NXT

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

Stone Cold Praises Star Power of Lesnar, Reigns

WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin is arguably the biggest draw in professional wrestling history, so his opinion on the stars of today tends to carry a great deal of weight.

In an interview with veteran wrestling journalist Bill Apter (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), Austin gave his take on the biggest stars in the business currently:

"[Brock Lesnar] is still, after almost 20 years, the biggest draw, him and Roman [Reigns], in the business today. Brock Lesnar has had one of the most amazing, different runs in the history of the business, and no one will ever do it like Brock Lesnar has done it. Whether it is Suplex City or in the Octagon."

There is little doubt that WWE agrees with Austin's assessment, as it has gone back to the Lesnar vs. Reigns feud on multiple occasions, including three times at WrestleMania.

At WrestleMania 38 in April, Austin made his in-ring return and had his first match in nearly 20 years, beating Kevin Owens in the main event of Night 1. Naturally, Night 2 was headlined by Reigns defeating Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal Championships.

Lesnar got a rematch at SummerSlam in a Last Man Standing Match, and The Tribal Chief was victorious again thanks largely to interference from The Usos.

Since making his WWE main roster debut in 2002, Lesnar has been a major attraction. His stock was bolstered even more after a stint in UFC that saw him hold the UFC heavyweight title.

WWE has been trying to push Reigns as a top star from the start of his time on the main roster as well, and while he wasn't well received for quite some time, everything changed two years ago when he turned heel and embarked on the best run of his career.

While WWE has many other performers who are on the brink of top star status, Lesnar and Reigns are the old standbys at this point, and that will likely continue to be true for as long as they are with the company.

WWE Superstars, Employees Reportedly Happy Under New Management

Many within WWE have reportedly seen their morale improve since a change in management occurred in July.

Vince McMahon stepped down from his roles as chairman, CEO and head of creative and entered retirement in July amid a WWE board of directors investigation into allegations that he paid millions of dollars in hush money to multiple women who previously worked for WWE in exchange for them remaining silent about alleged sexual relationships and encounters with McMahon.

In place of McMahon, Triple H was named the new head of creative, and McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, became chairwoman and co-CEO along with Nick Khan, who previously served as WWE president.

According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, the management change has "energized" people across the company, including wrestlers, production workers and other employees.

Those who work for WWE reportedly have a better work-life balance than they did under Vince McMahon and are under less stress since they don't feel obligated to keep up with Vince's breakneck pace.

It was also suggested by those who spoke to Johnson that there was a fear of repercussions or the possibility of getting fired if a misstep was made under Vince, whereas that isn't the case with Stephanie, Triple H and Khan calling the shots.

There is no question that the WWE product has been received far more favorably by fans since the management change occurred, and it has been far more unpredictable in a positive way as well.

A big part of that has been Triple H bringing back talent that was either released or didn't re-sign when McMahon was at the helm.

Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis, Hit Row, Johnny Gargano and Braun Strowman have all been surprise returns, and it has made it feel like anything can happen in WWE.

The on-screen product has been more fun to watch, and based on Johnson's report, that good feeling has permeated backstage as well.

Bobby Fish Open to WWE Return

Former NXT star Bobby Fish isn't ruling out a WWE return now that his brief run in AEW has come to an end.

In an interview with Steve Fall of NBC Sports Boston (h/t Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone), Fish confirmed last week that he could not come to terms on a new contract with AEW, making him a free agent.

In that same interview (h/t WrestlingInc's Phil Hall), Fish said he was keeping the door open for any and all offers, including WWE: "I'm open to all options and offers at the moment. I do know that there have been quite a few people have gone back through those doors."

Fish was referring to Superstars who have made their return to WWE under Triple H after getting released while Vince McMahon was in charge. Most of those who have returned thus far worked closely with Triple H in NXT.

That was the case for Fish as well, as he was part of the NXT roster from 2017 to 2021, spending most of that time as part of the Undisputed Era stable with Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Roderick Strong.

