zn023xMn” upload-date=”2020-08-22T22:02:00.000Z” name=”John Cena In The Suicide Squad” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
This is a major role for Cena, who has established himself a legitimate film star over the past few years after appearing in significant roles in Blockers, Bumblebee, and Playing With Fire. He is also playing a lead role in the postponed F9, the next film in the Fast & Furious franchise.
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After a five months hiatus Revolution Pro Wrestling, based in the UK is back with “Epic Encounters One,” and thanks to FITE, we have a code to give away to watch the event on Sunday 23rd August for free. There are six matches on the card, including Michael Oku and Will Ospreay vs. RKJ and Kyle Fletcher, plus Gisele Shaw defends her Undisputed British Women’s Championship vs. Jamie Hayter. It airs at 3:00 PM ET so you can still watch SummerSlam live.
Note entries close on Sunday, 23rd August, at 8:00 AM ET, and the winner will be sent the FITE code via email by 10:00 AM ET. By submitting your entry, you will also be subscribing to the WIJ Newsletter, which you can unsubscribe from with one-click.
So, for your chance to win, just answer the following question:
Which of these wrestlers has Will Ospreay wrestled in Revolution Pro Wrestling?
A) L.A. Park
B) Vader
[contact-form to=”james@webisjericho.com” subject=”RevPro Comp”][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”1″][contact-field label=”Answer” type=”text” required=”1″ options=”L.A. Park,Vader”][/contact-form]
If you’re not lucky enough to win, you can order the iPPV through FITE for just $9.99 at this link.
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Rey Mysterio has been working for WWE without a contract for some time. If he didn’t re-sign, the “Eye For Eye” match was to write him off television for good. AEW made him an offer, which matched his per match rate in WWE, but it has now been confirmed he is staying with WWE after signing what is believed to be a three-year deal. It isn’t known if Mysterio received the pay rise he had requested. This will make him 48 when the contract expires.
It’s believed the deal was signed before Mysterio returned to Raw this past week and announced he would be in his son Dominik’s corner at SummerSlam. Dominik is making his in-ring debut this Sunday in a Street Fight against Seth Rollins, and it’s likely the push Dominik is receiving was played a pivotal factor to Rey staying with WWE.
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This week, WWE announced they were turning the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, into the “WWE ThunderDome. It debuts on tonight’s SmackDown, and fans have been promised video boards, pyro, smoke, lasers, drone cameras, cutting-edge graphics, and a roof to project content. It sounds incredible, and ahead of the broadcast, WWE has been running extensive tests and rehearsals, including inviting select fans to attend virtually. Of course, anytime fans get involved, the information will leak, and below you can watch two videos of the WWE ThunderDome in action.
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”MlRj2VKP” upload-date=”2020-08-21T18:24:35.000Z” name=”ThunderDome Sheamus @TravelWrestling” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”BhaFHrH3″ upload-date=”2020-08-21T16:49:28.000Z” name=”First Match – No Audio @halfkaypodcast” description=”” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
Since March, WWE has been taping at the Performance Canter, and while it allowed them to continue fulfilling television and pay-per-view commitments, it wasn’t very popular amongst the viewing public, and ratings have decreased. It will be fascinating to see how fans and ratings react to WWE’s ThunderDome.
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