Here's your wrestling news for August 14th 2021
And your headlines for today include
Did John Cena Decimate Roman Reigns Heel Character On WWE Smackdown? Mastermind Behind John Cena And Roman Reigns' Promo
Battle On Smackdown Revealed!
John Cena And Roman Reigns Engaged In One Of The Most Entertaining WWE Segments In The Recent Past! What Happened With
john Cena After WWE Smackdown Went Off Air?
Unexpected & Shocking Reason Given By Vince McMahon For Releasing Bronson Reed! Is Reed Joining AEW?
Keith Lee And WWE NXT Superstars Work SmackDown Dark Matches!
Many In WWE Management Are Blaming TRIPLE H For Losing Wednesday Night Wars!
WWE To Continue Featuring Larger Wrestlers On 205 Live!
Christian Cage Wins Impact World Title From Kenny Omega On AEW Rampage!
What Lies Ahead In The Seth Rollins-Edge Feud On Smackdown?
Sasha Banks Teases A New Faction On Smackdown? Where Are The Rest Of WWE Smackdown Women!
AEW Wrestler’s Absence From AEW Television Is Blamed On Bad Reaction To COVID-19 Vaccine!
WWE Reportedly Cancelled Merchandise Stands At SmackDown! And More!
We’re kicking off today with John Cena, who has more than his share of critics and detractors, but at the same times, there’s a
reason why he was WWE’s top star for so long. Opening up last night’s SmackDown
Cena cut a promo that was nothing short of a masterclass, proving why he’s arguably the greatest Superstar of modern-time.
From the moment he returned at Money in the Bank confronting Roman Reigns, fans knew they were in for a wild ride, especially
after their last epic collision at No Mercy 2017, which ended with Reigns beating Cena in a passing-of-the-torch moment.
In the weeks before their 2017 encounter, Cena eviscerated Reigns in promos, but things haven’t been quite the same this time
around. The Tribal Chief now isn’t the same guy who forgot his lines while being berated by Cena
in 2017, and has instead been deliving some of the most entertaining promos of his career, during his current feud with Cena, even
referencing John’s failed relationship with Nikki Bella last night, a line that garnered a loud reaction from the crowd.
Cena didn’t hold back, calling Reigns “the biggest failure in WWE history,” adding that he “almost ruined” Seth Rollins, and ran
Dean Ambrose out of the company. Mentioning a top AEW wrestler, even by their WWE moniker, was certainly a big deal
and the segment ended with Cena referencing CM Punk’s infamous Money in the Bank 2011 departure, where Punk blew a kiss to Vince
McMahon and leave as WWE Champion, with Cena threating to do the same at Summerslam.
Their collision next Saturday will be nothing short of one of the biggest rematches in WWE history, and we’re interested to see
who will leave Summerslam with their head held high. After this promo, fans got two more hours
of SmackDown, as well as AEW rampage, but nothing in the three-hour sprint, despite both shows being fun, could come close
to the Cena-Reigns promo. This war of words is something fans have been wanting ever since Cena’s return last
month, and we have Jamie Noble to thank for it. That’s according to Fightful, who report
that the former Cruiserweight Champion turned Producer put the segment together, with some help from Paul Heyman
"Jamie Noble produced the opening segment that featured John Cena and Roman Reigns or at least was listed as such. It’s worth
noting that Paul Heyman has also had heavy influence over Reigns’ stories, and Reigns and Cena have a significant more amount of
freedom over their segments than most." It’s arguable that this segment should’ve main-evented SmackDown, as Reigns has
said that his deal with WWE means he only opens or closes shows, but regardless, this promo was a highlight of the night that
has fans excited for Summerslam 2021.
Since returning to WWE, Cena hasn’t competed on TV, but he’s made several appearances at live events and dark-matches.
That trend continued last night, as after the show, Cena teamed with the Mysterios to defeat Reigns and the Usos, and it was
Cena who got the hot tag and pin on Jimmy Uso. Post-match, Cena celebrated with Rey
Dominik and a young fan they brought into the ring, in a fun and heartwarming way to end one epic edition of SmackDown
Now, last week, WWE cut a total 13 names from NXT, all part of Vince McMahon’s plans to rebrand the gold brand, and arguably the
the most surprising name released was \Bronson Reed. A former NXT North American Champion,
plans were in motion for Reed to be called up to the main-roster, and had already competed on WWE Main Event prior to
his release. We now know why WWE decided to cut him as the according to the Wrestling
Observer Newsletter, Vince McMahon decided against the Australian joining the main roster after watching his try out
matches. They note: “Those internally said that when Reed got his tryout matches in recent weeks,
that McMahon decided against him, and felt due that if he’s not going to be on the main roster, what is the point of keeping him.”
Reed’s first main-roster match was a dark match prior to the June 18th SmackDown, where he defeated Robert Roode,
and was brought to RAW the next week the for the WWE Main Event taping, earning a win over Drew Gulak on the June 24th show
Those matches were meant to show officials what he could do, but these decision-makers weren’t impressed.