Strong is still in NXT, while Cole and O'Reilly are in AEW. Fish teamed with them briefly in AEW, but Cole and O'Reilly got injured, and Fish's contract expired at a time when he wasn't being used.

The Undisputed Era reunion in AEW ultimately fizzled, and Fish will now have the opportunity to go off on his own, which isn't something he has done much of over the past several years.

It is unclear what WWE's level of interest would be in bringing back Fish at 45 years of age, but there could be some interest in pairing him with Strong again in what would be a semi-reunion of Undisputed Era.

Fish was a multi-time tag team champion in NXT and took part in no shortage of memorable matches and rivalries, so a return would likely be well received by the fans.

If nothing else, Fish could be a valuable asset in terms of helping to develop younger Superstars thanks to his extensive experience.

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

Former WWE star Velveteen Dream was arrested for misdemeanor battery and trespassing on a property after warning in connection to an incident at a gym on Aug. 20 in Orlando, Florida, according to TMZ Sports.

Per TMZ Sports, an employee of the gym told police he instructed Dream, whose real name is Patrick Clark, to leave an area of the gym that was temporarily closed in order to be cleaned.

Clark then allegedly became "irate and argumentative," which prompted the employee to demand he exit the gym altogether. Things escalated from there, with Clark threatening the employee before allegedly punching him in the face and biting him. Police saw bite marks on the employee's "left chest near the left armpit."

TMZ Sports first reported on Clark's arrest on Aug. 30 but was unable to provide details on what led to the charges. The outlet noted it was his second arrest within a week since he had been booked for violating the terms of his probation, allegedly from a previous drug case.

Clark last wrestled in a televised match in December 2020. WWE released him in May 2021 as the company made sweeping roster cuts throughout the year.

His departure followed allegations in April 2020 that he sent an explicit photo to an underage fan, which Clark denied. Another wrestler came forward that August to detail more allegations of misconduct.

Prior to news of his recent arrests surfacing, Clark appeared to push for a possible return to WWE.

The recent infusion of talent into the Raw and SmackDown rosters is expected to continue with more main-roster call-ups in the near future.

A report from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (via Marco Rovere of Wrestling Inc.) noted the entire Legado del Fantasma stable is getting called up.

There were brief questions about the future of the faction after leader Santos Escobar lost a match to Tony D'Angelo at NXT Heatwave earlier this month, which meant he'd be banned from NXT.

WWE then hinted at the call-up in a backstage segment where Escobar was preparing to leave the promotion and told the other members—Joaquin Wilde, Cruz Del Toro and Elektra Lopez—to join him.

In addition to Legado del Fantasma, Indi Hartwell is also expected to head to the main roster soon, per the Observer. That doesn't come as a major surprise either.

Hartwell was involved in a segment with her storyline husband Dexter Lumis on NXT, which came after Lumis made a series of cryptic appearances on Raw.

Those expected call-ups follow a report from Mike Johnson of PWInsider, who noted Solo Sikoa may be heading to the main roster in the "very near future, possibly as soon as next month."

Sikoa is a member of the famed Anoa'i wrestling family. He's the brother of The Usos, so he may be ticketed for a role in The Bloodline faction at some point.

Bringing new talent into the picture on both Raw and SmackDown has been a huge part of WWE programming since Triple H took over creative duties in late July. It's allowed the company to create plenty of hype along with a much-needed group of fresh storylines heading into the final months of the year.

Eventually, WWE will need to restock its depth in NXT given how many notable names have either arrived to the main roster or are heading that way in the near future.

But for now, things are trending in a positive direction, and some more arrivals should help that momentum keep going as WWE heads toward the year's last major event, Survivor Series, in November.

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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Shotzi, Morgan Engage in Twitter Spat

Shotzi and SmackDown women's champion Liv Morgan had a war of words Thursday night on Twitter.

