Paul Levesque’s body of work in NXT suggested his creative style was more pro wrestling than sports entertainment. That couldn’t have been further from the truth, as he struck the perfect balance on Saturday to produce a SummerSlam for the ages.
Roman Reigns closing out the show #AndStill champion could signify the shroud of Vince McMahon looming over the new era of WWE. One could be forgiven for conjuring such an idea. After all, wrestling has embedded the art of “the worfans’ minds of fans everywhere.
Bianca Belair’s victory over Becky Lynch, followed by Bayley’s reemergence along with Io Shirai and Dakota Kai’s introduction to the main roster, set a pronounced pace and tone to open the show.
It was a statement that things are going to be different.
The multiverse of madness shifted tonight’s SummerSlam to the end of July instead of its usual spot on the calendar at the end of August. Nissan Stadium in Nashville is the site of what was just another edition of WWE’s “biggest party of the summer.” Now it will be the company’s first major event without Vince McMahon.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque is officially the head of creative, and we’ll see how he plays the game with our viewing pleasure. Do you see what I did there? “How well he plays the game?” Because he’s called “The Ga….”
Unless he contributed to this week’s episode of NXT, Raw on Monday was the last piece of pro wrestling content Vince McMahon will ever create.
July 22, 2022, will be a day-long remember when the biggest announcement in the history of the industry occured. At 4:05 PM Friday, Vince McMahon announced his retirement from WWE on Twitter.
The company followed up with a full statement issued by McMahon confirming his complete retirement from WWE, including the head of creative. Stephanie McMahon and Nick Kahn will assume the role as the new co-CEOs of the company.
Bill Goldberg is a guest on the latest episode of Uncut with Jay Cutler. Goldberg sits down with the former NFL QB and discusses college football conference realignment, NIL deals for college athletes, as they both have mixed emotions on the topic, transitioning from football to pro wrestling, where he succeeded and failed in building his character, and who ruled the roost in the WCW days.
-Speaking to Jay Cutler on Uncut, Goldberg talked about his first impressions of pro wrestling.
“Football was my thing, and I was embarrassed to go out and be a wrestler.”
-Difference between WCW and WWE
“WCW was run by the inmates. WWE is a different entity, cooperate.”
-How he looks at himself compared to other wrestlers
“[The} Rock is an entertainer, and I’m a competitor.”
-Goldberg also talks about his microphone skills and their importance
“I never developed them.” and went on to say, “You got to show range not just in wrestling but in life.”
-Why he returned to WWE in 2016
“I still ask myself that question. You know, I didn’t think I was ever gonna do it again.”
“My wife and I were fortunate enough to have a little boy. He was six at the time, and I would not show him any of the stuff as I kind of repressed wrestling at the time.“
“I was in New York promoting something, and I saw Brock [Lesnar], and one thing led to another, and I said, you know what, my son needs to see this in real-time.“
Goldberg addresses other wrestling topics such as:
His thoughts on the Japanese style of wrestling.
Which wrestler was the hardest to “wrangle.”
Who were the locker room leaders in WWE and WCW
If he takes it personally when he gets booed
The match when he felt he could stick with wrestling as a career
Touched on people, intentionally setting him up to fail
If he will come back to WWE for another match and more.
In this sneak peek, Goldberg talks about how Lex Luger and Sting recruited him for WCW when he was a member of the Atlanta Falcons and how he was embarrassed at first but tried to make the best of it because he needed the money!
Listen & watch as Former NFL Quarterback & Reality TV Star Jay Cutler goes Uncut with friends, former teammates, fellow pro athletes, & experts alike to talk about their lives and the crazy times we live in today. Each week will be packed with controversial news topics, trending discussions, unique segments & celebrity guests.
“Are you serious?” I blurted out loud when Jeff Jarrett was announced as the special guest referee for Usos/Street Profits Tag Team Title match at SummerSlam on July 30th.
“What’s wrong?” my wife asked with heartfelt concern. She rolled her eyes and quickly returned to her book after telling her, “It’s a wrestling thing.”
WWE has dipped into the guest referee well for the 9th time in SummerSlam history. Usos and Profits have great matches against each other. However, some complained about another outing between the two teams after the shoulder controversy at Money in the Bank.
Liv Morgan has a new belt strapped around her waist. Eleven days ago, she won the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match and later in the night cashed in the briefcase on a wounded Ronda Rousey to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion. It was quite the shocker that most didn’t see coming.
Another title change saw Theory lose the U.S. Title to Bobby Lashley. But he turned his bad luck around as he was inexplicably entered into, and won the Men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
Two surprise moments occurred. One was damned with faint praise, while fans and wrestlers celebrated the other. Liv Morgan’s win and successful cash-in culminated in a hard-fought journey with a happy ending many feared was improbable.
Liv Morgan is a different type of enigma. Morgan is not the most polished wrestler, but she’s not bad enough to write off either. Online enthusiasts celebrate her to a degree usually reserved for top-level in-ring performers.
The Wall Street Journal discovered more hush-money payments made by Vince McMahon in excess of $12 million over 16 years to four women who worked for WWE. The former paralegal, the subject of the Wall Street Journal’s initial report on McMahon’s sexual misconduct is included.
Three more women and over $9 million in addition to the $3 million WSJ reported on June 17. A $7.5 million settlement was reached with a former WWE wrestler who claimed McMahon “coerced her into giving him oral sex and then demoted her and, ultimately, declined to renew her contract in 2005 after she resisted further sexual encounters, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Ladders upon ladders will engulf the MGM Grand Garden Arena this evening with WWE Money in the Bank. There are six matches on the card, which is in line with WWE putting fewer bouts on their premium live events as of late. While there are four championship matches, the real interest in the show is the two Money in the Bank ladder matches.
Social Media influencer Logan Paul is the latest celebrity to throw in with WWE.
Paul announced Thursday afternoon on his various social media platforms that he’s signed with WWE and shared a picture taken with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon at WWE Headquarters.
Ariel Helwani reported that Paul signed a multi-year deal that calls for the celebrity boxer to work an undisclosed number of premium live events (pay-per-view) in 2022 and 2023. This news comes after Paul confirmed he was training for an in-ring return to wrestling.
Japanese professional wrestling is an enigma unto itself. While North America’s presentation primarily emphasizes spectacle over sport, Japan’s exhibition of the art accentuates the opposite. While it might look the same as the staged combat seen in the west, the eastern flavor has more kick.
While WWE is the industry leader, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) is Japan’s most prominent and longest-running wrestling promotion. Founded in 1972, NJPW is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Today, NJPW is arguably the second biggest promotion in the world and puts on great wrestling matches that have produced a global cult-like following. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and New Japan will team up for their Forbidden Door pay-per-view event this Sunday.
There are many great matches from a multitude of events that epitomize NJPW. Consider this an introductory course for the uninitiated, citing ten matches that best illustrate the style and presentation of New Japan.
This isn’t a “best-of” list, and I won’t be teaching this class alone.
I called the Jobber Knocker Podcast’s resident NJPW expert Dennis Conway aka SSJPegasus. We’ll each pick five matches that are great introductory examples to New Japan Pro Wrestling.
If you’re watching AEW Forbidden Door this Sunday and are unfamiliar with NJPW, this one is for you.
Ringside Logic 