Here's your wrestling news for may 24th 2022
And your headlines for today include
Roman Reigns Tells Fans That Recent WWE Live Event Could Be His Last ; What To Expect Vs Over Drew McIntyre At WWE Clash At The Castle
Becky Lynch Weasels Her Way In, But Can She Weasel Her Way Into Another Title Reign?
Will Seth Rollins Go 0-3 Vs. Cody Rhodes?
WWE Likely To Freeze Their Sasha Banks & Naomi Contracts!
WWE Sending A Message To Talent With On-Screen Burials Of Sasha Banks & Naomi
Snoop Dogg Shows Support To Sasha Banks After Her WWE Raw Walkout
Clip Resurfaces Of Excalibur Mocking Mentally Handicap People With Wheelchair Gimmick
WWE Makes Multiple Changes To Hell In A Cell Card
WWE Raw Superstar Brings Back Old Gimmick And Theme Music
WWE Stars Who Got Suspended For Violating Wellness Policy! And More!
We’re kicking off today with our Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, who signed a new deal with WWE earlier this month, one that will see him work far fewer matches
This past weekend, the Tribal Chief competed at a Live event in Cedar Rapids, and made a shocking claim after the main event.
After defeating Drew McIntyre to retain the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, Reigns thanked the fans for coming to the show, saying it could very likely be his last WWE Life event.
As part of Reigns' new contract, it's been reported that the majority of matches Reigns has ditched will come from untelevised live events such as the one this past weekend in Cedar Rapids.
WWE's reported end goal is for Reigns to become like Brock Lesnar: a special attraction that fans will be eager to see wrestle, and that may indeed we've seen the last of the Tribal Chief at untelevised live events.
Reigns is still expected to compete at WWE'S Stadium events, including Clash at the Castle this September in Cardiff, Wales.
It's been reported that WWE plans on having Drew McIntyre step up to Reigns at the show, which could be a big problem.
In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer writes that Reigns has won over a ton of fans in the UK, and there is a risk that he could be cheered over McIntyre.
Meltzer referenced a recent WWE Live event in London which saw the two face off and it was the Head of the Table who earned the loudest cheers of the night.
Reigns may be a heel, but even his strongest of critics can't help but accept that he has become a fantastic character since his heel turn in 2020.
Meltzer added that WWE's saving grace is that this will be a televised title match, and the UK fans will be eager to see the title change hands in Cardiff, but we'll have to wait until September
to see and hear who gets the loudest response.
Over to Raw now, as Becky Lynch has managed to weasel her way into a Raw Women’s Title match, and will challenge for the gold at Hell in a Cell.
On last night’s show, Lynch faced Asuka in a rematch from last week, and defeated the Empress of Tomorrow after a mishap which saw Asuka kick Bianca Belair at Ringside.
A triple threat between the three seems like the best direction, but given that Lynch only recently lost the Raw Women’s title, i t’s highly unlikely that she’ll be regaining it on June 5th.
If anything putting Lynch in the match may be because WWE doesn’t want Asuka to take a pin to Belair as fans can expect the EST to emerge triumphant at Hell in a Cell.
Hell in a Cell will also see Cody Rhodes face Seth Rollins, in the third straight premium Live event match between the two.
Last night’s Raw saw Rhodes face The Miz, and got the win over the A-Lister thanks to a DQ when Seth attacked the American Nightmare.
Post-match, Rhodes said it’s dawning on Rollins that he could go 0-3 in this feud, which does seem like a real possibility.
WWE is in the process of establishing Cody as a top-tier babyface, and having him lose to Rollins would only derail those plans.
Given that Rhodes already has two wins, Rollins wouldn’t win this feud even if he wins at Hell in a Cell, and it’ll be interesting to see how what is hopefully the last encounter between the two, plays out.
Sasha Banks and Naomi certainly won’t be at Hell in a Cell, as the two have been indefinitely suspended after walking out of Raw last week.
We previously reported that both Banks and Naomi had been negotiating new deals before last week's walk out, as their current contracts will end later this year.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed what WWE are able to do about the two, and whether their current contracts could be frozen:
Based on the wording of their contracts, WWE has the right to suspend and freeze. Now, would that hold up in court? I don’t know. Will they challenge it in court? I don’t know, but based on the
contracts they signed, if you fail to perform and we suspend you, we can also freeze your contract." WWE freezing their deals may be seen as an extreme measure,
but it is a possibility, and when both Banks and Naomi are risking losing serious money, WWE could test just how loyal to each other the former champions really are.
Banks and Naomi may be suspended, but they’ve not gone from WWE entirely, and are still on the company’s official roster.
Despite the fact that their merchandise has been pulled and that they’ve been edited out of WWE’s opening package, PW Inside reports that both Banks and Naomi are still listed:
For those who have asked, Sasha Banks and Naomi are still listed internally on the WWE active roster.
It’s worth stressing that just because they’re on the list, that doesn’t mean they’ll be back anytime soon, but WWE is at the very least acknowledging that they are employees of the company,
albeit employees with a lot of heat backstage.
In their efforts to distance themselves from Banks and Naomi, WWE has taken down both of their official Facebook fan pages, but the form er WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions are still available on Twitter.
With a combined 3.5 million followers between them, both women have a huge platform at their disposal, leaving fans to question why WWE hasn’t taken these profiles down as well.
According to Fightful Select, there are big differences between Facebook and Twitter which means these accounts won’t be taken down:
Twitter accounts are created, owned and managed (usually) by the performer themselves, and WWE does not have control over them. In regards to Shop, we’re told this was a part of the “indefinite
suspension,” and WWE reiterated to us it does not indicate a release of any sort.
