The old saying in professional wrestling is “never say never.” Bruno Sammartino and WWE were at odds since the early 1990’s after Sammartino spoke out about the company during the steroid scandal. Triple H was the one that reached out to Sammartino to bring him back into the company. The Ultimate Warrior and Vince McMahon were considered to be bitter enemies for over a decade before Triple H reached out to Warrior to mend fences. Triple H was the person that got the wheels in motion to bring Kurt Angle back and Bill Goldberg returned after a bitter split with WWE in 2004 and after Goldberg was critical of people in the company, including Triple H.
So, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that WWE is willing to do business again with CM Punk. In the July 3, 2017, edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer talked about Mauro Ranallo’s return to the company, despite a contentious relationship stemming from issues with JBL. Meltzer talked about how some people will leave the company on horrible terms but most end up returning. Meltzer wrote, “That’s why, no matter what is said, WWE wants C.M. Punk back and even though Punk was adamant about never doing it, history tells you time heals a lot of wounds.”
During her recent book tour, AJ Lee said that she misses wrestling but her husband does not. The Observer cited a Punk interview with ESPN in Chicago where Punk said that he feels that WWE sent lawyers and people by proxy (Dr. Chris Amann) after him because “I called them out on their BS.” Punk also said that he hasn’t spoken to Dana White in months but still wants to fight again.
Meltzer is right. Time does heal all wounds and there have been people that were thought to have been banned for life from WWE and ended up doing business with them again. Punk could be one of the rare exceptions but I would have said the same thing for Sammartino and The Ultimate Warrior. Punk is 38 years old and the clock is ticking on his MMA career. He probably has a lot of money saved but if he wants to cash in on one more big paycheck then a return to WWE (even on a part-time basis) might make sense to him.
Incident on recent tour causes Roman Reigns to kick another WWE star off talent bus, Kurt Angle “secret” spoiler + more WWE news
(by Corey Jacobs)
It’s pretty clear that Roman Reigns is considered to be the new locker room leader after a recent incident on the talent bus where he took charge of a situation that had several people upset.
According to a report in the latest Wrestling Observer newsletter, Enzo Amore has a lot of heat on him. The details of what happened are not out but, several weeks ago, there was an incident that got so many people upset that it led to Reigns kicking him off the talent bus. He was also given the “Miz treatment” for a while. Basically, that means that he was not allowed to dress with everyone else in the locker room.
Apparently, the tears shed during his promo last week before Cass turned on him again were real because he was said to be legitimately not happy about the team being broken up. Also, the part of the promo where he talked about his real life is better than his family life could be seen as something as a shoot because he is not living in Los Angeles and having a great time in his non-wrestling life. Judging by his Instagram page, he seems to be having the time of his life in L.A. and meeting with athletes and celebrities like Daniel Cormier, Nick Diaz, Halle Berry, Drake and others in recent weeks. I guess this news about him having heat could explain why he was squashed at Great Balls Of Fire and why he was absent from Raw.
I wonder what his shelf life will be now as a singles wrestler. The company clearly does not see him as being more than an undercard guy and they’ve been treating him as a joke in recent months. Perhaps, if he’s lucky, he can end up as a manager but WWE is not big on having too many managers on the roster.
There’s another WWE star that has heat. It turns out that Big Cass also has heat backstage. Click here to read more on that story.
Here are some more top WWE stories from the last 72 hours…
Update on the “big secret” angle taking place this Monday night on Raw
(by Angel Rodriguez)
WWE has announced that Kurt Angle will be doing a live interview after Monday Night Raw on the WWE Network. This will be a follow-up to the “big reveal” that will, presumably, happen at the end of the show. WWE is hoping for a huge ratings boost as they begin the build towards SummerSlam.
There has been a ton of speculation online on what this “big reveal” or “big secret” might be and it seems like they want the fans to believe that another woman is involved. We won’t spoil anything here but it looks like a huge clue might have been given away earlier this week. If you’d like to find out then click here.
