In this WrestleTalk News, real-life heat between Seth Rollins and Riddle, WWE don’t like
SummerSlam, another WWE Championship potentially scrapped and more.
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Seth Rollins is set to take on Riddle at the biggest party of the Summer, Summerfest, at
the end of this month - in a feud they’ve been building on Raw over the last few weeks.
But actually, this is a rare case of long-term WWE booking, as their rivalry actually stretches
back behind-the-scenes three years to 2019.
Following Seth attacking Riddle during the KO Show segment on Monday, Rollins tweeted:
“I’ve hated this guy for a long time.
Nashville is gonna be a reckoning.
#SummerSlam #RollinsvsRiddle” This isn’t just a bit of sudden character
work to make the story feel more substantial.
Seth ‘hating’ Riddle for ‘a long time’ is actually a worked shoot brother much love
HH x.
Cast your minds back to November 2019, a simpler time when AEW Dynamite had just launched,
SmackDown had moved to Fox and WWE had ruined the Fiend.
Actually, you know what, that was worse than the pandemic.
Riddle’s then-wife Lisa posted a body-shaming message on Instagram directed at ‘multiple
main roster divas’ (can’t say that anymore) - where she accused them for being “straight
skinny jiggly fat” and that they should just squat more - because they’re “getting
paid a ton of money for how they look.
Rant over.
Blowing kiss emoji.”
It’s ok, she put a blowing kiss emoji at the end.
That means it’s all ok.
So how does that affect Seth Rollins?
He’s got a fantastic bum.
Oooh, squatslayer.
As you can see, one of the ‘divas’ Lisa singled out in the accompanying video was
Seth’s then fianca, now wife, Becky Lynch.
The feelings were still strong a year later, when Seth said in a WWE Watch Along stream
for the 2020 Draft he said: “I have no interest facing Matt Riddle at any point in my career
so he can go to Raw for all I’m concerned.”
Riddle himself actually addressed the heat in an interview with TalkSport last July - following
the two actually interacting in the cross-brand matches at Survivor Series 2020 and Royal
Rumble 2021.
He confirmed it was because of the comments his then wife had made referencing Lynch:
“I don’t think we like one another, we’re just two different people.
[Although] we both love wrestling.
I know my significant other said something about Becky that they didn’t like and I
also did not like or agree with.
Seth didn’t like me after that and I don’t think Becky liked me or my wife either, which
is understandable.
It is what it is.”
Apparently Rollins actively avoided him, with Riddle saying he felt like Seth wasn’t willing
to do spots with him at Survivor Series.
But following that match, he apologised to Rollins for his wife’s comments, which Seth
accepted.
Riddle clarified since that conversation, “we’re good enough to be working together,
I don’t think we’re friends.”
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Riddle vs Rollins is one of the eight currently announced matches for SummerSlam next Saturday
- and is a contender to steal the show.
But according to WrestleVotes, WWE themselves aren’t that into the matches they booked
themselves.
“In the most WWE of ways, I had a source tell me this morning “they really don’t
like the SummerSlam card” “They” being the people who put it together.
Um, what?!”
[TWEET] The card as it currently stands is:
-the aforementioned Rollins vs Riddle.
-Pat McAfee vs. Happy Corbin, which McAfee continues to make way better than it has any
right to be.
-another celebrity match of Logan Paul vs. The Miz
-Bobby Lashley vs. Theory for the United States title
-two blockbuster women’s title matches with Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan
vs. Ronda Rousey.
-the other likely contender for match of the night: The Usos vs. The Street Profits for
the Undisputed Tag titles, with special guest referee Jeff Jarrett for reasons.
-and WWE’s favourite match, Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing Match
- with the threat of Theory cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase.
Sure the matches feel a bit like every other premium live event this year again, but it’s
still a pretty decent card, especially by WWE corporate metrics, with half the matches
having mainstream draws in - Lesnar, Rousey, McAfee and Logan Paul.
Perhaps they were hoping for a John Cena appearance like last year, which appeared to have fallen
through because of him filming Peacemaker Season 2 in Canada.
