Here's your wrestling news for August 3rd 2021
And your headlines for today include
Chicago Crowd Filled WWE RAW With Epic CM Punk & Wyatt Chants All Night!
WWE’s Network Partners Reportedly Not Okay With Bray Wyatt’s Release!
Backstage Reason Why Ric Flair Requested His WWE Release!
WWE Released Wyatt’s Girl Friend - Jojo Offerman!
Gage Goldberg's To Make More WWE RAW Appearances Until Summerslam?
Malakai Black Makes Surprise Appearance!
Shane McMahon Gets New Position Outside Of WWE!
WWE To Likely Split Up Shayna Baszler And Nia Jax!
Nia Jax Suffers Bad Cut On Her Face During WWE RAW!
3-Time WWE Champion comments on Karrion Kross possibly losing confidence on RAW!
Instagram Removes Alexa Bliss' Tattoo Post For Being 'Offensive' And More!
We’re kicking off today RAW, as Bray Wyatt won’t be returning to the red-brand, but much like the demonic Fiend himself,
the former Superstar’s presence still lingers In the opening segment of last night’s show between WWE Champion Bobby Lashley
and Goldberg, fans turned on both performers, chanting “We want Wyatt” over and over.
During his entrance, Goldberg did get some iconic Goldberg chants, but with how fans have turned on the Hall of Famer, we can’t
help but wonder how legitimate those chants are, or if this was WWE piping in the audio. Later in the show, Alexa Bliss appeared
on the screen to taunt Eva Marie, and the demonic goddess also got some Wyatt chants, as many fans believe she stole his gimmick.
Clearly, the fans aren’t happy with WWE’s decision to release the popular former Universal Champion, and this wasn’t even
the only chant made that the company didn’t want to hear. Given that last night’s RAW was in Chicago,
it shouldn’t be surprising that fans chanted for CM Punk before the show even started at the All-State Arena.
These chants started again for 30 seconds during Drew McIntyre’s match with Veer, and later on during Miz TV when the A-Lister
spoke to Damian Priest. Punk chants popped up again during Doudrop Vs. Tamina, which seemed much louder given
that the crowd was mostly silent for the match, and they were heard again during the No-DQ main event between Nikki A.S.H and
Charlotte Flair. Even before that match, the crowd weren’t on board, as the fans chanted for Becky Lynch,
but Flair handled them like a champ, saying how she’s the one who sold out the All- State arena, not the Man.
Typically, Punk chants have been used when the fans aren’t happy with what they’re seeing on TV, but it had a new meaning last
night, since Punk is reportedly set to debut for AEW very soon. WWE’s decisions over the past few days
haven’t helped them in the eyes of fans, and we imagine these chants won’t be going away anytime soon.
It’s safe to say that WWE’s decision to cut ties with Bray Wyatt hasn’t gone down well with fans, and it’s not just the audience
who are angry to see him go. On the Mat-Men Pro-Wrestling Podcast, Andrew Zarian reported how WWE’s
network partners, USA and FOX aren’t happy with his departure either, with one network source saying:
“Bray’s released is really disappointing and a little scary that top stars are being let go.”
Zarian later tweeted that most network people he speaks to aren’t wrestling fans, but everyone who he spoke to knew who
Bray Wyatt was. With The Fiend’s instantly recognisable look, Wyatt was a key part in the promotion
material for whichever network he was appearing on, but even the prospect of angering FOX and the USA Network
couldn’t stop WWE from releasing the two- time former Universal Champion. WWE is clearly going through a lot of
changes right now, and they've also parted ways with one of the biggest names in wrestling ever.
Wrestling Inc reports that Ric Flair is no longer under contract, and unlike Wyatt and countless other recent departures, the Nature
Boy requested to be let go, with things being made official as of yesterday.
Unlike most recent departure, the split between WWE and Flair wasn't due to money, as Fightful Select reports that Flair
had become frustrated with WWE’s creative team, and contacted Vince McMahon about WWE’s recent booking decisions for him,
before asking to be let go. Flair was meant to be in an angle with Lacey Evans, which would’ve seen the Sassy
Southern Belle become RAW Women’s Champion, but that ended abruptly when Evans became pregnant earlier this year.
Ric has since spoken about the bizarre storyline, and during an interview with ESPN MMA’s Ariel Helwani, explained
why he agreed to the angle: "In this instance, I didn't [have a problem with it. The one thing I've learned is you're
not gonna win a war when someone got their mind made up and she [Charlotte] most definitely didn't like it. But you know,
the one thing I can say about me is, I always said yes. Because I didn't wanna be that guy that was always going, 'Oh god, that isn't
perfect for me.'" " I don't know if you've followed my career, but I've been buried in the desert by Russo,"
Flair continued. "I've had my head shaved. I mean, if you look at the other top guys that are in the industry, whether it's Shawn
or Hunter or Undertaker or Bret Hart, whatever, nobody has gone through all this. I've done everything."
Flair is out of WWE, but he’s not completely gone yet, as during RAW, a commercial aired featuring the two-time WWE Hall of Famer.
We’ll have to see where the Nature Boy goes next, as even at 72-years-old and his in-ring days long behind him, signing Flair
would be a huge victory for any promotion, now that the 16-time World Champion is a free agent.
More departure news, as Bray Wyatt is gone from WWE, as is his real-life partner JoJo Offerman.
Fans may know that Wyatt has two children with JoJo Offerman, and PW Insider reports that she was quietly released 6-8 months ago,
after not being on WWE TV in years. It had been previously reported that if WWE used Offerman again, it wouldn't be as a ring
announcer, and now the company won't be using her at all. Joining in 2013 as part of Total Divas,
JoJo had just five matches in WWE, her last being a loss to Kendall Skye in May 2014, and she, like Wyatt, will now need to forge
her own path outside WWE.