In addition to the “big reveal,” a number 1 contenders match between Roman Reigns and Samoa Joe will determine who will go on to face Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. As of last week, the plan was to go with Reigns vs. Lesnar but given that Joe has been so hot during his feud with Lesnar, I could see them changing course and doing a Triple Threat with Lesnar vs. Joe vs. Reigns for the title.
WWE is looking to make SummerSlam as big as possible this year so the storylines should start heating up in the coming weeks.
Is WWE planning Shield reunion for SummerSlam match?
(by Aaron Varble)
It’s been a while since we saw the Shield together but since all three members are on Raw and babyfaces we knew they would reunite in some fashion eventually. Seth Rollins might have rocked his old buddies with a steel chair to become the face of The Authority but it appears as though The Architect’s sins have been forgiven.
Dean Ambrose has been dealing with Miz for a while now. The A-Lister is a thorn in The Lunatic Finge’s side and the opposite is also true, to put it mildly. Now that they’re on Raw coming over on the same Superstar Shake-up Miz and Dean seemed to pick up right where they left off.
The Intercontinental Title is in play as well so it adds an importance to the feud. But when The Miz added Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel as the Miztourage it upped the ante. Seth Rollins helped his old friend out with the Miztourage even though Dean said there will be no Shield reunion. But of course, since he said there won’t be a Shield reunion that probably means there will be one.
Dave Meltzer wrote in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the plan for SummerSlam is likely to be for Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins to team up against Miz and Curtis Axel and/or Bo Dallas in a 2 vs 2 (or 3) match.
With Roman Reigns probably involved elsewhere on the card it won’t be a full-fledged Shield reunion, but 2 out of 3 isn’t bad.
Big SummerSlam Universal Title Match changes could be on the way
(by Aaron Varble)
If this was an episode of “Let’s Make A Deal” none of the doors WWE has to open for the Universal Title match at SummerSlam would have a donkey wearing a party hat behind it. There was a time WWE thought they had a direction for the Biggest Party Of The Summer, but ever since Samoa Joe was so widely applauded for his program with Brock Lesnar it seems WWE now has another choice on their hands.
Dave Meltzer recently noted in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE could be looking to turn the Universal Title Match at SummerSlam into a triple threat. However, there are still plenty of options to go with at this point.
The #1 contender match for the Universal Title will be a great determining factor on which way they will go. Roman and Joe could have some kind of no-finish and make it a three-way dance at SummerSlam. But then again, Braun Strowman is lurking somewhere and he could always cause some kind of commotion in the landscape for Raw’s top title.
Strowman could be inserted into the Universal Title match as well or if WWE felt like saving Roman and Brock for WrestleMania like they originally planned they could always have The Monster Among Men cost Reigns the match. After all, Braun will certainly be seeking revenge against Roman Reigns after he almost murdered him after their match at Great Balls Of Fire.
As unlikely as it might sound, John Cena is a free agent and they didn’t make him that for no reason. Big Match John could always be inserted into the Universal Championship picture at a moment’s notice if WWE ever feels like they need him. The match might be Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar or John Cena vs Roman Reigns at WrestleMania. Then again they could always do something else because Vince McMahon can. But barring any unforeseen circumstances, the common factor looks like it’s going to be The Big Dog.
WWE star has heat over his political views and strong support for Donald Trump
(by Corey Jacobs)
Yet, another WWE star has heat with the locker room. This time it’s Big Cass, according to the Wrestling Observer newsletter.
The heat on him is particularly because of his views on politics as he is a strong supporter of Donald Trump and that’s a sentiment not shared by many in the locker room. The heat on him is nowhere near the heat on Enzo Amore (click here for more on that story) and Cass is someone that has the support of management and his size and look will allow him more chances to break through as a top star.
Also, having heat with talent in the locker room is not going to hurt his push. Linda McMahon is part of the Trump administration so being a Trump supporter might actually be seen as a positive in the eyes of Vince McMahon.
