Vince McMahon

WWE is reportedly working hard to keep Adam Cole in the fold amid rumors that his contract with the company expires Friday.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE Chairman Vince McMahon "definitely wants" to re-sign Cole.

Meltzer confirmed rumors that Cole's WWE contract is up Friday and added that Cole has yet to decide whether to re-sign with WWE or sign with AEW. If he leaves WWE, Cole will reportedly be free to appear for any company immediately since he doesn't have to adhere to a non-compete clause.

Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) reported earlier this week that the expectation was WWE would make Cole a contract offer before the official expiration of his deal.

It was reported earlier this month by Fightful (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Joshua Gagnon) that McMahon had a backstage meeting with Cole at a recent episode of SmackDown. McMahon reportedly took a liking to Cole and had the creative team come up with ideas for Cole on the main roster.

Cole lost to Kyle O'Reilly at NXT TakeOver 36 on Sunday in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match, and it has been widely reported and speculated that it was his final NXT appearance regardless of whether he re-signs with WWE.

While remaining with WWE is possible, there is plenty of belief that Cole could go to AEW as well due to his ties to the company.

Cole's girlfriend, Britt Baker, is the reigning AEW Women's World champion. Also, he is friends with AEW Executive Vice Presidents Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks, all of whom have teased the possibility of bringing Cole to AEW on social media.

Also, AEW has made some big personnel moves lately, including signing CM Punk. It is also expected that AEW is bringing in Daniel Bryan, whose WWE contract expired at the beginning of May.

Cole was the longest-reigning NXT champion of all time and one of the biggest stars in the history of the brand, and while he doesn't possess prototypical size, his charisma, promo ability and in-ring work could make him a top star on the main roster if WWE is able to convince him to stay.

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Malakai Black appeared on Talk Is Jericho with fellow AEW star Chris Jericho on Wednesday to discuss several topics, including his departure from WWE.

At one point in the conversation, Black talked about some of the creative issues and frustrations he went through during his time on WWE's main roster from 2019-21.

Beginning at the 3:50 mark of the video, Black discussed his relationship with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and why he believes he never reached his potential on Raw or SmackDown:

"Since day one, Vince was always very fond of me. I've had good conversations always, but I definitely think there was a moment where Vince was like, 'I don't know what to do with this guy.' And every time I tried to say, 'Well, why don't we do this,' [Vince would respond], 'Yeah, maybe, maybe, maybe.'

"I think Vince was very keen on figuring it out himself, but I think he never did. And I think that is kind of what put the nail in the coffin."

Black, who wrestled under the name Aleister Black in WWE, was a top star and NXT champion in NXT, but it never translated once he got called up to the main roster, which has been the case for many NXT stars in recent years.

After being kept off television for more than seven months, Black made his return on the May 21 episode of SmackDown on the heels of vignettes airing in prior weeks.

Black attacked Big E during an Intercontinental Championship match and hit him with Black Mass, which seemed to be the start of a feud, but less than two weeks later, Black was shockingly released from the company.

It didn't take long for the 36-year-old veteran to land on his feet, though, as he debuted with AEW under the Malakai Black name on the July 7 episode of Dynamite, taking out both Arn Anderson and Cody Rhodes with Black Mass.

On Wednesday's Dynamite, Black will make his in-ring debut for AEW in a match against Rhodes.

      

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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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Flair Reportedly Voiced Frustration Over Charlotte's Booking

On the heels of news that Hall of Famer Ric Flair had been released from his WWE contract Monday, a new report surfaced regarding Flair's frustration with WWE.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Jason Ounpraseuth), Flair messaged WWE Chairman Vince McMahon about his issues with the way his daughter, Charlotte Flair, was being booked.

Meltzer noted that McMahon made the decision to release Flair from his contract.

On Monday, Fightful and Raj Giri of WrestlingInc.com reported that Flair was no longer under contract with WWE after requesting his release.

It was later reported by Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) that Flair was frustrated with some of WWE's booking decisions and had contacted McMahon about it, and then asked for his release.

On Tuesday, Flair released the following statement on his WWE departure and insisted he isn't upset with WWE:

pic.twitter.com/hQHkVWJlks

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) August 3, 2021

Flair most recently appeared on WWE programming early this year when he aligned himself with Lacey Evans in a feud with his daughter, Charlotte Flair. That rivalry was called off when Evans announced she was legitimately pregnant.

