Sasha Banks

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

Rey Mysterio's WWE Contract Has Expired, Working Without New Deal

Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling News Observer reported Rey Mysterio has been working his recent storyline with Seth Rollins without a WWE contract. Mysterio has been in a months' long feud with Rollins that has also involved his son Dominik, who has been an ongoing fixture on WWE television despite not working through the Performance Center or NXT.

Rollins and Mysterio are set to face off in a match at Extreme Rules. Meltzer reported the match will have an "eye for an eye" stipulation, where the winner will have to injure his opponent's eye.

Mysterio returned to WWE in 2018 after a three-year hiatus. It's unclear if Mysterio plans on exploring his options beyond WWE, or if the two sides are working on a handshake agreement because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Regardless, it is odd for WWE to give Mysterio such a prominent place on the card without any formal agreement in place.

Shayna Baszler Working Main Event

It does not appear Shayna Baszler will be getting a push back toward the top of the women's card in WWE anytime soon. Baszler, who was the most dominant women's champion in NXT history, has not been seen on WWE television since May. 

The latest news on her future in WWE is not promising. Mike Johnson and Paul Jordan of PW Insider reported Baszler was at the Performance Center for a taping of Main Event. An appearance on Main Event is essentially confirmation of Baszler's new spot on the low card of the women's division—a shocking turn of events after she was given a strong push during WrestleMania season.

Meltzer reported Vince McMahon has "soured completely" on Baszler as one of the faces of the division, citing her MMA-style fighting. While Baszler's style is clearly not for everyone, she was over with NXT audiences, and her build on Raw was far from perfect; the infamous vampiric incident struck many fans as odd.

Baszler may wind up finding herself back in NXT at this rate, which would be a smart move for all parties.

Sasha Takes Exception With Bayley Characterization

On his latest podcast, Booker T offered an interesting take on Bayley, in which he says she's not "great at anything." 

"I'm always on Bayley's case, but Bayley is the quintessential worker," Booker T said (h/t Wrestling Inc.). "She may not be great at anything, but she's good at everything. So, when I watch Bayley go out and perform, now taking on this new persona—which is something that I couldn't wait till this happened—I think it's good for her."

Sasha Banks apparently did not like that characterization and spoke her mind on Twitter:  

It's worth noting that Banks has been needling classic teams on her Twitter account since she and Bayley won the women's tag team championships, so this is probably just a case of her (mostly) staying in kayfabe while defending her friend.  

Raw women's champion Asuka has a date with WWE women's tag team titleholder Sasha Banks at Extreme Rules: The Horror Show on July 19, but first she faces a Champion vs. Champion match against The Legit Boss' teammate and SmackDown women's champion, Bayley, on Monday's Raw.

That contest headlines a show that will continue the march to the upcoming pay-per-view, which will also see WWE champion Drew McIntyre defend against former tag team partner Dolph Ziggler.

What should we expect from a show that WWE desperately needs to heat things up as its faces slumping television ratings and general apathy for the product?

Women's Division Takes Center Stage

Few elements of the current product have been as consistently great as the women's division, and it will look to steal the show once more Monday when Asuka battles Bayley in a matchup we have seen before but not quite under the same circumstances.

Bayley and Asuka's greatest battles took place in NXT, when both were babyfaces. Now, The Role Model is an insufferable heel while The Empress of Tomorrow is, arguably, the most charismatic character on any WWE-produced show.

The dynamics favor a fantastic match, as long as they are allowed to have one.

An interference-heavy bout seems likely as Banks looks to cost Asuka and add heat to their upcoming match at Extreme Rules. If that is the case, look for Bayley to pick up the win and continue The Golden Role Models' recent string of successes.

Expect the heels to maintain their momentum and Asuka to find the motivation she needs to unload her strike-heavy offense on The Boss come July 19.

Is Dolph Ziggler in Drew McIntyre's Head?

For the first time in his title reign, WWE champion Drew McIntyre appears shaken by a No. 1 contender.

So much so that he has given Dolph Ziggler the opportunity to select the stipulation for their match at Extreme Rules. The Showoff has wrestled in any number of gimmick bouts over the years, giving him a wealth to choose from.

