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CM Punk on Raw Underground; Sasha Banks Rips Gina Carano; Dexter Lumis Injury
Aug 5, 2020
CM Punk walks to the octagon before a welterweight bout at UFC 203 on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/David Dermer)
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
CM Punk Comments on Raw Underground
Raw Underground probably wasn't to every fan's taste, but it certainly had people talking.
On Tuesday, CM Punk was a guest for a virtual watch party of SummerSlam 1992 on FS1. Asked about Raw Underground, he said he "loved" the concept and added he's looking forward to when stars from the women's division are throwing hands.
The fact that Punk is on-board shouldn't come as a big surprise given his brief foray into mixed martial arts. A scripted mixture between professional wrestling and legitimate hand-to-hand combat is right up his alley.
Shane McMahon tweeted about Raw Underground on Tuesday: "Lots of work to do but looking forward to week two."
Perhaps McMahon will take Punk's advice and let Nia Jax take center stage on a future installment.
Sasha Banks Issues Warning to Gina Carano
Were Gina Carano ever to make the transition to wrestling, she shouldn't expect Sasha Banks to welcome her with open arms.
Carano reacted to a segment on Raw in which Shayna Baszler laid out Banks backstage, saying she wanted to attend her first WWE event.
Banks apparently took exception to the message:
And just like that, I wanna whoop your ass too... you wouldn’t last in my Universe but you’re welcome to try 😈 #2BeltzBankshttps://t.co/vqjaB3OKb8
— Mercedes Moné Varnado (@MercedesVarnado) August 4, 2020
Baszler also threw some shade at Carano, referencing her acting role on The Mandalorian and omitting any mention of her MMA career:
Plenty of cage fighters have found success in WWE, with Baszler one of the notable examples. The ship for Carano would seemingly have sailed, however, since her last fight was more than a decade ago (August 2009).
Dexter Lumis' Availability for TakeOver Unclear
WWE Digital shared an update on NXT star Dexter Lumis, who injured his ankle in a Triple Threat match against Finn Balor and Timothy Thatcher. Lumis was victorious to earn a spot in the NXT North American Championship Ladder match at NXT TakeOver XXX on Aug. 22.
However, his ankle is hurt worse than previously thought, so he may not be able to compete at TakeOver.
Wednesday's edition of WWE NXT could provide some more insight into the situation.
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Moxley Calls Vince a 'Madman'; Ember Rips Double Champs; Rey Mysterio Update
Jul 29, 2020
FILE - In this May 21, 2010, file photo, WWE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Vince McMahon is shown at the Connecticut Republican Convention in Hartford, Conn. WWE announced Thursday, July 31, 2014, a new 10-year partnership with Rogers Communications in Canada that will launch the WWE Network as a traditional pay-TV channel in Rogers' cable systems, also starting Aug. 12.
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
AEW World champion Jon Moxley had some less-than-flattering things to say about WWE Chairman Vince McMahon on Tuesday.
During an appearance on Busted Open Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Moxley discussed one of the biggest differences between working in AEW and working in WWE:
"Pressure is having a two-page script written by a 74-year-old madman that makes no sense to you that's going to make you look stupid and your on worldwide TV live and you have to memorize every single line and somehow try to pull it off and not look like a total jackass. That's pressure. A lot of times I did pull that off. A lot of times I didn't. But, I'll never have to be in that situation again. Now I just get to be me and it's a nice feeling."
Moxley wrestled as Dean Ambrose in WWE from 2012-19. He spent some of that time as a member of The Shield and went on to become WWE champion after The Shield broke up.
Moxley also held the Intercontinental and United States Championships, and he was consistently an important part of WWE programming.
He was often put in comedic situations due to his ability to excel in those spots, however, Moxley made it clear after leaving WWE that he didn't appreciate being pigeonholed.
Mox was spoken often about how unhappy he was in the WWE system since leaving the company, and he is especially against the idea of being handed a script and not being given any wiggle room to inject his own voice into his promos.