The Nature Boy had been making sporadic appearances on WWE programming for several years before his release after wrestling for the company from 1991 to 1993 and again from 2001 to 2008.

Charlotte's fiance, Andrade El Idolo, left WWE and signed with AEW this year. Chavo Guerrero is serving as his mouthpiece, and it stands to reason that Ric Flair could be added to the mix.

Having Flair interact with Sting is also a possibility given all the memorable matches and moments they had together in NWA and WCW. That included facing each other in the last match ever on WCW Nitro in 2001.

Since Nitro aired on TNT, which is the current home of AEW Dynamite, a Flair appearance on Dynamite in the near future would make sense for all parties involved.

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WWE Officials Reportedly Surprised By Cole's Contract

The fact that Adam Cole's WWE contract is reportedly set to expire this month has apparently taken some within the company by surprise.

According to PWInsider (h/t Middleton), some WWE officials were under the impression that Cole was under contract through at least January 2022.

It was also reported that there was some "frustration" among WWE officials that Cole's contract status became public.

Giri reported Monday that Cole's contract actually expired last month, only for him to sign a short-term extension that will expire in August.

Cole reportedly signed the extension in order to finish his program with Kyle O'Reilly, as they have beaten each other one time apiece. After O'Reilly attacked Cole on NXT last week, it seems likely they will face off again at NXT TakeOver the weekend of SummerSlam.

Given Cole's contract status, it is possible the match could have a loser leaves NXT stipulation. That would either allow Cole to leave the company and sign elsewhere, such as AEW, or he could sign a new deal with WWE and be elevated to the main roster.

Cole has been the face of NXT since signing with WWE in 2017, as he held the NXT Championship for a record 396 days and led the highly successful Undisputed Era stable.

There is no question that Cole would be a huge loss for WWE, and with both CM Punk and Daniel Bryan rumored to be signing with AEW, it could increase WWE's sense of urgency to keep Cole in the fold.

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TV Executives Reportedly Frustrated By Wyatt's WWE Release

WWE's decision to release Bray Wyatt last week reportedly didn't sit well with some of those who work for WWE's television partners.

According to Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast (h/t Middleton), there was "a lot of frustration" from the networks working with WWE regarding Wyatt's release. WWE has billion-dollar television deals for Raw and SmackDown with NBC Universal and Fox.

Zarian noted that one network source told him, "Bray's release is really disappointing and a little scary that top stars are being let go."

Wyatt is the latest in a long line of releases since WrestleMania 37 in April, including the likes of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, The IIconics and Mickie James.

Given his status as a two-time universal champion and one-time WWE champion, as well as a mainstay in WWE for the past 12 years, Wyatt is the biggest name and biggest surprise of those cuts.

Wyatt had not been seen on WWE programming since the night after WrestleMania 37 in April, when he took part in a Firefly Funhouse segment on Raw.

The expectation was that Wyatt would be back soon, especially with SummerSlam set for Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on August 21.

Instead, WWE decided to part ways with Wyatt despite his popularity and that of his Fiend character.

Given how aggressive AEW has been in signing former WWE stars, it is likely that speculation will ramp up regarding Wyatt possibly signing there soon.

If AEW is able to land Punk, Bryan and Wyatt, it may be difficult for WWE to ignore the buzz its main competitor will receive.

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Ric Flair is no longer with WWE, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

Flair also provided a statement after WWE announced his release: 

pic.twitter.com/hQHkVWJlks

— Ric Flair® (@RicFlairNatrBoy) August 3, 2021

Raj Giri of Wrestling Inc. and Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reported on Monday that Flair asked for and was granted his release, effective Monday. The Fightful report says Flair was "frustrated" with recent booking decisions at the company and directly contacted Vince McMahon expressing his desire to leave the company.

The 72-year-old legend signed a new contract with WWE last year. He had been making occasional appearances on WWE programming in recent years and was involved in a storyline with his daughter, Charlotte, and Lacey Evans that was abandoned ahead of WrestleMania due to Evans' pregnancy.

Both Charlotte and Ric Flair publicly admitted they were unhappy with the storyline. Ric said he was uncomfortable with the seeming romantic angle with Evans, who is more than 40 years his junior and married in real life. 

