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You know what time it is. We put together all the biggest stories of the week all in one location.
The week that went by was a bit more happening than its predecessors. While we usually cover ten stories, this week's edition features fourteen of the most newsworthy bits from the world of pro wrestling.
The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, Edge, Jon Moxley and Roman Reigns were all in the news this past week for varying reasons.
WWE showed their intent in their impending war against AEW and announced a big change to its programming schedule. A former United States Champion revealed that he may be quitting WWE in some time only to delete the tweet later.
Trending
Charlotte Flair to return and wrestle a CURRENT CHAMPION?
A WWE legend's marriage, an absent Superstar's new look and two hot new free agents. As we said, STACKED!
Let's not waste any more time and get down to business.
#1. LAX wrestle last match for Impact
The best tag team in Impact Wrestling for the past few years wrestled their final match at the Impact Zone. Ortiz and Santana, collectively known as LAX, took on Rich Swann and Willie Mack in their last match for the promotion and as things stand, are two of the hottest free agents in all of pro wrestling.
Santana took to Twitter and posted the following statement regarding their departure from Impact Wrestling:
"Last night we wrestled our final match with Impact Wrestling. Our appreciation and gratitude for every single person there who had a hand in helping us get to this point, is absolutely endless. Thank you for the opportunity to show the world our passion and commitment for this business. And most of all, for the opportunity to represent our people and culture on a big stage. We are forever grateful."
Ortiz tweeted on the development and thanked a few people who were instrumental in making their TNA run a big success.
As we had noted earlier, both WWE and AEW are interested in getting LAX on board and it will be interesting to see who snaps up their signatures in the months ahead.
#2. Jon Moxley unmasks Pentagon Jr.
There can't be a news round-up without Jon Moxley now, can there? The former WWE Superstar has been a busy man since leaving Vince McMahon's company and has managed to stay in the news with regularity.
In the headliner of Northeast Wrestling's Prison Break show, Moxley took on Pentagon Jr. and unmasked the popular Luchador moments before he hit the Paradigm Shift.
Pentagon Jr. is inarguably one of the best Hispanic wrestlers in the world at the moment and his unmasking, albeit briefly, does come as a major surprise.
Pentagon Jr. along with Fenix, collectively known as the Lucha Bros, will defend the AAA World Tag Team Championship against The Young Bucks at AEW All Out on August 31st.
Moxley will take on Kenny Omega at the same show and that, my friends, is a match you just don't want to miss.
#3. Brock Lesnar wants to fight Jon Jones
The Beast Incarnate's modus operandi is simple. Wrestle a handful of big matches, make the big bucks and wait for Vince McMahon's call while being in the safe confines of his ranch.
It's a sweet deal for Brock Lesnar, not so much for the fans who want a fighting champion regularly showing up on TV. They have that now in Seth Rollins. So, what's next for Lesnar? When will he return for another big payday? We still don't have any updates regarding his WWE status but we now know that the former WWE Champion still harbours desires of competing inside the Octagon.
Kurt Angle was on Ariel Helwani's MMA show and the Olympic Gold Medalist revealed that while Lesnar may be retired from MMA, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion would love to face Jon Jones if the opportunity to return arises.
Angle said:
“I know he said that he’s retired. The one fight he wants, and I don’t know if it’s ever going to happen, but he wants to go up against Jon Jones. I think that would be an extraordinary fight. They are very different. Their sizes are completely opposite, but Brock’s a freak. He might not win all of his fights, and he may not be the more polished fighter, but he is an incredible athlete.” H/t Credit: BloodyElbow
As expected, Jones responded by calling Lesnar slow and said that he would embarrass the WWE Superstar if they ever fought. Do you agree with the UFC Light Heavyweight Champion?
#4. Ronda Rousey suffers a gruesome injury
As per a graphic image released by TMZ, Ronda Rousey suffered a nasty injury in two of her fingers while shooting a scene for the TV show, '9-1-1'. The scene in question required Rousey to dramatically close a door but she ended up banging it on her fingers.
The adrenaline rush that came along with doing the action sequence got the better of an 'over-exuberant' Rousey, who ended up with a severely broken middle finger and a severed tendon. She even hurt her ring finger. Rousey finished her take and was expectedly rushed to the hospital where screws and bolts were used to fix her middle finger.
Here is an image of her injured finger if you have the nerves to digest graphic imagery.
#5. NXT to USA Network
Forget the Monday Night Wars, Wednesday Night Wars are all set to be a thing in pro wrestling starting October.
WWE announced that NXT will be a 2-hour live show on the USA Network on Wednesdays and the groundbreaking move will be set in motion from September 18th onwards.
