N/A
Roderick Strong beat Joe Gacy at NXT WarGames on Sunday night to retain the Cruiserweight Championship.
Strong landed End of Heartache on Gacy for the victory.
Gacy first put himself on Diamond Mine's radar on the Nov. 16 edition of NXT when he praised the group for coming together to accomplish a common goal and inquired about potentially joining the stable.
Malcolm Bivens told Gacy he could pay to try out for Diamond Mine, but he was unwilling to allow him to be part of the stable otherwise.
The following week, the group interrupted a Gacy promo after a scheduled match between Gacy and Grayson Waller didn't happen because of the latter getting attacked by LA Knight.
Gacy took issue with Strong and expressed his belief that the cruiserweight division was divisive and non-inclusive since it didn't allow Superstars over 205 pounds to compete for the title.
Strong responded by saying he would defend the Cruiserweight Championship against anyone and called for Bivens to get the weight limit waived so he could face Gacy at WarGames.
There was nearly a showdown after that interaction, with Bivens calling for The Creed Brothers to attack his rival, but they backed off when Harland showed up to protect Gacy.
The possibility of interference added some intrigue to Strong vs. Gacy since the former Undisputed Era man had all of Diamond Mine supporting him, while the monstrous Harland loomed large in favor of Gacy.
Strong had the advantage Sunday in terms of his experience and high level of performance as an in-ring worker, but the NXT decision-makers have clearly been behind Gacy as a big part of the brand and a developing character.
The decision was made to stick with the veteran as champion, although there is little doubt NXT will continue to feature Gacy heavily moving forward.
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Undertaker Compares Omos to Andre the Giant
The Undertaker knows what it takes to be a successful big man in WWE, and he sees something special in Omos.
During an appearance on WWE's The Bump, Taker heaped praise on the imposing tag team partner of AJ Styles:
The Phenom noted that while there will never be another Andre the Giant, he believes Omos is the closest thing to the legendary WWE Hall of Famer. He also called Omos "special" because of his size and ability.
The 7'3" mountain of a man played college basketball at Morgan State and South Florida before signing a developmental deal with WWE in 2019. It wasn't long before Omos got the call to the main roster in 2020.
Omos has been Styles' bodyguard and tag team partner, and he even held the Raw Tag Team Championships with The Phenomenal One.
Lately, Omos has enjoyed some success on his own, including on Sunday at Survivor Series when he won the 25-man interbrand battle royal.
It seems inevitable that Omos and Styles will eventually go their separate ways, and once that happens, WWE figures to give Omos a huge push individually since his stature makes him stand out from the rest of the roster.
While it remains to be seen if Omos has the personality and wrestling ability needed to be a star on his own, his size undoubtedly gives him an advantage.
Gargano Reportedly Signs 1-Week WWE Extension
Johnny Gargano has reportedly signed a short-term contract extension with WWE to ensure he will be able to work the Dec. 5 NXT WarGames pay-per-view.
According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select, Gargano signed a one-week extension with WWE, meaning his contract will now expire on Dec. 10 rather than Dec. 3.
Sapp also reported that Gargano and WWE continue to hold negotiations for a potential long-term extension if the two sides can reach a deal.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton) recently reported that WWE made a "strong" contract offer and was pushing "very hard" to sign him to a long-term deal.
Gargano's situation seems similar to the one Adam Cole was involved with in August and September before he made his All Elite Wrestling debut at All Out on Sept. 5.
Cole also reportedly signed a short-term extension with WWE in August, which allowed him to finish his feud with Kyle O'Reilly and put O'Reilly over at NXT TakeOver 36.
Once the extension ended, Cole decided to leave WWE in favor of AEW, and he is now a part of The Elite with Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks.
It is possible Gargano could take a similar route, although he has long been considered the heart and soul of NXT. He also could make an impact on WWE's main roster if given the opportunity.
For now, the final match scheduled for Gargano under a WWE contract will be a WarGames match at NXT WarGames with Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne and L.A. Knight facing Bron Breakker, Carmelo Hayes, Tony D'Angelo and Grayson Waller.
