Here's your wrestling news for November 10th 2021
And your headlines for today include
New movie confirmed starring former Universal Champion Bray Wyatt
Who made the call to take Karrion Kross off TV before his release?
“I think Ring of Honor is done.” Impact World Champion says ROH isn’t coming back next year.
Former Universal Champion pulled from Live event. Plans for Survivor Series in doubt
WWE wrestler/commentator elected major in Canada
RAW Superstar reveals history-making plans for 2022’s Royal Rumble Pay Per View. And more!
We’re kicking off today with Bray Wyatt, who’s non-compete clause expired last month, but the former WWE Superstar hasn’t competed for
any promotions since then. It was previously reported that Wyatt has been trying to find work in Hollywood,
and now the former Universal Champion has a movie project to his name. That’s according to Jason Baker, who was one
of the men responsible for The Fiend’s mask alongside horror effects legend Tom Savini, who told the Metro newspaper that they’re
starting a new film project at the end of the month. Baker didn’t share much about the project, other than saying it will be “new and different,”
and said that the two of them shot some footage in Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. In addition to The Fiend’s mask, Baker also worked
with WWE in 2014, designing Triple H’s crown for the Game’s WrestleMania 30 entrance, and now he’ll be spending a lot more time
with the former Fiend, before Wyatt signs with another promotion.
Wyatt is just one of dozens of names cut in WWE in 2021 alone, as 18 Superstars were released last week because of what’s described as
budget cuts.” Before being released, it had been reported that Lince Dorado and Gran Metallik had both
requested their releases, but they weren't the only ones. On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer
explained that Zayda Ramier also requested to be let go, but her request was denied by the company’s higher-ups.
Both Dorado and Gran Metallik also had their requests to be released had their requests denied, but we're ultimately let go by WWE anyway.
After a series of high profile matches on the independent circuit, Ramier was signed to WWE after working in Booker T's Reality of
Wrestling, but she'll now have to find work herself on the indie scene, which is what she wanted all along.
Few releases were more shocking than Karrion Kross, who was called up to the main roster mere months beforehand.
Kross hadn’t competed on TV in over a month before he was released by WWE, with his last match on RAW being on the September 27th show.
During his show, Meltzer explained how WWE used Kross in his final days, and why he spent a month going unused before he was cut:
Vince McMahon made the call that we’re gonna take him off TV, you know where he’s doing that Demolition helmet deal that was stupid. He said
this isn’t working, we need to take him off TV, we need to take him off. Meltzer added that WWE’s did have plans to bring
Kross back with a brand new look, which makes his release all the more shocking. A former two-time NXT Champion, Kross was a
big name before coming to WWE, and he’ll be a big name afterwards, but like the 17 other wrestlers cut on November 4th, will have to
wait for his non-compete clause to expire first.
Ring Of Honor news now, as the company will be going on a hiatus at the end of this year, releasing every single wrestler who’s contracts expire
before 2022. In a statement, ROH explained that this will be a temporary measure, and that the time off
will be spent creating a more fan-orientated experience, ahead of a return in early 2022. A best-case scenario will see Ring of Honor
return to TV in time for Supercard of Honor event in April, but Impact World Champion Moose doesn’t see that happening
Speaking on the Juice Pro Wrestling podcast, Moose, a two-year veteran of ROH himself, discussed the situation, and didn’t have any
faith in Ring of Honor returning. He said: “It sucks. It’s definitely heartbreaking that Ring of Honor is going out of business… everyone
thought IMPACT would be going out of business and it’s not IMPACT… I think Ring of Honor is done. The statement said they were going to try and
start back up, it wasn’t a guarantee.” When asked about ROH’s roster, Moose revealed that he’s already made plans, and has
called on Impact Executive VP Scott D’Amore to sign Jey Lethal and the Briscoes. With ROH releasing tons of wrestlers, and their
broadcast partner Sinclair in serious financial straits, there’s a lot of work to do before April 2022, and as far as Moose is concerned,
Ring of Honor is officially over.