AEW will also be airing their weekly television shows on the TNT Network from October. Vince McMahon likes the sound of Wednesday Night Wars and wishes to give AEW a run for their money by putting them in head-on competition with its yellow brand.
WWE released the following statement regarding NXT's step-up to national TV:
The move to USA Network provides an opportunity to deepen our relationship with NBCUniversal and further build the NXT brand," said WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon in a statement.
"Over the long term our goal is to develop a following that can be monetized to the same level as our flagship programs, Raw and SmackDown."
"USA Network and WWE have one of the longest and most successful partnerships in television history," said USA and SYFY president Chris McCumber. "As the #1 cable entertainment network, we're excited to add NXT to our weekly lineup alongside powerhouse flagship Raw, and to bring a new generation of Superstars to a wide audience."
In case you're wondering, Triple H is still expected to be the man in charge behind the scenes in NXT. Vince McMahon will be focussing more on the XFL reboot which starts in 2020.
Triple H and Chris Jericho also reacted to the monumental announcement on Twitter:
#6. AEW updates
The next couple of months are going to be very important for All Elite Wrestling. The promotion has the All Out PPV coming up on August 31st before shifting its attention to its grand TV premiere on October 2nd.
In order to build upon the existing hype, the company has been making additions to all of the announced shows. We'll just walk you through some of the major announcements that were made this past week:
- Jack Evans and Angelico vs. Private Party added to All Out Pre-show. Big Swole and Sadie Gibbs have been added to the All Out Casino Battle Royal. Riho vs. Hikaru Shida was also added to the main show.
- First-ever AEW World Tag Team Champions will be crowned on the October 30th episode on TNT. It was also revealed that Chris Jericho will be wrestling on the same show, which will be AEW's fifth weekly offering since its premiere.
- Jon Moxley will be in action on the fourth and fifth episodes on October 23rd and 30th respectively.
- The AEW Women's title will be defended on the third episode on October 16th. The inaugural champion will be crowned on the debut show on October 2nd.
#7. Roman Reigns signs a new WWE contract
As reported first by Pro Wrestling Sheet, Roman Reigns signed a new multi-year contract with the WWE. While the exact nature and length of his contract are not known, The Big Dog put pen to paper on a new deal last month and will be a featured talent for the next few years.
WWE put out the following announcement while confirming the new contract:
The Big Dog is here to stay. Roman Reigns has signed a new multi-year contract with WWE. Reigns is one of WWE's most decorated Superstars, having held the WWE, Universal, Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team Championships during his career.
Earlier this year, Reigns won the first-ever WWE Moment ESPY after his return to the ring from battling leukemia. Tune in to SmackDown LIVE Tuesday at 8/7 C on the USA Network to see The Big Dog in action.
The former WWE Champion has many big fights left in the WWE:
WWE's recent strategy has seen them lockdown talents to long-term deals ranging from 4 to 5 years. Reigns has stated that he sees himself wrestling for another 5 years before transitioning out to explore other avenues.
"I’m still a young man, I’m 34, I still have a few more years in me...I think I can hold this schedule for at least 5 more years of being full-time...Eventually, it’s gonna have to be time to rest my body.”
#8. The Undertaker's return announced
The Deadman doesn't feel like the special attraction that he once was. As announced by the WWE, The Undertaker will be returning on the SmackDown episode of September 10 at the Madison Square Garden, NYC.
WWE will be stopping by the iconic Madison Square Garden for two shows - Raw on September 9th and SmackDown Live on September 10th.
It should be noted that the Undertaker is only being advertised for SmackDown and not Raw. It's also odd that WWE chose to get the Deadman back three weeks before SmackDown's 20th Anniversary show on October 4th.
As reported by Dave Meltzer, Undertaker is currently not listed to compete at Clash of Champion on September 15th.
#9. Edge on his in-ring future
It was a great sight to see Edge roll back the years and deliver a spear to Elias during the SummerSlam kickoff show. It was rather surprising to see the 11-time WWE Champion get physical despite his career-ending neck injury. It sparked hope amongst the fans, who have always wished to see the Rated-R Superstar wrestle again.
Edge opened up about his in-ring status on E&C's Pod of Awesomeness and revealed that he can work a match tomorrow if need be, but the WWE medical staff would not give him the green signal.
Edge stated that he was looking into Stem Cell Treatments and has been told by the doctors that his neck will be completely restored to its optimum condition by 2024.
“To be perfectly honest, I think I could do a match tomorrow. I might be blown up but I’d be okay. It’s just from what I know with the WWE medical staff, they won’t allow. It is what it is, right? I did have a doctor tell me that he thinks they’ll be able to basically get my neck relatively healthy within 5 years.