Top Dolla Talks Possible Reasons for Hit Row's Release
Following the shocking release of Hit Row last week, Top Dolla explained some potential reasons why the decision was made by WWE.
Appearing on Busted Open Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Matthew Wilkinson), Top Dolla recounted placing a call after WWE released B-Fab from the group and the company a few weeks ago:
"They got mad when Briana got released that I called up to the office. I was like, 'I don't understand why you'd release Briana when we are a foursome group.' You take Briana out of the group and yeah, we're still cool, and yeah, we can still do all the same things, but we are just every three-man wrestling group."
Top Dolla also said he felt WWE higher-ups weren't happy when he, Isaiah "Swerve" Scott and Ashante Thee Adonis took it upon themselves to record a new theme song following B-Fab's departure:
"They were upset because when they took Briana out of the group, they wanted to re-do the song. So they did like a remix of the song, but the song doesn't sound the same without her part of it. So what we did was, we went in the studio and made a new song. I guess they were upset that we made a new song, but we are a rap group. How are we a rap group if we can't make a song? Then we are just wrestlers."
The release of Hit Row came as a huge shock since they were a red-hot group in NXT before getting called up as part of the WWE draft.
Hit Row only made a few appearances on SmackDown before their release from the company, meaning they never got a legitimate chance to show what they were made of on the main roster.
Hit Row was a group unlike any WWE had ever had before, and they seemingly had the ability to accomplish a great deal thanks to their varied skill set as a stable.
Instead, all four members of Hit Row are now free agents, meaning they could try to reprise the act elsewhere once their 90-day non-compete clauses are up.
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Angle Questions if Breakker Can be Face of WWE
Bron Breakker has enjoyed one of the quickest ascents in recent memory in WWE, reminiscent of the likes of Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar.
Angle, who is a WWE Hall of Famer and widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, chimed in this week on Breakker and his potential as a top star in WWE.
Speaking on his Kurt Angle Show podcast (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marco Rovere), Angle praised Breakker's ability but also wondered if Breakker has what it takes to be "the guy" in WWE eventually:
"Bron is a talented individual. I love his style, he's very physical. I think the company could do a lot of good with him. I don't know if he's the guy that you want to build the company around, but I do believe that he should be one of the very top guys eventually. He's that talented, he can be something very special if they use him right."
Breakker is the son of former WWE and WCW star Rick Steiner and the nephew of Scott Steiner. Although WWE hasn't given him the Steiner name, there have been subtle acknowledgements of his pedigree on NXT commentary.
The 24-year-old Breakker played college football at Kennesaw State as a fullback and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2020 before being released.
Breakker then turned his attention to professional wrestling and had limited experience before WWE signed him to a developmental contract in February.
By September, Breakker had made his televised debut in NXT, and he is already one of the faces of the brand.
Breakker lost an NXT Championship match to Tommaso Ciampa at Halloween Havoc last month, but all signs point toward him winning the title in the near future and being the face of NXT 2.0.
It seems Breakker has all the tools needed to be a star, including the look, in-ring work, promo ability and intensity. All he needs now is additional experience and seasoning.
Only time will tell if Breakker can become a John Cena or Roman Reigns-esque star for WWE, but there is no question the company views him as something special and a potential top guy in the future.
White Says He Hasn't Had Talks with AEW
Jay White is one of New Japan Pro-Wrestling's biggest stars, but he hasn't had any discussions with AEW about potentially joining the company.
In an interview with Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), White denied rumors and speculation that he has been approached by AEW:
"I was never or have never been approached in regards to AEW. Especially when they were starting up. I don't know where that rumor came from. It's just like everything else to do with wrestling in regards to wrestling, people just like to push s--t out there as if it's true and everyone just eats it up. No, I was never approached in regards to AEW. I don't know where that came from."
White acknowledged that WWE has shown interest in the past, but he also shot down a rumor that he signed a seven-year contract with NJPW in 2018.