Back to RAW, as wherever Bobby Lashley goes, MVP is not far behind, whether it’s partying with pretty women, or inspiring
the Almighty WWE Champion to decimate his opponents. With Lashley set to face Goldberg at
Summerslam, the Hall of Famer may need a corner man himself to even the odds, and WWE may have revealed who that’ll be on
last night’s show. On RAW, Gage Goldberg returned to WWE TV for the first time since Survivor Series 2016
and he could add a distinct flavour to his father’s upcoming match.
So far, the story has been between two men made of granite, and after enter the equation this week, Gage could be an interesting
x-factor in this feud. It’s safe to say that Goldberg’s return hasn’t excited the crowd, and perhaps WWE will
turn things around by having the Hall of Famer fight, not just for the title, but his family too.
We’ve got news from PWG next, as they returned this past weekend for their first show with live fans in over a year,
special guest during the show. After the main-event, the lights went out and Super Dragon appeared in the ring
but when the lights went out again, AEW’s Malakai Black appeared, saving Bandido from a beatdown by Flamita.
Grabbing the microphone, the former NXT Champion said he’ll be back at PWG’s next show on September 26th, which we expect
will sell very well with Black’s name on the marquee. Unlike WWE, AEW allows it’s wrestlers to
make indie company bookings, and after years away from the independent scene, the former Tommy End is looking to make
a big splash, both in and outside Tony Khan’s promotion.
Now, earlier this year, Shane McMahon returned to WWE TV for a brief feud with Braun Strowman, but now the Best in the
World has a role outside the company. Recently, McMahon was announced as the new executive Chairman for Ideanomics
a company he’s been with since 2010, previously as their Vice Chairman.
The company has confirmed that Jim Cassano will now serve as the Vice Chairman for Ideanomics, who’s mission
is to quote “act as a catalyst for disruption to those industries where sustainability, transparency, and freedom of choice
would have profound benefits on a global scale.” In a statement, Shane said he was proud
of what his team has accomplished, as they continue to research into hydrogen fuel cell storage.
We’ll have to see if Shane has one last match in WWE, but the Prodigal son of WWE has plenty to keep him busy out of the ring.
More from RAW, as up until they lost the Women’s Tag Team titles, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were a formidable tag-team
but it seems that the pair will be splitting very soon. This could make for an interesting feud,
especially on the road to Summerslam, as fans have never seen a face Baszler on the main-roster.
It certainly appears that the pair will be turning on each other soon, especially as the events of this week’s RAW, and we’ll
have to see how the pair will adapt to a singles feud, after close to a year as a tag-team.
This week’s RAW saw Nia Jax face off against Rhea Ripley, in a match that didn’t go as planned.
During the match, Jax was busted open by Ripley the hard way, and started bleeding profusely on her cheek, just under her left eye.
Undeterred, Jax soldiered on, and even took a post-match kick and finisher from Ripley, all the while teasing the inevitable
split with the Queen of Spades. Jax may get a lot of grief for injuring opponents, but this time it was Ripley
who injured her, and the Irresistable Force was a trooper for working through some serious pain last night
Karrion Kross didn’t fare much better on last night’s show, as he lost to Keith Lee, his second defeat in just three weeks on the
red brand. Not only that, changes have been made as to how Kross is presented on RAW
compared to his time on NXT, and Mick Foley believes that it’s all taking a toll on the NXT Champion.
Tweeting about last night’s match, the three- time WWE Champion said it was a big win for Lee, but added that he feels Kross lacks
his aura of confidence whenever he steps foot in a RAW ring. Adding that it can be tough to get that
confidence back once it’s lost, Foley does raise some good points, as Kross’s main- roster tenure has been abysmal compared to
his NXT run. The idea behind Kross’ losses is that WWE will keep having him lose until Scarlet
shows up, and she’ll be able to turn things around for the NXT Champion on RAW.
Last week, Kross defeated Keith Lee, but only after the original plan for him to lose to Jeff Hardy again was scrapped because of Jeff’s
positive test, and though there is a method to WWE’s booking decision, the damage may have already been done to Kross’ confidence
on RAW. Now, when WWE was in the Thunderdome, they were able to control the entire production
of their shows, all the way down to how audiences responded to certain Superstars. It appears all that power has been hard for
WWE to give up, and during last night's RAW, a huge botch proved that the company hasn't been able to move on.
During Drew McIntyre's entrance, the crowd was very loud, but fans with excellent hearing were able to hear Michael Cole,
who uttered the phrase "16 time World Champion
Clearly, the crowd audio for McIntyre's entrance was from SmackDown, and in the clip, Cole was referring to John Cena.
It's strange that WWE would continue to use doctored audio now that live fans are back, but they clearly want everyone at home
to think that McIntyre is well and truly over. For the record, McIntyre is a two-time WWE Champion, and has a long-way to go before
he ties Cena or Ric Flair, and this week's akward botch didn't help the Scottish Superstar.
And we’re ending with Alexa Bliss, who is an avid Disney fan, and is no stranger to sharing her Disney love on Instagram.
This week, Bliss shared one of her Disney inspired tattoos, but the post didn’t last long on social media.
In her story, Bliss called Instagram out for deleting her tattoo pic, which she was told was too offensive to be shown.
Bliss isn’t the first wrestler to get smacked- down by Instagram, as not-too-long-ago, Braun Strowman expressed his frustration,
when a picture of him kicking Keith Lee in the face was taken down. We doubt this week will stop Bliss from
posting on Instagram, where she boasts 5.3 million followers, but she’ll have to think twice the next time she shares one of her tattoos.