"And then there’s stem cells which I’m also looking into. Just from the stuff I’ve experienced in the last eight years and the things I’ve done physically, it’s like ‘I could pull off one.’ I’m not saying I could pull of a year’s worth. I’m sure you (Christian) could too." H/t Credit: SEScoops
#10. Sheamus comments on in-ring return
The last time we saw Sheamus inside the ring was on an episode of SmackDown when he was involved in a six-man tag team match. The Celtic Warrior suffered a concussion and has not been featured on TV ever since.
The former WWE Champion was part of a Q&A session during WWE's promotional tour in the Philippines where he opened up about his future.
Sheamus admitted that he misses the ring but has no idea how his future will pan out.
“I don’t know what the story is in my future. I have no idea, I honestly don’t. I just know that I like have some time off, but I do miss being in the ring.”
Sheamus' in-ring career has been in jeopardy ever since he was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, however, Batista had revealed in a recent interview that the Irish Superstar was ready to compete again but was waiting on the WWE creative to come up with a proper storyline.
If given the chance, Sheamus would love to return and go after the Intercontinental title, the only Championship that is missing from his resume.
“If I get back to the ring, that would be the first thing I would go after. As of now I am still listed as a SmackDown superstar and the title is on SmackDown. But as of now, I have no access to the title but its definitely the one I want." H/t Credit: SEScoops
#11. MVP was backstage at a recent WWE show
Montel Vontavious Porter, better known as MVP, was in attendance backstage at a recent WWE Live Supershow in Houston where he caught up with the talents and staff.
WWE posted a video that featured the former WWE United States Champion talking about his experience of meeting his old friends.
MVP exclaimed, "I'm here in Houston, Texas on a rare weekend off. Came by the Toyota Center for the WWE SuperShow to catch up with some old friends. Saw some really cool old faces, saw some new faces and made some new friends. Really cool seeing my boy Kofi Kingston the champ. Samoa Joe, Drew, of course, good friend Shelton, and I see that WWE is in very good hands. This next-generation has everything in hand and you guys are lucky. You guys are going to be alright." H/t credit: WrestlingInc
MVP last appeared for WWE on the 25th Anniversary episode of Raw in 2018 and is currently wrestling for many promotions on the indie circuit.
#12. The Rock gets married
The Great One is finally a happily married man. Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson tied the knot with Lauren Hashian - his long-time girlfriend - in a low-key ceremony held in Hawaii.
The 10-time WWE Champion broke the news on Instagram and it has been a long time coming. Hashian and The Rock have known each other since 2006 and have two children. The Rock has one child from his previous marriage with Danny Garcia.
We at Sportskeeda convey our best wishes to the newly married couple.
#13. Kalisto and Gran Metalik to be free agents in 10 months
2-time United States Champion Kalisto took to Twitter to reveal that his WWE contract will expire in 10 months. However, he deleted the tweet soon after it began getting a lot of unwanted traction.
Kalisto forgot that screenshots exist.
Gran Metalik commented on the tweet stating that he would also be a free agent in ten months. There have been reports doing the rounds that 205 Live could be discontinued altogether with NXT becoming a 2-hour live show.
That leaves the cruiserweight talents with an uncertain future. Now, WWE can always renew Kalisto's contract but that seems highly unlikely at this point with attractive alternatives outside WWE.
Braun Strowman's reaction to Kalisto's tweet all but confirms the former Cruiserweight Champion's impending departure.
#14. Miz and Maryse buy a luxurious mansion
Miz is known as the A-Lister for a reason. The former WWE Champion likes to live a posh life and that has been proven beyond doubt with his latest purchase.
Miz and Maryse have bought a $6.4 Million mansion that is located in Thousand Oakes, California.
Wondering what $6.4 million gets you? Here are the particulars of the house via Lordsofpain.net:
The English Manor-style house is 10,400 square feet with 6 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, and is located in the North Ranch Estates area of Thousand Oaks.
Built in 2001, the home was sold by a non-celebrity couple who purchased the property just over 1 year ago for exactly $6.4 million.
It sits on a 1.27 acre gated estate, in a guard-gated community, and features an eight-car garage, scenic mountain and golf fairway views from the front yard, a grand entryway that opens to a foyer with crystal chandelier and double staircase, eat-in kitchen with breakfast nook and wet bar, family room with fireplace, a nine-seat movie theater, a billiards room, formal dining room with fireplace, a gilt-trimmed living room with another fireplace, master bedroom with sitting area and writing desk with fireplace, master bathroom with dual vanities and built-in soaking tub, office, wine cellar/closet, and more.
Impressive, isn't it?