“In this instance, I didn’t [feel comfortable],” Flair said on the Ariel Helwani MMA Show. “The one thing I’ve learned is you’re not going to win a war when someone’s got their mind made up. She most definitely didn’t like it, but the one thing that I can say about me is I always said yes. I didn’t want to be that guy that was always going ‘Oh, that isn’t perfect for me.’"

It's unclear if the Evans storyline was the impetus for Flair's departure, though that seems unlikely given he stayed with the company for months after it ended. 

Flair has been making occasional appearances in WWE since his in-ring retirement in 2012. 

Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

WWE sent shockwaves through the professional wrestling world Saturday when it announced the release of Bray Wyatt after 12 years with the company.

Since Wyatt had been one of WWE's top stars over the past several years and a successful mover of merchandise by all accounts, few could have expected the promotion to cut ties with him.

Now, Wyatt is the latest in a long line of significant releases since March, joining the likes of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Andrade and Mickie James.

In the wake of Wyatt's WWE departure, here is a look at some of the biggest rumors regarding his release.

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Wyatt Reportedly Received Medical Clearance Recently

Prior to his release, Wyatt hadn't appeared on WWE programming since Raw the night after WrestleMania 37 in April.

According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Wyatt was off television because of "medical reasons" and had only recently gotten cleared to return.

Meltzer added that before WWE could put him back on TV, it decided to release him, telling Wyatt that the move was done for "budgetary reasons."

Wyatt's last match in WWE came at WrestleMania 37 against Randy Orton. Surprisingly, Wyatt lost the match when he got distracted by Alexa Bliss.

Bray appeared in a Firefly Funhouse segment the next night on Raw but never resurfaced on television after that.

It is unclear what Wyatt's medical issue was and how long it had been impacting him, as he was kept off television for a few months before the build to WrestleMania as well.

Given that Wyatt has reportedly been medically cleared, it stands to reason he will be able and ready to wrestle immediately should he sign elsewhere.

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Wyatt Reportedly Had Creative Issues with WWE

Leading up to his release, Wyatt was reportedly frustrated with the creative direction of his character.

Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported such as part of a live stream Saturday on YouTube shortly after Wyatt's release was announced.

Sapp said those who he spoke to within WWE told him Wyatt "wasn't receptive" to some of the ideas pitched to him if they didn't fit his vision of the character. Also, Sapp said he had been told that Wyatt has "not been all in on wrestling as of late."

Wyatt is widely regarded as one of the best creative minds in wrestling, and it is easy to see why, as he brought the original Wyatt Family leader character to life and eventually transitioned into the split personality of Firefly Funhouse Wyatt and The Fiend.

Some strange creative decisions regarding Wyatt's character were made in the months before his release. It started at TLC in December when Orton beat The Fiend in a Firefly Inferno match.

When The Fiend returned in March, he was burnt and mangled, although he was back to normal for his WrestleMania match against Orton.

The booking of the WrestleMania match was surprising given that The Fiend was widely expected to win and go on a big run after the fact.

It is unclear if losing at WrestleMania played into Wyatt's dissatisfaction, but it was a less-than-ideal way for him to go out.

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Wyatt's Relationship with McMahon Was Reportedly Strained

Wyatt reportedly may not have been on the best terms with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon prior to his release.

According to PWInsider (h/t Upton), the relationship between Wyatt and McMahon "ran very hot and cold at times."

It is a somewhat surprising revelation given that Wyatt was seemingly provided more slack and leeway from a creative perspective than almost anyone else in the company, which isn't something McMahon takes lightly.

That type of treatment is normally reserved for only the top stars in the company, with Roman Reigns, John Cena and Orton serving as current examples.

PWInsider also reported that McMahon giving WWE President Nick Khan carte blanche to make significant financial decisions may have contributed to Wyatt's release as well.

It was noted by PWInsider that McMahon has given Khan "the ability to run things far more than anyone else has historically been able to accomplish," and because of that, there is "likely less of a pushback" from McMahon when the idea of releasing a high-priced wrestler is discussed.

A similar situation seemingly happened with Strowman last month, as Strowman was one of WWE's top guys and was likely being compensated like one as well.

If Wyatt's release was indeed financially motivated, it marks a continuation of the shift away from WWE's previous stance, which was to sign and pile up as much talent as possible.