The 29-year-old Kiwi is the reigning NEVER Openweight champion in NJPW, and he has also held the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, IWGP Intercontinental Championship and IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship.
Recently, White has been making appearances for Impact Wrestling as well.
AEW has had many New Japan stars appear on its show over the past year, including KENTA, Minoru Suzuki, Satoshi Kojima and Yuji Nagata, among others.
White would be a massive addition to AEW or any other wrestling company, but it seems as though his primary focus remains on New Japan for now.
WWE Teases Possible Balor vs. WALTER Match
During a WWE tour of the United Kingdom, two of the company's top European stars teased a potential future match.
A Twitter user tweeted a photo of Finn Balor gesturing toward WALTER during Monday's WWE live event in Leeds, England:
Per WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton, Balor defeated Sheamus in a singles match on that show, while WALTER beat Cesaro.
Balor and WALTER have never wrestled each other, although a match between them was teased previously when both were in NXT early last year. The match never happened, though, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the pandemic hit, WALTER and all of the other Europe-based NXT wrestlers went back home, meaning it wasn't possible to play the rivalry off.
By the time WALTER returned to the United States, Balor had moved on to other things and eventually got called back up to the main roster.
Balor is part of the Raw roster, while WALTER has been in limbo since dropping the NXT United Kingdom Championship to Ilja Dragunov at NXT TakeOver 36 in August.
There has been speculation about WALTER being called up to the main roster, but he has always been publicly reluctant about moving to the United States.
If WALTER changes his mind and does decide to make the move, however, a match against Balor a dream match realized for many wrestling fans.
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WWE Teasing Lesnar vs. McIntyre?
WWE reportedly dropped a hint regarding Brock Lesnar's next opponent on Friday night's episode of SmackDown.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), Drew McIntyre using the Kimura Lock to beat Mustafa Ali on SmackDown was done for a reason.
Lesnar has occasionally used the Kimura to beat opponents in the past, and McIntyre employing the maneuver could mean a rekindling of their rivalry is in order.
McIntyre beat Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 36 last year for the WWE Championship, although it always seemed likely WWE would go back to the rivalry at some point given how everything went down.
WrestleMania 36 was staged with no fans in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning McIntyre didn't get his big moment in front of the WWE Universe.
Moving McIntyre from Raw to SmackDown in the WWE Draft seemed to be a calculated move on WWE's part, as he is unquestionably the top babyface on the brand with Universal champion Roman Reigns running things on the heel side.
Reigns beat Lesnar at Crown Jewel to retain the Universal title thanks to help from The Usos, and it seems like there is plenty of meat left on the bone when it comes to their feud as well.
Lesnar is in the midst of a storyline suspension, however, after attacking referees and WWE official Adam Pearce a couple of weeks ago.
The expectation is that Lesnar will target Reigns when he returns, but going after McIntyre instead could be a fun swerve that fans would be excited to see.
Update on Styles' WWE Raw Absence
AJ Styles has been noticeably absent from Raw since he and Omos lost their Raw Tag Team Championship match against RK-Bro at Crown Jewel.
According to Meltzer (h/t Perry), the reason for Styles' absence is that he is dealing with a "non-injury medical issue."
Styles and Omos were supposed to challenge for the Raw tag team titles a couple of weeks ago; however, a Triple Threat tag team match between The Street Profits, The Dirty Dawgs and Alpha Academy was held instead.
The Dirty Dawgs won the match, but Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode went on to lose to Randy Orton and Riddle later in the night.
On Monday, The Dirty Dawgs beat The Street Profits with RK-Bro on commentary after Omos showed up and provided a distraction.
Omos took out The Street Profits and Riddle all by himself, but officials broke things up before he was able to get his hands on Orton.
Styles and Omos have been an effective tag team, but it is clear WWE has some major plans for Omos as a singles wrestler moving forward. There is also plenty of value in moving a multi-time world champion like Styles back into the singles ranks as well.