Given that McMahon wants NXT to be a developmental ground for the main roster again, and he’d decided that Reed wasn’t
main roster material, McMahon saw no point in keeping him in the company, leading to his release.
This wasn’t the only reason, as Wade Keller reports that McMahon felt Reed was out of shape and couldn’t see him at a
champion level in WWE. Reed’s appearance and size was one of strong reasons Why the Australian wrestler was let go.
Backstage, Reed was said to be well-liked in the locker-room, with his release coming as a shock, especially after his main-roster
dark matches, and it’s reported that many, though not all NXT released talent are under a 30-day non-compete clause.
If that’s the case for Reed, he’ll become a free agent after Sunday September 5th, which is also the date for AEW All Out.
Speaking of AEW, Reed, now known as Jonah Rock, has already called out AEW TNT Champion Miro, signalling his intentions
and since he didn’t factor into McMahon’s plans for NXT, it’d be much better for the Australian to land in the All Elite promotion.
Over to SmackDown now, as last night’s show saw plenty of big names in the ring, and backstage.
According to PW Insider, Ridge Holland, Kacy Catanzaro and Xia Li were all backstage ahead of SmacKDown going live, and all
three would be interesting additions to the blue brand. Holland just returned from a gruesome injury,
that made mainstream headlines, and the former Rugby League player’s dominante presence on NXT could be a huge asset
for the Chairman, whiever show he appears on. Kacy Catanzaro joined WWE after finding fame on American Ninja Warrior, but she’s
spent years training at the Performance Center, honing skills that have made her standout in the 2019 Women’s Royal Rumble
match. Xia Li appears to be moving up the main-roster soon, as she was absent from NXT this week,
and Bia didn’t have her around for after his match. Not only did the three appear backstage,
but they also competed, as Holland defeated Austin Theory, and Li teamed with Aliyah to defeat Catanzaro and Dakota Kai.
Keith Lee was also in action, as he squashed some unnamed local enhancement talent and according to reports, the Limitless One got a
huge pop from the crowd. Of course, being called up doesn’t guarantee success, nor does it guarantee WWE have
any plans for them, and we’re hoping for the best for Ridge Holland, Xia Li and Kacy Catanzaro after being around for last night’s
SmackDown.
In October 2019, AEW Dynamite and NXT went head-to-head on Wednesday Nights, in what’d be known as the Wednesday
Night Wars. That war saw Dynamite usually get the win, and their winning streak only ended in April
2021, when NXT moved to Tuesday night, a decision many in AEW felt was caused by their programming.
April 2021 also saw WWE continue with it’s mass releases, letting go of names like Mickie James and Chelsea Green from the main
roster, with Bray Wyatt and Aleister Black being let go later on. NXT has also suffered some huge losses,
as Bronson Reed and Bobby Fish were cut from the show last week, as they didn’t factor into Vince McMahon’s vision for the
gold brand. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, NXT’s loss in the Wednesday
Night Wars is being pinned on one man, Triple H, or at least that’s what his detractors are saying in the company.
The report reads: “Paul Levesque is being blamed backstage for not winning the Wednesday night
wars which WWE thought they would win easily. His detractors who fear for their position if he takes power are using the
opportunity to denigrate NXT with released wrestlers being pawns in the power struggle.”
Triple H, alongside his wife Stephanie, are the heirs to the WWE empire, but some are using the wars as ammunition to convince the
chairman that his son-in-law isn’t right for the job. It was previously reported that these
recent releases are all part of McMahon’s plan for NXT to once again become a developmental ground, more akin to Ohio
Valley Wrestling than it’s own brand, and we’ll have to see what becomes of Triple H after these recent releases.
In fact, some in WWE are trying to blame Triple H for the 13 releases from last week, saying that the Game had been hoarding
talent, to keep them from AEW. They said: “The idea is that Levesque had stocked NXT with too many wrestlers who had no main
roster potential, in his being quick to sign independent talent as fast as possible if they showed potential, to stockpile and
keep from AEW.” The gold brand has a talented roster, albeit one that is much smaller now, and it’s
certainly an interesting time to be an NXT Superstar. The Observer also reports that there’s a
toxicity in the gold brand right now, and this has caused some Superstars, who are riding high in NXT, to be mishandled on the
main roster. They report: “This toxicity led to Karrion Kross, the NXT champion, losing twice on Raw while NXT
was building him as unstoppable and having run through the roster for a showdown with Samoa Joe, and then Dakota Kai, who is
challenging for the women’s championship at the next Takeover, losing a match taped for Main Event this week to Aliyah.”
Fans aren’t happy about this decision, but they should be used to Vince McMahon dropping the ball with former NXT Champion
in the past, and a couple of them, namely Malakai Black and Andrade El Idolo, have found a new home in AEW.