Whatever he selects is almost certain to play to McIntyre's weaknesses.

Given the fact that some of his most memorable victories have come in ladder matches—a match type the Scot has not had much in the way of success in—expect Ziggler to reveal it as his choice on Monday night.

A Riott-ous Reunion?

Liv Morgan and Ruby Riott have found themselves on the losing end of matches recently. The former has struggled against Natalya while the latter lost yet another match in 2020 last week, this time to Peyton Royce.

As both continue to slide down the rankings on Raw, professional frustration may force them to set aside personal animosity and reunite.

With it appearing more and more like The IIconics may be first up for the former friends, do not be surprised to see Morgan come to the aid of Riott as she endures a beatdown at the hands of Royce and Billie Kay.

Another plausible angle would see Morgan at the mercy of Lana and Natalya, only for Riott to make the save and bring the former teammates closer to a comeback.

Either way, their story is suddenly one of the more interesting ones on the show, as WWE continues its excellent promotion of women's wrestling this summer.

Once you get over the fact that Extreme Rules 2020 may be the most appropriately tagged event in WWE history, what with its "Horror Show" subtitle reflecting everyday life this year, the card is shaping up to be one of the most pleasantly surprising in recent memory.

Monday on Raw, two of the event's top matches will be made official in a double contract signing.

And if the idea of pro wrestlers writing their names on pieces of paper is not enough to get you to tune in to USA Network and stop the ratings slump WWE's flagship show has found itself in over the past month, what is?

Maybe the continuation of Rey Mysterio, Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo's rivalry with Seth Rollins, Murphy and Austin Theory perhaps?

Double Contract Signing Horror Show for Extreme Rules

Just when you thought contract-signing segments could not have been more overdone, WWE's crack creative staff presents a contract signing doubleheader for the red brand's top two matches at Extreme Rules.

One week after Dolph Ziggler arrived on the scene and challenged Drew McIntyre to a WWE Championship match, the former Raw tag team champions will make their pay-per-view main event official.

Neither man was physical during the confrontation, but that should change Monday.

After spending all year as Otis' tackling dummy over on SmackDown, Ziggler needs to be reheated. He needs to rebuild credibility, and WWE's creative team is almost certainly aware of that. Look for him to capitalize on the setting and get the best of McIntyre, amplifying the issues between them and setting up a rivalry that fans can invest in, even if the outcome is fairly obvious.

The other contract signing Monday night is between Asuka and Sasha Banks, whose issues with each other began a week ago with Banks' challenge to The Empress for a title opportunity. The Boss has expressed her desire to be a double champion like tag team partner Bayley and has thus set her sights on a dream match of sorts.

In reality, anything either feud does to encourage any sort of excitement from fans will be to the benefit of the brand. Though stars fans have been waiting to see break out have received their opportunities to do so, Raw has felt like an ice-cold show with no real urgency to speak of since WrestleMania.

Changing that should be first on Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard's itinerary. Whether it is represented in the approach to these two segments remains to be seen.

A Front to Conformity

Not everyone is ready, prepared or willing to follow "Monday Night Messiah" Seth Rollins blindly, something the former universal and WWE champion found out a week ago, when Aleister Black and Humberto Carrillo made the save for Rey Mysterio and his son, Dominik, in the main event segment of the show.

The placement on the show suggests this will continue to be a high-profile rivalry, continuing with Monday's follow-up.

With neither Mysterio nor Dominik advertised, it would not be surprising to see Rollins, Murphy and Austin Theory gain a measure of revenge on Black and Carrillo. With that said, Black and Carrillo just returned from storyline injuries perpetrated by their rivals, so cooling them off would be the wrong approach to take.

Expect Black and Carrillo to get one over on the heels again, be it in a match or an angle, as WWE builds to what is likely to be a significant multi-man tag team match at Extreme Rules.

Bobby Lashley Takes A Step Closer to the United States Championship

On the previous edition of Raw, Bobby Lashley attacked Apollo Crews to set himself up for a United States Championship natch in the near future.

While it might appear to be a step back for Lashley after a main event program with Drew McIntyre, it allows him to stay at the forefront of the brand in a relatively high-profile position.