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WWE Reportedly Almost Released Wyatt Previously

While Wyatt was released from WWE on Saturday, the company reportedly considered releasing him prior to that.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), Wyatt's "name was brought up" when previous roster cuts were made.

WWE parted ways with multiple Superstars shortly after WrestleMania and did so again in early June.

Since Wyatt appeared on Raw the night after WrestleMania 37, it is likely safe to assume there were no plans at that point to release him. That could mean Wyatt was considered for a June 2 release, which is when Strowman, Black and a handful of others were let go.

WWE's roster moves have reportedly been financially motivated in the midst of WWE continuing to report record profits thanks largely to its billion-dollar television deals with Fox and NBC Universal.

The true motivations behind Wyatt's release are only known by McMahon and a select few others within WWE, but the decision remains a puzzling one given how much popularity and support Wyatt had cultivated over the years.

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While AEW has firmly established itself as the No. 2 professional wrestling company in North America during its two years of existence, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon isn't sweating the upstart promotion.

During WWE's second-quarter earnings call Thursday, McMahon was asked about AEW, how much it is investing in its roster and the progress it has made in terms of competing with WWE.

According to WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton, McMahon said the following in response:

"Well, it certainly is not a situation where 'rising tides' because that was when [WCW owner] Ted Turner was coming after us with all of Time Warner's assets as well. That was a different situation. AEW is where they are. I don't really know what their plans are, all I know is what our plans are.

"I don't consider them competition in the way that I would consider WCW back in the day, not anywhere near close to that."

WWE has been the unquestioned dominant force in professional wrestling for the past 20 years, but WCW gave the company a run for its money in the late 1990s when its weekly Nitro show went head-to-head with Raw on Monday nights.

Nitro beat Raw in the television ratings for 83 consecutive weeks, but WWE managed to recover and win the "Monday Night War" thanks largely to the star power of wrestlers such as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and The Rock.

WWE ultimately purchased WCW in 2001, putting its biggest competition out of business for good.

AEW Dynamite hasn't yet reached the weekly viewership numbers of Raw or SmackDown, but it has exceeded 1 million for the past few weeks, and it consistently scored higher ratings than WWE NXT when both shows were on Wednesday nights.

While AEW has been successful in the pro wrestling space, WWE views itself as an entertainment company that competes against all forms of entertainment rather than just wrestling.

WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan expanded on that school of thought Thursday:

"I think the way we always look at these situations, you know, it's sort of like a horse race where the horse has blinders on. We're looking straight ahead at our lane and making sure that we stay in the front of the pack. At the same time, everything is our competition. Someone had a line a couple of weeks ago, that we all chuckled at and agreed with–sleep is our competition. Right?

"If it was up to us, people could be up 24 hours a day, watching content from different content providers, hopefully including ours. So, we don't look at any organization particularly as competition, yet we see everything as competitive with what we're trying to do, in terms of eyeballs."

One of the reasons for AEW's success has been its stacked roster, which features many performers WWE either released or didn't re-sign, such as Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Cody Rhodes, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Miro, FTR and others.

Recently, rumors have been running rampant that AEW is set to sign a pair of former multitime WWE world champions in CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

The Punk signing would be an especially big needle-mover since he hasn't wrestled in more than seven years after leaving WWE.

Punk and Bryan signing with AEW would perhaps improve viewership even more, but given that WWE has billion-dollar television deals with Fox and NBC Universal, it is understandable why McMahon and Co. don't seem particularly worried about AEW.

WWE is far more entrenched now than it was in the late '90s when it was going up against WCW, largely due to the fact that it is a publicly traded company with massive television deals and record profits.

AEW may continue to make inroads on WWE from a television viewership perspective, but WWE is nowhere near imminent danger because of the rival company's presence.

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Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

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WWE Reportedly Planning Goldberg vs. Lashley at SummerSlam

WWE is reportedly planning a huge WWE Championship match for SummerSlam next month in Las Vegas.

According to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), the current plan is for WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg to make his return and challenge Bobby Lashley for the WWE title.

The feud will reportedly get started on Monday night's episode of Raw in Dallas, as Goldberg is scheduled to appear. That will be the first Raw with fans in attendance in well over a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

If the Goldberg vs. Lashley plan comes to fruition, it essentially guarantees that Lashley will beat Kofi Kingston at Money in the Bank on Sunday to retain the WWE Championship.