NXT started back in 2010 as a reality show, before changing into it’s current format in 2012, a decision that proved to be wildly
popular with fans. Now, NXT is changing once more, and it doesn’t seem to be for the better, and
we’ll have to see what other changes are made to the gold brand.
NXT isn’t the only brand to be undergoing changes, as 205 Live now has just 3 exclusive performers, Grayson Waller,
Guru Raaj and Ikeman Jiro. With so few wrestlers signed to the purple brand, it’s no wonder that WWE are using
Superstars from other shows, and fans should expect to see plenty more big-men from now on.
Ahead of last night’s 205 Live, WWE announced that the show will now occasionally play host to matches where
one of multiple Superstars eclipse the 205lb weight limit. Last night’s show saw Josh Briggs defeat
both men being bill as close to 250lbs each. WWE doesn’t seem to have any plans for 205 Live, and with McMahon’s new vision
for NXT being that bigger guys will be hired from now on, don’t expect many, if any new cruiserweights to join the purple brand.
Over to AEW now, as last night saw the premiere episode of Rampage, and the show kicked off in a major way.
In Pittsburgh, Kenny Omega put his Impact World title on the line against Christian Cage, and the match was officiated by Impact’s
senior official Brian Hebner. Mid-match, Omega brought a chair into play, and was set to hit a one-winged Angel on it,
but Christian turned it around, nailing the Cleaner with a Kill Switch to get the win.
After the match, Impact President Scott D’ Amore and the Jurrassic Express celebrated with Christian, who has won
his very first Impact world title. Cage is also set to face Omega for the AEW World title at All Out on September 5th, and
perhaps lightning could strike twice after this epic kick-off to AEW Rampage.
Back to WWE, and this week’s SmackDown saw no sign of Edge, much to the crowd’s disappointment.
The decision to not have Edge on the show, just one week from Summerslam was bizzarre, but the part-timer wasn’t needed
this week, as Seth Rollins helped carry the feud, first being seen in a production truck, and later coming out to play a video package.
That package showed how great Edge is, but Rollins is greater, and although the package was funny, it’s clear that Rollins
is carrying the feud with the Hall of Famer. It’ll be interesting to see how their Summerslam match plays out, and with
no stipulation announced so far, we only hope the match delivers, because the story on TV has failed to deliver.
It doesn’t help matters that Edge, one of the marquee draws for Summerslam, didn’t show up on SmackDown, but with how
talented Rollins is, the Rated-R Superstar wasn’t needed on last night’s show.
Sasha Banks did appear on last night’s SmackDown, headlining the show with Bianca Belair, as the pair made their
Summerslam match official with a contract signing. Returning to WWE TV recently, Banks
seemed to have made amends with the woman who defeated her in the WrestleMania 37 main-event, but that
wasn’t the case, as the Boss backstabbed the SmackDown Women’s Champion to start this feud.
As expected, this contract-signing didn’t go smoothly, as during the segment, Banks got Carmella and Zelina Vega on her side,
as the pair tried to attack Belair, though it’s unclear why they’re aligned. Whatever the reason, Belair got the better
of the two, before Sasha Banks attacked her from behind and stood tall, teasing a new faction for the Boss.
Banks and Belair could surpass their WrestleMania bout next Saturday, but it’ll be interesting to see how Carmella and Vega
factor into the story, and with the Champion in need of allies, we’ll have to see who sides with her on next week’s go-home edition
of SmackDown.
Banks, Belair, Camella and Vega have been the focus of SmackDown for some time now, but we’re having to wonder where
the rest of the women’s roster is. It’s awkward enough that Carmella and Vega, who were Banks’ enemies until recently, are
now her ‘witnesses’ but it’s even weirder that Shotzi Blackheart, Tegan Nox and Toni Storm are nowhere to be seen.
All three had impressive showings on SmackDown not so long ago, but now they’ve been forgotten by the company’s
creative. That’s also the case for Liv Morgan, who had the fans universally on her side ahead
of Money in the Bank, and now has disappeared off the face of the earth. WWE Women’s veteran Naomi was
also quietly moved to SmackDown recently, but hasn’t competed since the Money-in- the-Bank as the blue bland’s
women’s roster is full of talented names that are going unused.
And we’re ending with WWE, who have a ton of merchandise available for it’s roster of Superstars, but fans at last week’s
SmackDown in Tampa left empty-handed. In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s noted that no merch stands were set up
for last week’s show, despite WWE still plugging merchandise tables during the event.
It’s unclear why WWE neglected to set up merch stands, especially as they love touting the merchandise sales figures to
to investors, but it’s possible that they didn’t want to risk having so many people packed together, as the merch stand can get pretty
crowded. With WWE now touring again, fans will be hungry to get a piece of merchandise to
make their first live event in over a year extra special, but the crowd in Tampa’s Amelie Arena were sorely disappointed
last week.