Why do you think WWE are unhappy with their own SummerSlam card?
Let me know in the comments.
The creative plans were enough to keep Monday Night Raw’s viewership steady, though, pulling
in pretty much the same 1.76 million number they did the previous week - despite competition
from the Home Run Derby.
Interestingly, it seemed the third hour held younger viewers more than normal, which could
be because young people inexplicably like Logan Paul.
Or they want to see his face punched in.
One of the two.
Last night’s NXT saw some long term angles paid off on: with the mysterious QR code teases
being revealed as a returning Zoey Stark, who’s been out with injury since November.
She won the 20 woman battle royal to get a shot at Mandy Rose’s women’s tite.
I know, I’m shocked too.
Where did NXT get 20 women from?
Joe Gacy unveiled The Dyad to be the regimmicked Grizzled Young Vets, with Zack Gibson and
James Drake now going by the names Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler.
And following up on not just the NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions imploding, but the also
skateboard used for the turn, the freshly heel Cora Jade partied like it was 90s WCW
Medusa, throwing her title in the trash.
Her partner Roxanne Perez still holds the other championship belt, but it’s a bit
meaningless without a partner.
Considering what’s just happened with the main roster women’s tag titles, where the
company vacated them following champions Sasha Banks and Naomi walking out of an episode
of Raw, then not following up with any plans to replace them, could this be the end of
the NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships too?
They were only introduced in March last year, Whatever the idea is, Kevin Nash wants these
kids to slow the hell down.
On the latest episode of his Kliq This podcast, Kevin Nash told a story about a recent visit
he made to his Too Sweeting buddy Shawn Michaels at the WWE Performance Center.
Despite saying ‘he’s back’, Triple H is reportedly still limited behind-the-scenes
- which has left the NXT brand to be run by Michaels.
And in watching HBK do his thing, Nash found himself having a clash of wrestling ideology.
“I went down and I watched NXT taping.
I said, ‘Slow it the f*** down, right?’
[Michaels] just looks at me and goes, ‘It’s not the style anymore, you just have to accept
that.
The style is the style.’
He goes, ‘You go out there and f****** do test of strength and people will walk the
f*** out of the arena.
They are operatively conditioned now to do this.
The fans want to see this.
They want to see a spotfest.’”
Nash instead pointed to the main roster, specifically the 11th July Raw tag match between Rollins
and Theory against Riddle and Lashley, as a great example of the ring psychology style
he likes.
It’s the latest instalment of ‘kids these days be ruining stuff’ - a series usually
run between AEW talent and Jim Cornette.
As usual, I believe a middleground is where the Too Sweet spot is.
Maybe we shouldn’t be doing 2nd rope Tombstone Piledrivers as near falls.
But also, rest holds are boring.
What do you think about Nash vs Michaels here?
Let me know in the comments.
There’s been an update in the strange story of wrestler Michael Elgin reportedly being
arrested while in Japan, on tour there for Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.net first reported that Elgin, a former ROH Champion, was arrested
for stealing protein powder.
If found guilty, he’d be deported to his home country Canada and not allowed to work
in Japan again.
This would severely restrict Elgin’s working options, after being fired by IMPACT in 2020
following Speaking Out allegations against him.
He was also arrested last July for violating a protection order filed by his ex-fiance.
Elgin denied the story on Twitter, saying he wasn’t charged, was never put in jail
and was simply flying back to Canada ‘first class’ to be with his family.
He argued why would he steal protein powder if he could get it from the NOAH dojo for
free?
Dave Meltzer has now confirmed, though, that there was an incident at the gym, although
it might not be anything to do with protein powder.
He was detained by police following whatever the incident was, resulting in him missing
the NOAH show on July 10th.
This prompted NOAH to unbook him for the remaining dates - which is why he’s flown back home.
Perhaps the reason WWE is unhappy with their SummerSlam plans is simply because Roman Reigns
isn’t working - here’s Pete to tell you why.