Whenever Styles is cleared to return, running a breakup angle and having he and Omos go their separate ways could be the best possible move for Raw in terms of maximizing star power.
WWE Reportedly Planning NXT TakeOver Event
WWE has not held an NXT TakeOver event since August, but the wait may soon be over.
According to Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics, Dec. 5 is the planned date for the next TakeOver, although it isn't yet known if the TakeOver branding will remain in place.
NXT was rebranded as NXT 2.0 in September, and there has been a notable increase in focus on younger, less-experienced Superstars since then.
Bron Breakker, Gigi Dolan, Jacy Jayne and Carmelo Hayes are just a few of those wrestlers who have noticeably been on the rise over the past couple of months.
Veterans have remained sprinkled in as well with Tommaso Ciampa holding the NXT Championship.
Ciampa beat Breakker to retain the title on last week's Halloween Havoc edition of NXT, which may have been a way of delaying Breakker's title win until TakeOver in December.
The last TakeOver, which was NXT TakeOver 36, saw Samoa Joe beat Karrion Kross for the NXT Championship in the main event and played host to Adam Cole's final WWE match before he signed with AEW.
The next TakeOver figures to have a drastically different look, but it could still prove to be a highly entertaining show, especially if it takes place at a larger venue with a big crowd in attendance.
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WWE Has Long-Term Reigns vs. Lesnar Plans
Roman Reigns is set to defend the Universal Championship against Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel later this month, but there are reportedly additional plans in place for the rivalry.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News), Reigns vs. Lesnar likely isn't "one-and-done" and the idea is to use the Oct. 21 bout to build to a return match at some point.
While Meltzer didn't definitively say when the rematch would happen, he suggested WrestleMania 38 in Dallas next year is a strong possibility as long as WWE doesn't bring in Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson for a match against Reigns.
Meltzer also alluded to the built-in angle of Paul Heyman being stuck in the middle as Lesnar's former advocate and Reigns' current special counsel.
Lesnar has suggested that he has been in contact with Heyman and that Heyman aided in him achieving free-agent status after the WWE draft. That has led to Reigns questioning Heyman's allegiance.
Since the storyline is of such significance, it would undoubtedly make sense for WWE to stretch it over a long period of time.
It seems unlikely that Reigns will drop the title to Lesnar at Crown Jewel, especially since WWE has teased a champion vs. champion match between The Tribal Chief and WWE champion Big E at Survivor Series next month.
Still, with Heyman's involvement, there should be plenty of meat left on the bone to go back to Reigns vs. Lesnar at a later date, and doing it on the Grandest Stage of Them All would be a sensible move if WWE has nothing else lined up for Reigns.
WrestleMania Debut Planned for Steveson
WWE reportedly has big plans in place for Gable Steveson to make his in-ring debut at the biggest show of the year.
According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), WWE wants to bring Steveson into the fold after his college wrestling season ends in March. The idea would then be for him to wrestle his first WWE match at WrestleMania 38 next April.
WWE recently announced the official signing of Steveson—but with a caveat. Since college athletes are now permitted to make money off their name, image and likeness, Steveson was allowed to sign with WWE while continuing to wrestle at the University of Minnesota.
As further proof that WWE has big plans for Steveson in the near future, he was selected to Raw as part of the WWE draft this week.
Steveson seemingly has all the tools needed to be a big-time star in WWE for many years to come, and he already has built-in name recognition.
The 21-year-old won a gold medal at the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo this past summer, plus the heavyweight has displayed a love for pro wrestling and the personality needed to succeed in it.
Transitioning from Olympic wrestling to pro wrestling was essentially seamless for Kurt Angle, and there is reason to believe Steveson will find himself in a similar situation soon.
Gargano's Reported Status in WWE NXT
Much has been speculated about Johnny Gargano's future in WWE and specifically on the NXT 2.0 brand, but there reportedly aren't expected to be any significant changes in the near future.
