In this WrestleTalk News, WWE apologises, an AEW star unhappy, Bobby Ashley doesn’t
know what’s going on and more.
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It was, of course, a pretty big national holiday yesterday, so I’d like to wish all Americans
a very happy belated marker of arguably the most significant moment in its continuity:
Ruseeeev Day.
In lesser news, also happy Independence Day.
We showed those god damn aliens what’s up, right?
It’s difficult for Yankophiles like myself to truly get the strange customs of the American
right.
Which is why I empathise with the Canadian Renee Young, who’s tweeted:
“I woke up and said “from one American to another, happy Independence Day” Jon
said “no one says it like that.
Just say happy 4th of July” My imposters syndrome is through the roof!
Flag of United States” It was apparently so shocking, video footage
has emerged of Renee’s husband, AEW star Jon Moxley, since having lost all his hair
- briefly unveiling his new shaven head look at an autograph signing in Las Vegas over
the weekend.
Meaning it really is true what they say.
You either stay with WWE long enough to become the villain, or you turn into Triple H.
Speaking of staying with WWE!
After being released by WWE last November, Zelina Vega made her shock return on Friday’s
episode of SmackDown… immediately losing to Liv Morgan in a two minute Money in the
Bank qualifier match.
Great start.
So what led to her coming back?
WWE fired Vega late last year because she wouldn’t comply with their then new contract
policy: all your 3rd party services belong to us.
Since the pandemic began, a lot of wrestlers had started up accounts on Twitch or Cameo
as creative side projects while not being able to wrestle as much during lockdown, and
for getting a bit of extra income while losing out on live events pay from merchandise sales.
It emerged that some were so successful, they were bringing in six figures, so it was only
a matter of time before WWE wanted all that pie.
They reportedly threatened talent with suspensions or termination if they didn’t hand over
control of their Twitch and Cameo accounts.
Boldly, Vega not only refused to, she also started an OnlyFans page to sell cosplay photos
too.
So WWE fired her.
PWInsider is now reporting that there “were segments of the company who felt she should
have been retained and not released.”
Those ‘segments’ kept pushing for conversations between the two sides to continue, and after
a long period of back and forth talks, “WWE execs apologized to Vega and made her an offer
to return… the two sides made amends and came to a compromise.”
But it seems that ‘compromise’ is actually a ‘moral compromise’.
One of the more exciting parts of Vega’s release last year was how noble it seemed.
The 3rd party service handover was widely condemned by fans and other wrestlers alike,
and while the likes of AJ Styles and Cesaro understandably gave in to protect their jobs
during a pandemic, Vega was bold enough to stand up for herself against the McMahon money
making machine - where she threatened WWE with the thing it fears most… unionisation.
In the weeks after WWE fired her, Vega and Paige, who always remained with the company,
exchanged very public tweets about unionisation in wrestling, posting “I support unionization”
and even meeting with the Screen Actors Guild where she described the talks as “powerful”.
But as the great Groucho Marx once said, here’s my principles.
If you don’t like them, I have others - Vega has now deleted both of those posts, and presumably
any chance of her pursuing that cause while she’s with WWE.
If you presume the removal of those tweets is more than just coincidental, then that
implies one part of WWE and Vega’s ‘compromise’ for her return, was to squash any grassroots
momentum for a wrestlers union.
It’s difficult, because people understandably have to put their jobs first sometimes.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t also disappointing.
And another thing about this whole Zelina return.
When her real life husband Aleister Black was released at the start of June, Black immediately
hopped on their Twitch channel to process what was going on in real time.
During the stream, he spoke about a report that had come out the previous month from
Fightful, where Vega had been spotted turning up at the WWE Performance Center to film something.
Black called out the report in all but name, accusing them of “blatantly putting out
stuff that harms people… that harmed [Vega] so much.
Nothing but hate comments.
All because someone was like, 'sign up to my Patreon, I have news.'
There was literally no news.
There was nothing.'”
When now, PWInsider corroborates they were told Vega had agreed to return to WWE around
the same time as that Fightful report, adding it could’ve been even sooner, but “all
sides opted to keep it quiet.”
Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp, the guy who reported that, is a frenemy of us here at WrestleTalk,
so yes, I am biased.
I took Black’s comments a little personally at the time.