Now, this week’s RAW saw the red brand build towards Survivor Series, as well as continue the feud between WWE Champion Big E, Seth Rollins
and Kevin Owens. Turning heel for the first time in years, Owens was the biggest talking point when RAW went
off the air, but the show had to make do without the most important name backstage. PW Insider reports that Vince McMahon was
present before RAW took place, and was busy running an extremely LONG production meeting.
For unspecified reasons however, McMahon left ater the meeting, and didn’t attend the actual live RAW broadcast.
With McMahon’s second-in-command Bruce Prichard also not present, the responsibility of running RAW fell to John Lauriniatis.
There’s no word on what kept both McMahon and Prichard from RAW, but it must’ve been something important to leave the three-hour
show in the hands of WWE’s head of talent relations.
RAW also took place without Finn Balor, despite the fact that the Prince will be part of the red brand’s Men’s Survivor Series team later this month.
We have already covered that Balor wasn’t on RAW, as he stayed with the SmackDown roster to finish off the recent UK tour, but that
didn’t go according to plan. Thanks to PW Insider, we now know that the former NXT Champion was pulled at the last
minute from the live event in Leeds, England. This was explained as a “precautionary decision,” which was in order to rest what was described
as a “minor issue.” There’s no word on what this minor issue is, but it was clearly enough to keep WWE from
using him in the ring at the live event. Hopefully, Balor will be fit and healthy in time for Survivor Series, as the last thing anyone
needs is for the red brand to have to swap out another member, this close to one of their biggest Pay Per Views of the year.
For years, Ray Rougeau competed in the WWF alongside his brother Jacques, and after retiring from the ring, served as a French commentator
for the company. Rougeau’s most recent tenure with the WWE lasted from May 2017 until April this year, but
he’s now got a far more important job on his hands. This week, Rougeau was elected Mayor of Rawdon, Quebec, earning himself 61% of the vote.
This is the latest political win for the former wrestler, who has been part of Rawdon city council politics since 2002, and we’d like to offer our congratulations
to Mayor Rougeau on this huge victory.
AEW news now, as Eddie Kingston has become a fan favourite of the company, and will have his biggest match of his career this Saturday, when
he faces CM Punk at Full Gear. That show will go ahead without Kingston’s close friend Jon Moxley, and in the wake of
Moxley’s situation, Kingston has opened up about his own personal demons. In an incredible piece for the Players Tribune,
the Mad King spoke about his own struggles with mental health, which continue to plague him even in AEW:
I had one [a panic attack] right after I fought Miro at the All Out PPV. My phone started blowing up with all these people telling me great job, just
showing me love, and I just couldn’t handle it. I got overwhelmed. My chest got tight. The walls started closing in. I started to go numb.
Kingston went on to say that although he knows how to live with anxiety, he knows he’s not fixed, but is proud that the wrestling business takes
mental health far more seriously, adding: I don’t care what the old-school guys in the business have to say about it. It ain’t 1987 no more.
Kingston didn’t pull any punches in his article for the Players Tribune, and opened up about the people he’s lost due to mental health problems
which can’t be buried with pills or booze. The Mad King’s writing touched on a lot of heavy topics, which he expressed eloquently,
and it goes to show that the biggest, most important fights for wrestlers often don’t happen in the ring.
And we’re ending today with Doudrop, who is already making big plans for January’s Royal Rumble
After an impressive call-up in 2021 so far, Doudrop is already being considered a dark- horse to win the women’s Rumble match,
but that’s not what the RAW Superstar has planned. In an interview with the Metro newspaper,
Doudrop said she plans on being part of the men’s Royal Rumble, following in the footsteps of Chyna, Beth Phoenix, Kharma and Nia Jax
Doudrop went on to say that she plans to be the first woman to win the men’s match, and is already eyeing up an intergender feud with
Randy Orton over who the real viper is. Before joining WWE, Doudrop competed as Viper Niven, but that became Piper Niven in
NXT UK before she was rechristened Doudrop earlier this year. WWE has some huge decisions to make for
January’s Royal Rumble, and Doudrop seems an unlikely name to win the men’s Rumble match, but if Vince McMahon can win the
Royal Rumble, why not the Scottish RAW Superstar?