Goldberg's last WWE appearance was at the Royal Rumble in January when he challenged Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship in a losing effort.

Before that, Goldberg dropped the Universal Championship he won from "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt to Braun Strowman at WrestleMania 36.

During an appearance on The Pop Culture Show last year, Goldberg said he was signed with WWE through 2023 and contracted to work two matches per year.

If Goldberg faces Lashley at SummerSlam, he will fulfill his requirement of two matches in 2021 since he already had a match with McIntyre in January.

Also, unless WWE renegotiates and has him work more matches, Goldberg would almost certainly lose to Lashley at SummerSlam.

One potentially intriguing tie-in for the match would be if WWE is able to sign Brock Lesnar to a new deal and have him appear during or after it since he has history with Goldberg and fans have been clamoring for Lashley vs. Lesnar.

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The Rock vs. Reigns Tag Team Match Reportedly Possible for WrestleMania

In an effort to protect The Rock and entice him to have a WrestleMania match, WWE is reportedly considering an option that would see him compete in a tag team bout.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Middleton), one idea that is being discussed is The Rock teaming with either Jimmy or Jey Uso against Roman Reigns and the other Uso brother at WrestleMania 38 in the Dallas area.

Given Reigns' success as a heel and status as the face of WWE, couple with his gimmick of being the "head of the table" in his family, a match against The Rock has long been speculated.

The Rock and Reigns are real-life cousins, and a match between them is one of the biggest spectacles WWE can realistically produce currently.

It has been over five years since The Rock's last match, although it was an impromptu bout at WrestleMania 32 against Erick Rowan that lasted only seconds.

His last real match before that came three years earlier at WrestleMania 29 against John Cena.

Given that The Rock is now 49 years old, far removed from his last match and more focused on his hugely successful Hollywood acting career than professional wrestling, a tag bout could be a good way to protect him from injury and prevent him from having a 20-plus-minute match without any help.

The Reigns storyline has heavily involved Jey Uso for nearly a year, and Jimmy was recently incorporated after returning from a torn ACL.

Jimmy initially resisted falling in line and lending support to Reigns, but he has since relented, and it appears as though Reigns and The Usos are a strong unit.

That could easily change at any time, though, and if the only way to get The Rock back is with a tag team match, it would unquestionably be worth exploring on WWE's part.

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Why WWE is Calling Up Superstars from NXT

WWE's recent spate of NXT call-ups is reportedly a result of WWE Chairman Vince McMahon believing there is a need for fresh faces on the main roster.

According to Meltzer (h/t Middleton), after McMahon saw the advance ticket sales for WWE's return to the road, he decided a lack of new and exciting Superstars was preventing the numbers from reaching a higher level.

As a result, McMahon called up both Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox from NXT last week. They went on to beat WWE Women's Tag Team champions Natalya and Tamina in a non-title match on SmackDown.

WWE also played a video hyping the debut of Toni Storm on the main roster during that same episode of SmackDown.

Other call-ups could be forthcoming as well on the heels of NXT champion Karrion Kross and former NXT North American champion Bronson Reed working matches on Main Event.

WWE is back on the road on a full-time basis for the first time in more than a year, which gives the company the perfect reason to make some changes and shake up the rosters.

The moves could be damaging to NXT, but with both Raw and SmackDown in need of some fresh talent, those products could be better for it moving forward.

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Like many wrestling fans around the country, The Rock is ready for WWE to hit the road again.

The People's Champion congratulated the company and chairman Vince McMahon for nearing its return to traditional live events:

Congratulations Vince and @wwe Universe on this big milestone.
A live audience is and will always be the backbone of the pro wrestling industry. It’s what fuels our mana and I know what this means to all the wrestlers. Welcome back and as I always say, “move the crowd” 🎤💪🏾 https://t.co/Q008AlkXHR

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) July 15, 2021

WWE staged WrestleMania 37 in front of a limited audience at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Otherwise, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the promotion to run its weekly shows and pay-per-views in venues largely closed off to the public.

The absence of fans has reinforced how the right live reaction can elevate what happens in the ring. Drew McIntyre lamented how his victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36 didn't feel the same because it happened in an empty WWE Performance Center.

That won't be a problem anymore as Friday's edition of SmackDown kicks off a 25-city tour this summer. Money in the Bank on Sunday will be the first PPV in front of a full house since Elimination Chamber in March 2020.