According to Meltzer (h/t Upton), Gargano is written into future episodes of NXT and nothing has been said internally about his status changing. Meltzer did confirm, however, that Gargano's WWE contract is set to expire on Dec. 3.
Fightful was the first to report in September that Gargano's deal was up in December. It was noted at the time that while no contract negotiations had taken place yet, they were expected to occur in the fall.
Speculation about Gargano's future increased this week when he made some noticeable changes to his Twitter bio.
Per WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton, Gargano removed references to NXT and USA Network, although he did keep a link to his WWE.com Superstar profile in the bio.
Gargano has been part of NXT since 2016, and during that time he has become one of the most decorated Superstars in the history of the brand, having held the NXT Championship as well as the North American and NXT Tag Team Championship.
Recently, Gargano has served in more of a comedic role as part of The Way, and he has thrived as Indi Hartwell's on-screen father figure.
While Gargano has done well in that spot and has a long history of amazing matches and feuds in NXT, it is fair to wonder if WWE has long-term plans for him.
NXT 2.0 is primarily focusing on younger, homegrown wrestlers with the type of look WWE has long tended to favor.
Gargano has an indie wrestling background, is 34 years of age and is among the smallest wrestlers in WWE, which may not make him a priority from the company's perspective.
Since All Elite Wrestling is signing former WWE wrestlers left and right, there would likely be a spot for Gargano there. WWE may have to offer Gargano a clear direction in NXT or a spot on the main roster in order to keep him, and it remains to be seen if such an offer will be made.
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WWE Superstars Karrion Kross and Scarlett got engaged Thursday.
Scarlett posted a picture on Twitter of her wearing her engagement ring alongside Kross, with the caption "Pop the champagne!"
Kross and Scarlett debuted together in May 2020 on the NXT brand. She served as his manager throughout his tenure on the developmental show, including during his NXT title wins at TakeOver XXX and Takeover: Stand and Deliver.
Kross' first title run was interrupted by a shoulder injury he suffered in his TakeOver XXX victory over Keith Lee. The 36-year-old vacated the championship on the first episode of NXT after the event and missed four months before returning in December.
Since moving to the main roster full-time in August, Kross has worked as a solo act on Raw. Scarlett has yet to make an appearance on the red brand.
Prior to joining WWE, Kross and Scarlett worked together in Lucha Libre AAA Worldwide from 2018 to 2019. They also made sporadic appearances for Impact Wrestling.
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Vince McMahon Wants NXT to Be Edgier Product
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is reportedly looking to appeal to a younger demographic with the new NXT 2.0 product.
According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), McMahon suggested the use of more adult language and themes, as well as "more lenience" regarding the ring gear of female wrestlers.
McMahon also reportedly wants NXT wrestlers to "keep up with current affairs with promos and character verbiage."
It was noted by Fightful that McMahon primarily wants to target the 18-34-year-old demographic with the new version of NXT.
NXT 2.0 launched last week, and it had a decidedly different feel from the previous NXT, with its focus on young, unknown talent.
That largely continued this week, especially in terms of building up Bron Breakker as one of the top stars on the brand.
It also seemed as though the boundaries were pushed a bit more than normal based in promos and some of the jokes that were cracked by the announce team.
It remains to be seen if the changes in philosophy will bring in a younger audience, but NXT 2.0 has been entertaining thus far and done a good job of showcasing some of the young talent WWE has under contract.
Young Rock Casting Several Old School Wrestlers
After a successful first season, the NBC sitcom Young Rock is casting for Season 2, and many of the names included will be familiar to wrestling fans.
According to PWInsider's Mike Johnson, the 1980s wrestlers and wrestling personalities the show is currently casting include Jerry "The King" Lawler, Tommy Rich, Bam Bam Bigelow, Haystacks Calhoun, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Big John Studd, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji and The Great Kabuki.
Young Rock is also re-casting some of the wrestlers featured in Season 1, including "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an executive producer on the show, which focuses on his upbringing in a professional wrestling family and his time as a football player at the University of Miami.