The promo he gave on Monday looks to be the start of his ascension up the ranks. Although he is still green in the ring, I give him credit for cutting the best promo of his career last Monday. The match with Enzo Amore appears to be “one-and-done” as they have already begun a program between Cass and Big Show. In fact, Enzo was nowhere to be seen on Monday night. Although Big Show was the aggressor in their first face to face confrontation on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Cass will probably win in the end since Show’s contract expires in February and they have big plans for Cass. In recent interviews, Cass has been saying that his goal is to eventually be in the main event of a WrestleMania.
Reby Hardy And Hurricane Claim Jeff Jarrett Is Lying, Hardy says there was an agreement last week
(by Aaron Varble)
Jeff Jarrett recently said in a teleconference that there is no deal in place for the Hardys to get their Broken Gimmick back. When this news broke it disappointed a lot of people. But as with everything in pro wrestling, there were people wondering if they were being worked.
Matt Hardy’s lovely wife Reby isn’t someone you would ever want to get angry. If for any reason because she knows how to use Twitter. Reby has gone off in the past about this very issue and she’s obviously not shy to have another go at it.
As soon as she heard what Jeff Jarrett said she was quick to jump on Twitter to dispute Double J’s comments.
When the Hardys were first having their issues with Impact Wrestling concerning the use of the Broken Universe Reby devised a genius way to profit from the situation. She made up some t-shirts that simply said “F-ck that owl” in the middle of a design that looked like the Anthem-owned Impact Wrestling logo. Those shirts sold like hotcakes.
Reby was quick to say she was getting another order of the popular shirts ready for a second round of shipments ASAP.
…but according to @RealJeffJarrett, there is nothing ? OKAY ! 🙃 Who's up for another run of #FuckThatOwl shirts ? They'll be up by 2mor.
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
I haven't said anything FOR WEEKS. Meanwhile, Jeff, Dutch & Ed all can't seem to be able to keep us out of their mouths. Snakes.
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
Then Hurricane decided to weigh in on the situation. Gregory “Hurricane” Helms recently parted ways with Impact Wrestling (who changed the name of the company to GFW shortly thereafter). Needless to say, he doesn’t have the best opinion of Jeff Jarrett or anything he says.
FACTS
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
After that Reby went on somewhat of a mini-rant but it’s actually tame when comparing it to some of her previous social media venting sessions.
We had agreement terms as of LAST WEEK. Included non-disparagement clause to the tune of 5k every time I tweet something about TNA…
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
"Jeff Jarrett says…"
"Jeff Jarrett says…"OK, I'm seeing what he says, but what does he DO ? Well, make Del Rio champion, for one… https://t.co/xLNrHMOhSQ
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
…I promise you, he knew exactly what was going on there. Meanwhile he's worried about how WE'RE making $ ? #priorities #makeimpactgreatLOL
— Reby Hardy (@RebyHardy) July 12, 2017
UFC’s Cyborg threatens Becky Lynch, says don’t let her anywhere near me
(by Aaron Varble)
When you’re in the world of MMA or pro wrestling there’s always going to be a fair amount of trash talking. Some of if is all in good fun, but other times it can get quite serious.
Becky Lynch is currently dating UFC fighter Luke Sanders so there is a lot of cross-over in her life. Although her professional life is in the ring a lot of her personal life comes from the octagon.
Whether or not this is a serious threat or not is still yet to be seen, but the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Cyborg recently threw out quite an ominous message in the direction of one of SmackDown Live’s leading ladies.
Cyborg recently tweeted at Triple H telling him not to let Becky Lynch near her. She also commented on how Ireland can’t handle another star losing this summer.
Becky Lynch commented back in expert fashion how Cyborg needs to be sure Dana White would let her. After all, it doesn’t seem like he lets her do much anymore.