That hasn't been a problem for Mox is AEW, and he has quickly developed into one of the company's top stars due to his in-your-face character, realistic-sounding promos and quality in-ring work.
Moxley seems to be doing everything in AEW that he wanted to do in WWE, and his comments suggest he has no plans to go back to WWE in the future.
Moon Criticizes WWE's Booking of Women's Division
WWE Superstar Ember Moon has been out of action since September 2019 with a ruptured Achilles, but she is still keeping up with the product from home.
On Tuesday, Moon discussed the women's title scene on her Twitch stream (h/t Upton), and questioned the need for both Bayley and Sasha Banks to be double champions:
"Why do we need two double champions? Is SummerSlam going to be like low-key Evolution with Sasha and Bayley wrestling for their singles titles and also for the tag titles? Is that a thing? Are we just reliving Triple H [and Steve Austin, Two Man Power Trip] from 2001? Sasha and Bayley have done a great job with a limited roster, but there are too many people sitting at home to tie up all the titles with two people."
Bayley is the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's champion of all time, and she and Banks beat Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships several weeks ago.
Banks made good on their promise to hold all the gold on Monday's episode of Raw when she beat Asuka by count-out to win the Raw Women's Championship. Stephanie McMahon stipulated that the title could be won by any result after the shenanigans that occurred during their match at Extreme Rules.
Asuka was counted out when she attempted to save her friend Kairi Sane, who was getting beaten down by Bayley backstage.
Moon wasn't a fan of that angle either, as she felt Sane should've been in more imminent danger before Asuka ran out of the ring to save her.
Ember added:
"I get we're supposed to be angry, and kudos to them for making us angry. No one wanted Asuka to lose, everyone wanted NXT Asuka back and having an undefeated streak. That's what WWE does. I fell for the ploy of 'I'm angry because I saw my friend Asuka lose the title in a crappy way.' Are we gonna have Sasha just lose the title to Lacey Evans or transfer Naomi over? They're building to SummerSlam, right? As a fan, I feel like I got ripped because once again, I don't get Bayley vs. Sasha."
With Becky Lynch away due to her pregnancy and Charlotte Flair currently out of the picture after undergoing a procedure, two top spots were left open in the women's division, and the tandem of Bayley and Sasha have seized them.
Bayley and Sasha are regularly appearing on both Raw and SmackDown, having great matches, cutting entertaining promos and showing what it means to be a heel.
Seeds have been planted many times for a Sasha vs. Bayley match, as Moon alluded to, but since they've been so good as a pairing, it may not be the time to break them up, especially since WWE would likely prefer to save that huge moment for a time when fans are in attendance.
If that's the case, then WWE is wise to get the most they can out of Banks and Bayley as a team while they can.
WWE Provides Mysterio Injury Update
WWE provided an update on Rey Mysterio on Tuesday following his loss to Seth Rollins in an Eye for an Eye match at Extreme Rules.
WWE.com released the following statement on Mysterio's status: "WWE Digital has learned that Rey Mysterio's vision is improving slowly each day and that his optic nerve is intact, completely secured and back in its socket. A timeline for Mysterio's return to the ring is unknown at this time."
At Extreme Rules, WWE simulated Mysterio's eyeball popping out of its socket. He hasn't been heard from since, but Mysterio's son, Dominick, appeared on Monday's episode of Raw.
Dominick got beaten down by Rollins and Murphy before Aleister Black made the save, but Murphy then pushed Black's eye into the corner of the steel steps just as Rollins did to Mysterio previously.
Dominick was able to make a comeback and fight off both Rollins and Murphy with a kendo stick, but the rivalry between them appears far from over.
It seems likely that the update WWE provided on Mysterio is its way of setting the stage for him to return eventually, perhaps as soon as SummerSlam provided Dominick ends up in a singles or tag team match against Rollins.
Mysterio and Dominick working side by side is an intriguing storyline WWE could get a lot out of, and all signs point to that being the case some time in the not-too-distant future.
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