And now it emerges they were a total work.
So let’s all just remember this the next time a wrestler calls out the dirt sheets
for their reports.
Because, at the end of the day, trying to convince us whether stuff is or isn’t real
is their profession.
On the topic of Black, PWInsider adds there are some in WWE also pushing for him to return,
but as of right now, there hasn’t been any tangible discussions between the two sides.
What do you think about Vega’s WWE return?
Let me know in the comments because I’ll be replying to as many people as I can for
the first 30 minutes after this video goes live FROM OUTTA NOWHERE!
And Vega and Black aren’t the only wrestlers WWE are making a play for to replenish their
roster.
They’ve apparently also targeted someone who they haven’t released already!
Fightful Select is reporting WWE were interested in top IMPACT star Moose both for NXT and
maybe even the main roster - potentially taking the rare step of bypassing ‘developmental’
all together and debuting directly on Raw or SmackDown.
WWE had previously made an offer to Moose back in 2016 when he’d left Ring of Honor,
but they reportedly backed off because of a 2009 domestic violence allegation.
But in a sign of the wrestling business times, Moose has turned down WWE’s offer before
it could even formally be made, re-signing with IMPACT for two years after they made
a “huge play” for him, tying him up there until the Summer of 2023 - which would make
him 39 years old.
With WWE’s current focus on younger wrestlers, he very well could’ve passed up his last
chance to sign with them.
It seems more wrestlers are increasingly choosing careers outside of WWE because they have more
control over their schedules and creative.
But even if you’re with AEW, that doesn't’ mean you’ll always be happy...
AEW is finally returning to the road after a 60 stint week at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville
over the pandemic era, with Road Rager in Miami this Wednesday, and then Fyter Fest
Night one the following week in Austin, Texas.
But Brian Cage has tweeted his disappointment with the show’s advertising.
Cage is set to wrestle a returning Ricky Starks for the unrecognised FTW Championship in the
presumed climax to a months long storyline, based around Cage’s slow babyface turn and
inevitable split with Team Taz.
But despite that, and the fact it’s currently the only match announced for the show, neither
Cage or Starks are featured on the 24-wrestler starring poster - so he’s tweeted:
“Ricky Starks vs cage, only match announced and can't get on poster after selling out.
Ricky's hone town, and Austin is the wrestling tent that I built.
#wrestlecircus” At least Brian Cage knows what matches are
happening because current WWE Champion Bobby Ashley has just promoted the wrong line-up.
WWE had previously announced a non-title singles match between Ashley and a returning Xavier
Woods - after he sold being beaten up in Hell in a Cell for one whole week.
That’s like a six month absence these days.
But a commercial aired on Friday’s SmackDown, showing it was now going to be a tag match
with a returning MVP tagging with Ashley against the New Day.
Sadly, nobody told Bobby that: “It’s a shame when people don’t learn
their lesson.
What happens to @AustinCreedWins is on you, @TrueKofi!
Fisted hand #WWERaw” - with a graphic of the singles match.
Woods responded with: “I see you don’t check Twitter daily to
find out what matches you have on Mondays @fightbobby.
The internet said it’s a tag match now so Monday you’ll be kicked in the face by not
one but both of us Grinning face with smiling eyes”
That isn’t the only miscommunication in WWE either.
Yesterday, July 4th, was meant to see the release of a new Lex Luger documentary on
Peacock Premium - which would’ve been the anniversary of Luger bodyslamming Yokozuna
on an aircraft carrier in 1993.
But despite having 28 years to prepare for the date, Wrestling Inc is reporting the show’s
debut has been delayed so it can be supported by a stronger lead-in program - most likely
the Money in the Bank pay-per-view in two weeks.
F4WOnline, however, adds this is another case of the “left hand knows one thing and right
hand decides differently.”
At least Money in the Bank appears to be doing well.
The show is reportedly almost sold out with more than 9,600 tickets.
There’s just 278 left.
While the initial live events in WWE’s return tour are performing well, low attendance for
later shows is concerning officials - which might apparently be why McMahon is currently
scouting NXT for new talent to freshen up the main roster.
You can find out all the other latest breaking wrestling news at WrestleTalk.com, and watch
the Top 10 biggest stories from last week with Adam Blampied...