The Rock went on to become one of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling, and he is among the most successful actors in the world as well.
Young Rock received positive reviews, especially from wrestling fans.
PWInsider noted that Young Rock Season 2 will begin filming in Australia in October and production for the 10-episode season will run through January.
Fox to Air King of the Ring Special First Weekend of October
In anticipation of the potential return of WWE's King of the Ring tournament, Fox will reportedly air a King of the Ring special.
According to Johnson, the special will air the weekend of Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 in different time slots depending on the market. It is expected to serve as a preview for the 2021 King of the Ring tournament.
The return of King of the Ring has been speculated on for quite some time, and while WWE has yet to confirm anything, all signs point toward it taking place in October.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast recently reported that the King of the Ring and debuting Queen of the Ring tournaments will occur during the month of October with the finals of both taking place at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21.
King of the Ring was once a highly anticipated annual tournament in WWE, and it even had its own pay-per-view from 1993-2002.
More recent iterations of King of the Ring have seen the tournaments play out primarily on Raw and SmackDown, and it seems as though that will be the case this time around as well.
The latest King of the Ring tournament occurred in 2019, and it saw Baron Corbin beat Chad Gable in the finals to take the crown.
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Tommaso Ciampa won a Fatal 4-Way on Tuesday night's edition of NXT to win the NXT Championship vacated by Samoa Joe.
Ciampa beat LA Knight, Von Wagner and Pete Dunne in the match, which was originally slated to determine the No. 1 contender for Joe and the NXT title.
The Blackheart won after catching Wagner with the Fairytale Ending for the pin and win. Wagner took the place of Kyle O'Reilly, who did not participate after Dunne and Ridge Holland attacked him in the locker room on Tuesday.
The original intent of Tuesday's match changed Sunday night when Joe announced an injury would keep him out for a brief amount of time. As a result, Joe noted that he would relinquish the NXT Championship:
In his first match in well over a year, Joe beat Karrion Kross at NXT TakeOver 36 last month to become the new NXT champion. It also marked Joe's third NXT title reign, which is the most all-time.
Joe vacating the title after just 20 days created a massive opportunity for the four men who were originally slated to compete in Tuesday's match. Dunne, O'Reilly and Knight were all in search of their first NXT Championship reigns, while Ciampa was looking to win it back for the first time since vacating it due to injury in March 2019.
Tuesday also marked the launch of "NXT 2.0," which is essentially the new era of the brand, complete with an updated logo and a revamped set.
It remains to be seen precisely how else NXT 2.0 will differ from the prior iterations, but the bulk of the speculation has focused on WWE gravitating more toward bigger, younger performers with a background in athletics rather than independent wrestling.
Dunne is 27, as is Wagner (formerly known as Cal Bloom). The remaining three members from the original Fatal 4-Way match lineup are at least 34 years old. Outside Wagner, they all have experience on the indie wrestling scene as well.
That suggests WWE still plans to utilize existing members of the NXT roster and put them in big spots even if they don't 100 percent fit the mold the company is looking for going forward.
Ciampa, Dunne, Wagner and Knight proved their value Tuesday by putting on a highly entertaining match with huge stakes hanging in the balance.
Ciampa has been trying to scratch and claw his way back to the top of NXT for well over two years, and the 36-year-old veteran finally made it there Tuesday.
Many consider Ciampa to be the greatest NXT champion of all time, and he will now have the opportunity to solidify that distinction if his latest title run is anywhere close to his first one.
Few Superstars are more synonymous with NXT than Ciampa, and now that NXT is embarking on a new era, it is fitting that someone who has had such a large influence on the brand is at the top once again.
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Original Reported Plans for Big E Winning WWE Title
Big E was the talk of the pro wrestling world Monday night, as he cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Bobby Lashley and became the new WWE champion on Raw.
Earlier in the day, Big E took to Twitter and made it clear that he intended to cash in after the WWE Championship match between Lashley and Randy Orton. WWE then made Big E a central focus of Raw throughout the show.