If you are smart @TripleH you Don't let @BeckyLynchWWE anywhere near the ring with me! Ireland can't handle another star losing this summer https://t.co/4qdPM1ado4
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) July 12, 2017
Are you sure Dana would let you? Seeing as he doesn't seem to let you do much else? https://t.co/M5cDwnbGXx
— Rebecca Quin (@BeckyLynchWWE) July 12, 2017
WATCH: Baron Corbin breaks character to console a child after making him cry
(by Aaron Varble)
Everyone looks for a chance to see a WWE Superstar break character. The fact is after the Curtain Call at Madison Square Garden all those years ago one of the most fascinating things to see is a Superstar act in a way that doesn’t fall in line with their character.
Baron Corbin is a very mean guy and he’s currently in a program with Shinsuke Nakamura. The Lone Wolf achieved this feud with underhanded actions like jumping The King Of Strong Style at Money In The Bank and ruining his epic entrance. Corbin said he loved the fans’ hatred and thrives on it.
Nakamura got some retribution on Corbin on last night’s SmackDown Live by jumping him before their match. It was the right booking decision as WWE needs to make both of these guys look strong. Therefore the best way to book a match where they have a tricky finish is to simply avoid having the match in the first place.
After SmackDown Live went off the air the San Antonio crowd was treated to a dark match featuring Baron Corbin and Shinsuke Nakamura anyway. They obviously had time to recover from their brawl and gave the fans in attendance a great performance.
But after the match, Baron Corbin did something that was uncharacteristic of his gimmick when he gave his t-shirt to a child in the audience. People in attendance who saw this go down reported the child was crying and that’s why Baron Corbin gave him his t-shirt.
https://twitter.com/CBVSS210/status/885015381374578688
https://twitter.com/briantheguppie/status/885127462010728453
But Baron Corbin was quick to refute this assumption and keep his character intact. The Lone Wolf wanted to make it clear that he doesn’t care about other people’s kids which certainly falls in line with his gimmick. He was merely being nice to one of his own family members. So the next time you see someone doing something nice, it probably isn’t what it looks like. Especially if that person is Baron Corbin.
Actually that was family I don't care about other people's kids . Know your fact before tweeting like you know something.
— Corbin (@BaronCorbinWWE) July 12, 2017
SPOILER: Kurt Angle’s secret might have been revealed
(by Corey Jacobs)
Kurt Angle’s secret has been stretched out over several weeks in an attempt to get viewers to tune in when Angle does his “big reveal.” On this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Angle was on the phone with someone but it was not revealed who he was talking to.
Many fans on social media assumed that he was talking to his mistress – perhaps Stephanie McMahon or Dixie Carter. Next week’s episode of Raw will take place in Carter’s backyard – Nashville, TN and she seemingly hinted (with a wink and a nod) that she would not be too far away. I would bet that Carter is not going to be involved in this storyline and she was just having some fun on Twitter. The McMahon rumors were been fueled after reports saying that Angle could be wrestling Triple H at SummerSlam. Also, Angle and Stephanie McMahon were getting pretty close in WWE storylines over a decade ago so, from a historical standpoint, it would make sense if they picked things back up again now that he’s back with WWE.
However, Pro Wrestling Sheet’s James McKenna is reporting that the rumors about a Triple H vs. Kurt Angle match at SummerSlam are false. In fact, he seemed to drop a hint in his latest tweet that read “just so we can squash this one more time, any rumor of Angle & HHH having a feud over the next few months is….let’s just say illegitimate.”
Just so we can squash this one more time, any rumor of Angle & HHH having a feud over the next few months is….let's just say illegitimate.
— james mckenna (@chillhartman) June 19, 2017
If you read between the lines, it sounds like Angle might have an illegitimate child. So, the question is, if he does have an illegitimate son or daughter, is this person a wrestler that will become part of the Raw roster or is this one piece of the puzzle that will lead to us finding out the identity of Angle’s mistress? We’ll have to wait until Monday to get more details but don’t hold your breath on a Triple H vs. Kurt Angle match at SummerSlam because McKenna, who has many contacts within the wrestling business, says that it’s not going to happen anytime soon.
For more WWE News, rumors, spoilers, and more….click here.