It all started when Shotzi responded to a tweet from Liv regarding her arm injury and upcoming match against Shayna Baszler at Clash at the Castle:

https://twitter.com/ShotziWWE/status/1560447368092336128

Morgan won the SmackDown Women's Championship at Money in the Bank when she cashed in the Money in the Bank contract she won that same night and beat Ronda Rousey.

In a rematch at SummerSlam, Morgan tapped out while Rousey had her in an armbar, but the referee didn't see it and instead counted Rousey's shoulders to the mat, allowing Morgan to retain.

Rousey attacked the referee and Morgan after the match, and Morgan has had her arm in a brace since.

Shotzi and Morgan traded several more shots on Twitter following their initial correspondence, including Shotzi mentioning that Morgan's close friend, current AEW star Ruby Soho, was released from WWE:

Hahahahahaha Shotzi if u wanted to wrestle, all u had to do was ask silly 😇 I think my arm may just be feeling good enough to kick ur gorgeous goblin 🍑. I’ll see u tomorrow 🦾✨ https://t.co/EYMiimoZEO

— LIV Morgan (@YaOnlyLivvOnce) August 19, 2022

What a thoughtful queen. I actually did some shopping for you too… ya know, for the next time u deactivate your twitter 😁 https://t.co/tx6rpFtL6p pic.twitter.com/ogohlH0dU2

— LIV Morgan (@YaOnlyLivvOnce) August 19, 2022

https://twitter.com/ShotziWWE/status/1560461863728603142

Morgan seemed to allude to a potential match against Shotzi for Friday's episode of SmackDown, although WWE hadn't officially announced one as of Friday afternoon.

Liv is set to face another huge test at Clash at the Castle when she defends against a multi-time NXT women's champion and WWE women's tag team champion in Baszler.

Shayna won a seven-woman gauntlet match two weeks ago on SmackDown to become No. 1 contender, and it seems as though she is getting pushed back to the top with Triple H in charge of creative.

Baszler also had an interaction with Rousey on last week's SmackDown, suggesting that the real-life best friends could be on the verge of forming an on-screen alliance against Morgan as well.

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Charlotte Discusses Relationship with Lynch

Charlotte Flair appeared on The Broken Skull Sessions with WWE Hall of Famer Stone Cold Steve Austin on Friday and gave some insight into her relationship with former friend Becky Lynch.

In a sneak peek of the interview, Charlotte noted that both she and Lynch want to be the best, adding that they are "two alphas who don't see eye to eye."

Flair discussed the fact that she and Becky were once close friends who traveled together and were "each other's crutches." She suggested that may have stopped being the case when she started dating and ultimately married former WWE and current AEW star Andrade, while Lynch married WWE Superstar Seth Rollins.

Rumors have run rampant regarding heat between Flair and Lynch, particularly since a bizarre segment on SmackDown last October.

Charlotte and Becky were supposed to swap the Raw and SmackDown women's titles, but Flair tossed her title at Lynch rather than handing it over, which resulted in it falling to the mat, and made for an awkward situation.

During her own appearance on The Broken Skull Sessions in February, Lynch revealed that the segment didn't go according to plan, and that she was "fuming" afterward.

The Man also said at the time that there was a lot of "tension" and "animosity" between her and Charlotte.

In another video released by WWE this week, Charlotte took part in a word association game with Austin:

She praised many of her peers by calling Rousey "legit," Nikki Bella "star" and Morgan "future," but she called Lynch a "character."

It is unclear if there was any deeper meaning to that choice, but every indication is that The Queen and The Man still aren't on the same page.

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WWE Reportedly Releases 23 NXT UK Superstars

After WWE announced the expansion of NXT UK into a new brand called NXT Europe on Thursday, several NXT UK talents were reportedly released from their contracts.

According to PWInsider.com (h/t F4WOnline's Josh Nason), 23 performers involved with the NXT UK brand are believed to have been released, although WWE has not publicly announced any of the cuts.

