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We are back with another exciting edition of Sportskeeda Wrestling’s WWE News Roundup. The last few days have seen top superstars making controversial claims, Hall of Famers jumping to each other’s defense, and the plausible truth behind some recent booking decisions.
Here, we will take a quick look at some of the biggest stories that have dominated headlines this week. So, without further ado, let’s begin.
#6 Booker T defends Goldberg against former WWE Superstars’ controversial comments
Last week, former WWE Superstar René Duprée stated that Goldberg is “horrible” during an interview last week. He recalled the time when the latter broke his collarbone during a backstage segment. WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently defended Goldberg against those comments and said that the right time for Duprée to speak up was back when the incident happened.
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He further stated that both superstars should have confronted each other at the time instead of bringing it up 15 years later. He also didn’t like Duprée’s comments about the company being desperate with their decision to bring Goldberg back into the title picture. Booker T feels that Duprée wishes he would be in the former Universal Champion's spot instead.
"When I hear that kind of talk like that, as far as he broke my shoulder (collarbone) or whatever, the time to speak up about that collarbone thing was back then, and say, 'What the hell are you doing? You're about to hurt me. Hit me like that one more time and see what happens; we're going to be in a fight.' I'm just saying that's what I would have said. I wouldn't be talking 15 years later about how bad it hurt," said Booker T.
"We would have had to confront each other about something like that happening. I just hate to hear people talk about, 'WWE is desperate.' I'm sure he (Dupree) wished he was the person in that spot where still the company was 'desperate,' but he was the guy in that spot," Booker T concluded.
Goldberg recently returned on RAW and challenged Bobby Lashley for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2021. Although both superstars have come face to face a couple of times on the Red brand, we are yet to see them engage in a physical altercation.
#5 Vince Russo discusses big mistake with John Cena on WWE RAW
After RAW went off-air this week, John Cena competed in a dark match. He teamed up with Damian Priest to take on Jinder Mahal and Veer in a tag team match. Former WWE writer Vince Russo addressed Cena’s appearance during the dark segments and said it would have been better if the 16-time world champion appeared on RAW.
He feels that it could have helped the Red brand, especially when they need good numbers on the USA Network. Here’s what he had to say about John Cena missing from the television on Monday night:
"I've got to tell you something, Chris! Like, seriously?" revealed Russo, "If I am USA Network, and you are telling me Cena wrestled a Dark match? Why don't you just spit in the face of the USA Network? You've got Cena in the building there, you pay for it, and he is not on the show. Oh my god! Wow, man!"
Before his match, Cena also helped patch things up between Randy Orton and Riddle. Unfortunately, none of it was shown on RAW. The Cenation Leader is currently involved in a feud with Reigns, and both superstars are scheduled to face each other at SummerSlam 2021 with the Universal Championship on the line.
#4 WWE Superstar Baron Corbin ‘hated’ his 'King' gimmick
WWE Superstar Baron Corbin is currently involved in one of the most entertaining storylines in the company. His riches to rags, coupled with the ghosts of his selfish past, often account for hilarious segments. He recently arrived on RAW to face Drew McIntyre in exchange for financial favors from Jinder Mahal.
Recently, Vince Russo discussed Corbin’s current run and made big revelations about his former gimmick. He said that Baron Corbin didn’t like his “King” gimmick and would have probably used the phrase “I am not making any money” during a backstage meeting. Russo is convinced that the origin of Corbin’s current push in WWE lies in that dialog.
"I'm telling you. I'm telling you! I guarantee you, this is where it came from, okay? I know for a fact that he hated the King thing. The Burger King helmet and the cape. I know for a fact, trust me, he hated that! I know he was pitching a lot of things, and I guarantee you at one point he said, 'I'm not making any money.'"
"I guarantee you he said that at one point,' and that became the gimmick. I guarantee you that's how it happens here. You say one thing that they don't like, 'Oh, you have no money, ha? Oh, okay, you're really not going to, because we're going to make you homeless'. I'm telling you, that's how they work," revealed Vince Russo.
Shinsuke Nakamura dethroned Baron Corbin as the 'King' on SmackDown, and the latter hasn’t been the same since. He can’t afford his theme music or even a decent shirt.
While some fans genuinely feel bad for him, others believe that he deserves his current struggles. He also deserves credit for nailing his current role as a helpless man. It will be interesting to see what’s in store for Corbin in WWE.
#3 Sasha Banks picks her challengers on WWE SmackDown
Sasha Banks recently returned on WWE SmackDown and set her sights on Bianca Belair. Both superstars are scheduled to face each other for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at SummerSlam 2021.
Banks is confident that she will regain the title at the upcoming pay-per-view. During a recent interview, she also revealed four superstars that she wants to face after becoming the SmackDown Women’s Champion.
"Once I become the Women's Champion again, I just got to have all these great matchups that I didn't get to have. I want to wrestle people like Liv Morgan, Zelina (Vega), Toni Storm, Tegan Nox. There are just so many women that I just haven't been in the ring yet, and on SmackDown, that's the 'Land of Opportunity' and I'm ready to give these girls a chance to see if they can stand up against The Boss," said Sasha Banks.
Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair previously faced each other for the SmackDown Women’s Championship at WrestleMania 37. Following that, The Boss went missing for nearly three months before making a huge return. She is now looking forward to her much-deserved title rematch at SummerSlam 2021.
#2 WWE Hall of Famer was shocked after Ric Flair’s release
Last week, it was confirmed that WWE has released Ric Flair. Eric Bischoff addressed the news recently and said that he was shocked to hear the news. However, he is also excited to see what’s next for The Nature Boy. Bischoff also revealed that they had gotten very close over the last few years, and he is happy for Flair.
“Yes, I am most definitely shocked," said Eric Bischoff. "I’m excited for Ric. Ric’s had more opportunities sitting in front of him now than he probably did 20 years ago, outside of wrestling. I’m excited for and love Ric. We’ve gotten very close over the last few years and happy for him. But just like we talked about, shocked that something like this could happen at this particular period in time. Shocked.”
Several backstage reports claimed that Ric Flair butted heads with the WWE creative team over Charlotte Flair’s booking. He himself acknowledged that there were differences between his and the company's approach towards the future. However, the 16-time world champion also assured that there is no bad blood between him and the promotion.
#1 WWE accused of ‘killing’ a character on RAW
An interesting vignette featuring Elias aired on WWE RAW this week. He threw his guitar into the fire and said, “Elias is dead,” before walking out of the frame. Many believe that it marked the end of the beloved musical character. Following the episode, WWE veteran Vince Russo discussed this turn of events in detail.
He argued that The Drifter never failed as he was always over with the crowd. However, Russo feels that the creative should take the blame for not involving his character in good booking decisions. Here’s what he had to say about the end of Elias’ gimmick on RAW:
"We saw another character get executed tonight with Elias. Bro, how many? To me, if I'm in WWE, this is very embarrassing. Chris, you and I can probably reel off ten characters in the last six months that they have absolutely killed. Killed, bro! Elias was the latest one this week. I mean, the fact that Elias," Russo continued, "is throwing his guitar in the fire, that equates, 'you've failed, not Elias failed.' Anybody that knows anything about character work and character development, Elias did not fail. You failed! So, I don't even know why you would even admit that because that's all that vignette is, 'We failed another talent.'"
Russo also used other superstars like Eva Marie and Otis to back his point. He feels that there is not enough credibility in the drastic transformation of their respective runs in the company. Fans are excited to see what’s next for Elias after his old gimmick.