Expect him to continue his path of rage as he advances closer to his inevitable showdown with Crews.

Perhaps he wins a No. 1 Contender's Match or defeats Crews in the tired "contender beats champion to set up title match, thus devaluing said champion ahead of time" booking trope.

Whatever the case may be, we are heading toward Lashley vs. Crews, and at this particular point in time, it appears as though the emphasis is on The All Mighty. He should shine Monday.

All Elite Wrestling star Sammy Guevara uploaded a video Tuesday addressing a 2016 comment he made about WWE star Sasha Banks.

On Monday, fans drew attention toward a podcast appearance in which Guevara said he "wanted to just go f--king rape that woman" after seeing Banks at a WWE taping (h/t Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton).

In his statement Tuesday, Guevara said "2016 me is not me today" and that he once attempted to use "shock humor" to elicit a reaction. He added he "understand[s] now that the words I say can impact people more than I'll ever understand."

Guevara apologized Monday on Twitter:

Banks said later she had spoken with him to discuss the matter:

AEW said it was suspending Guevara indefinitely without pay. His forfeited salary will be donated to the Women's Center of Jacksonville in Florida.

His suspension occurs as many are coming forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, assault and emotional abuse they've suffered from others in the wrestling industry.

WWE released Jack Gallagher and scrubbed mentions of him from its website Saturday after sexual assault allegations against him.

AEW said Jimmy Havoc was undergoing treatment and counseling and that it was "evaluating his status with our company" following mental and physical abuse allegations against him.

Impact Wrestling also terminated the contracts of Joey Ryan and Dave Crist while suspending Michael Elgin following misconduct allegations.

Bayley is the longest-reigning SmackDown women's champion in WWE history at over 250 days, and now she has run through nearly every woman on the blue brand roster, it is time for a new challenger to emerge.

It seems like a near-certainty that the person to take the title off Bayley will be Sasha Banks, but since the time isn't yet right to make that happen, someone needs to step up in the interim.

WWE may have teased it slightly last week on NXT when Bayley and Banks successfully defended the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships against Tegan Nox and Shotzi Blackheart.

Following their victory, NXT women's champion Io Shirai ran down and took them both out.

Shirai is still part of the NXT roster since she is a titleholder, but doing a one-off match between her and Bayley at Extreme Rules makes sense for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the champion has no one left to beat on SmackDown.

On Friday's episode, several members of the women's roster were discussing who deserved to face Bayley next. Alexa Bliss, Lacey Evans, Dana Brooke, Tamina and Naomi were among those holding court, but The Role Model has already successfully defended her title against all of them.

In fact, Bayley won a Fatal 5-Way against Evans, Naomi, Tamina and Banks at WrestleMania 36, so the time is right for WWE to bring in a completely fresh opponent for her.

With the exception of a five-day run Charlotte Flair had with the title in October 2019, Bayley has essentially been SmackDown women's champion for 400 days. As such, a retread opponent from the blue brand simply wouldn't be a believable threat to her reign.

Shirai is in a different category since she is in the middle of the best run of her career and considered by many to be the best female wrestler in the world.

The Genius of the Sky beat Flair and Rhea Ripley in the Triple Threat main event of NXT TakeOver: In Your House on June 7 to win the NXT Women's Championship for the first time, and since it is still early in her reign, she isn't currently embroiled in a feud.

Now is the perfect time to allow her to cross over briefly and get NXT some added attention by making appearances on SmackDown as well as the Extreme Rules pay-per-view on July 19.

There would be at least some belief among fans that Shirai could beat Bayley for the title, plus it would be a dream match of sorts between two all-time greats who have yet to face each other.

In order to keep the title on Bayley and protect Shirai, WWE could book the match in any number of ways. The most obvious scenario would see Banks getting involved by either helping the champion win or getting her disqualified.

Either way, it would be a great angle to build further tension between Bayley and The Boss ahead of a potential match at SummerSlam on August 23.

It would also be WWE's way of introducing Shirai to a wider audience and seeing if fans believe she can eventually be one of the top female stars on Raw or SmackDown in the future.

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