After Big E's successful cash-in and historic title win, Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast provided some insight into WWE's original plans for Big E's cash-in.
Zarian noted that Big E was supposed to cash in "during the original draft date for Raw."
WWE announced Monday that the 2021 WWE draft will commence on the Oct. 1 episode of SmackDown and continue Oct. 4 on Raw. It is unclear if Zarian meant the cash-in was supposed to happen on Oct. 4 or on a different date originally thought to be draft night.
Before WWE made the official announcement regarding when the draft will take place, there was speculation and various reports suggesting it would occur in September.
Whatever the case, WWE decided Big E was ready to take the next step to the top, which is something fans have been anticipating for quite some time.
In addition to being WWE champion for the first time, Big E is back alongside his New Day stablemates Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods on Raw, which should add to the entertainment factor.
The biggest key for WWE now is building on the momentum gained from Big E's win and firmly establishing him as a main event player for a long time to come.
A rematch with Lashley could be on the horizon at Extreme Rules on Sept. 26, and if Big E wins that match without the element of a cash-in, he will be well on his way toward becoming one of the faces of the company.
Reported Plans for Samoa Joe After Relinquishing NXT Title
On the eve of NXT's rebrand into NXT 2.0, Samoa Joe made an announcement that shook NXT to its core.
Joe took to Twitter to reveal that because of injuries, he was stepping away from the ring for a brief amount of time and thus vacating the NXT Championship:
It was later announced by WWE that the Fatal 4-Way between Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa, Kyle O'Reilly and LA Knight originally for the No. 1 contendership on Tuesday's episode of NXT will be for the NXT Championship instead.
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported that there is some "vagueness" regarding Joe's status and why WWE had him relinquish the title.
Meltzer also noted that Joe was hired back by WWE to be "more of an administrator" or a "front-office person" by WWE, and the plan is to have him primarily fill those roles moving forward.
Joe did suggest in his promo that he would be back in the ring in the near future, however, meaning he may now be a part-time wrestler used to advance storylines in NXT when needed.
Based on speculation that NXT is going to start getting away from older and independent wrestlers in favor of younger Superstars with backgrounds in other athletic endeavors, it makes sense to change things up now.
Any of the four performers in Wednesday's Fatal 4-Way could make great NXT champions moving forward.
Ciampa has been there before, Dunne is the youngest among them, O'Reilly is on an upward trajectory, and Knight has the most charisma and perhaps fits the WWE model best.
Regardless of who wins, there is no question that Joe vacating the title added even more excitement and intrigue to the launch of NXT 2.0.
Gargano's WWE Contract Reportedly Expiring Soon
On the heels of Adam Cole leaving WWE for All Elite Wrestling at the conclusion of his contract, another top NXT star's deal is reportedly set to expire.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Upton), Johnny Gargano's WWE contract is set to end Dec. 3. It was noted that while WWE and Gargano have not entered into extension talks, that is expected to happen during the fall.
Gargano is one of the most successful NXT stars of all time, having held the NXT Championship and NXT Tag Team Championships one time each as well as the NXT North American Championship three times.
Johnny Wrestling has thrived as both a babyface and a heel, and he is currently the leader of The Way, which is comprised of himself, Candice LeRae, Austin Theory and Indi Hartwell.
In addition to being perhaps the best in-ring worker in WWE, Gargano has developed into one of the most entertaining personalities as well because of his comedic chops.
Despite all of that, there may be some concern among WWE fans about Gargano either choosing to leave or WWE simply letting him go.
Based on the speculation that WWE wants to go younger and less indie-centric in NXT, it could be argued that Gargano doesn't fit the mold. He's 34 years of age, has an independent wrestling background and isn't particularly big.
With that said, there is value in having performers like Gargano and Ciampa in NXT since they can be key members of the roster while also helping bring along some of the younger talent.
It remains to be seen if Gargano would be open to that type of role, but given how outspoken he has always been about his love for WWE, it seems like a possibility.
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