It is expected that following wrestlers are all no longer under contract with WWE:

• Trent Seven
• Dave Mastiff
• Mark Andrews
• Flash Morgan Webster
• Sam Gradwell
• Kenny Williams
• Xia Brookside
• Wild Boar
• Primate
• Amir Jordan
• Dani Luna
• Emilia McKenzie
• Nina Samuels
• Rohan Raja
• Sha Samuels
• Sid Scala
• Ashton Smith
• Jack Starz
• Tyson T-Bone
• Teoman
• Amale
• Eddie Dennis
• Saxon Huxley

While some of the aforementioned wrestlers confirmed their releases on Twitter, others are believed to be gone based on the fact that they were moved to the alumni section on WWE.com.

The NXT UK stars still thought to be under contract with WWE are NXT UK champion Tyler Bate, NXT UK women's champion Meiko Satomura, NXT Heritage Cup champion Noam Dar, Blair Davenport, Joe Coffey, Mark Coffey, Wolfgang, Isla Dawn, Ilja Dragunov, Charlie Dempsey, Rampage Brown, Oliver Carter, Aleah James, Aoife Valkyrie, Jinny and Stevie Turner.

WWE announced Thursday that NXT Europe will launch in 2023, and that after a Worlds Collide premium live event featuring NXT and NXT UK talent on Sept. 24, NXT UK will take a hiatus before becoming NXT Europe.

On this week's episode of NXT, several NXT UK stars appeared, which was the apparent start of the build to the event. Bate, Davenport and Gallus all made their presence felt on the show.

Of the wrestlers seemingly released from NXT UK, several were involved in the original United Kingdom Championship tournament, including Seven.

Seven was perhaps the most surprising name on the list since he was an NXT UK fixture from the start and even once held the NXT Tag Team Championships with Bate.

While it is possible that many of the names will move on to other wrestling promotions, the door could be open for some of them to return once NXT Europe gets off the ground next year.

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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).

The recent shift in power within WWE reportedly has former NXT star Johnny Gargano contemplating a potential return to the company.

According to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net, Gargano is open to going back to WWE and wants to speak to new WWE head of creative Triple H about "seeing how things would be changing."

Haynes added that Gargano is apprehensive about the "grind" associated with working for WWE in the wake of he and fellow former NXT star Candice LeRae having their first child together, but the "overarching factor for him walking away was dissatisfaction with his position/direction with no set plan for how he'd be used."

Gargano has been a free agent since December, which is when his WWE contract expired. He has not wrestled for another company since then and has instead focused on being with his son.

Johnny Wrestling has appeared at several autograph signings, however, and he has explored other revenue streams, such as streaming on Twitch and putting merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees.

Haynes noted that in addition to his potential interest in WWE, Gargano has already had some talks with AEW.

Many of the stars who Triple H featured during his time as the head of NXT have made their way to AEW after getting released from WWE or having their contracts expire.

Among them are Adam Cole, Kyle O'Reilly, Bobby Fish, Malakai Black, Andrade El Idolo, Pac, FTR, Athena and Ruby Soho.

Gargano would likely be a good fit in AEW because of the focus on in-ring work and his status as one of the best pure wrestlers in the world, but things clearly seem to be changing in WWE as well.

In the few weeks since Triple H took over as head of WWE creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon, there has been added focus on the in-ring product, championships, the midcard and the tag team divisions on both Raw and SmackDown.

Also, Triple H has brought back several former NXT stars who were released when McMahon was at the helm, including Dakota Kai, Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dexter Lumis and Hit Row.

Given that Triple H pushed Gargano to the moon, put him in tons of main events and made him NXT champion, North American champion and NXT tag team champion during his NXT run, there is little doubt that The Game would love to have him back.

The ball is likely in Gargano's court, and he finds himself in an advantageous position with each of the top two companies seemingly having an interest in signing him.

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