Neither Banks or Naomi have tweeted since the walk out, but they have the option if they wish too, and we’re sure their combined 3.5 million followers are eager to read what they have to say.
Banks and Naomi can still tweet, but it’s safe to say that WWE has done all they can to stop the two having a presence with fans.
From branding them ‘unprofessional’ to suspending them and rem oving their merchandise, the Boss and the Glow have taken a lot of hits by WWE, and that is exactly how WWE wants all Superstars to feel.
On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed WWE’s reaction to Sasha and Naomi’s abrupt exit and said WWE is sending a message to other Superstars not to try anything similar:
“The fact that they buried [Sasha Banks and Naomi]… Again… It just tells you the mood that they were in. They were in a very strong mood and I know also it was absolutely meant as a message to
talent: Don’t walk out during a live show, because we will bury you.
Whether that matters or not to talent, I don’t know, but it absolutely was a message to everyone there that if you, again, you can discuss things and whatever. You can question things and all that
and that’s part of the deal. I think that the problem was the walking out… So, that was how they handled it.”
Sasha Banks and Naomi face uncertain futures in WWE, and may be sitting at home for a long time to come, and WWE wants every person on every roster to think twice about repeating their actions.
Plenty have been said about the duo's actions, as people have both praised and condemned the now-suspended Superstars, but one very influential name has now weighed in.
On social media, Sasha Banks' cousin Snoop Dogg shared his reaction, posting an image of them both with the simple caption 'Bloodline.'
It certainly appears that the rap legend is on his cousin's side, as are many people outside of WWE.
It'll be interesting to see if Snoop's reaction sparks WWE to take action, as the last thing the company will want is to anger one of the biggest stars of music and risk possible crossover promotions.
Ultimately, only WWE can decide when, if ever the pair will return to TV, but while Banks and Naomi won't be on TV, the former Women's Tag Team Champions are gathering a lot of public support.
Over to AEW now, as Excalibur is one of the voices fans hear each week on commentary, but he also has a history as a competitor that is filled controversy.
This week, a clip from Excalibur’s wrestling days resurfaced and went viral, as the AEW announcer mocked mentally handicapped people and used a wheelchair.
In the video from 2005, Excalibur plays a disabled gimmick and plays up a mental handicap with mannerisms, shocking fans both then and now.
This isn’t the first time Excalibur’s wrestling past has got him in trouble, as two years ago, the masked announcer missed several we eks of AEW TV after videos surfaced of him using the N-Word at a show.
At the time, Tony Khan said that the decision to remove Excalibur from TV was the commentator’s choice, but after this latest controversy, we’ll have to see what AEW does with it’s problematic announcer.
Back to WWE, as the company’s next Premium Live Event will be Hell in a Cell on June 5th, and several matches were confirmed for the show last night.
On Raw, Bobby Lashley finally got his hands on MVP, and per the stipulation, it was Omos who got to pick the stipulation of their match at Hell in A Cell since Lashley lost via countout.
Lashley only lost after being knocked out by Omos, and on Raw Talk, it was confirmed that Lashley will face Omos and MVP in a handicap match.
Last night’s Raw also saw Kevin Owens lay out the challenge to Ezekiel, who will be making his Premium Live Event debut at Hell in a Cell, while Owens hopes to prove that the new
Superstar is really Elias once and for all.
Now, Robert Roode has had a solid time since joining WWE, and has been teaming with Dolph Ziggler in recent years, but he’s now back to his NXT gimmick.
At a WWE Live event last weekend, The Dirty Dawg brought back to his Glorious ways, having the full Glorious entrance complete with robe.
This may just be a temporary thing, as Ziggler is currently away doing a comedy tour, so it’d make little sense for Roode to keep up his tag-team schtick without his partner.
Under the “Glorious” gimmick, Roode became one of the most popular wrestlers on the NXT brand and was booked to win the NXT Championship, but the character got watered down
when he moved to SmackDown in 2017.
Roode did bring back the Glorious theme when he returned to NXT 2.0 earlier this year, which may have been a test by WWE to see if fans still liked it.
It’s entirely possible that Roode could be forced to ditch the Glorious persona once Ziggler returns to WWE TV, but if the return of this gimmick proves to be popular at live events, perhaps we’ll see it
back full-time on the company’s programming.
And we’re ending with more from the Sasha Banks-Naomi saga, as while the pair have been suspended, they’re not the first to fall under the ire of WWE.
In 2009, Rey Mysterio, arguably WWE’s most beloved babyface, was suspended for his first violation of the Wellness Policy, earning 30-days punishment, and was suspended in 2012 for 60 days
for his second violation.
Paige also has two suspensions to her name, but those both came in 2016, with her second suspension coming almost immediately after her first ended.
Dolph Ziggler may be seen as one of WWE’s most reliable safe hands in the ring, but was suspended in 2008 for his first violation, the same year as his main-roster debut with the Ziggler name.
Randy Orton is no stranger to controversy in WWE, and in 2006 was suspended, which cost him a chance as World Heavyweight Champion.
According to reports at the time, Orton was meant to win the title at WrestleMania 22 in a triple-threat match against Rey Mysterio and then-Champion Kurt Angle, but while he was allowed to
compete in the match, the decision was made to give Rey the win.
After the match, Orton’s suspension begun, but was ended early as WWE wanted him to feud with Angle, in what was an odd message to send to the locker-room.
Even Roman Reigns has fallen foul of WWE, being suspended in 2016 for his first and only violation of the wellness policy, and it goes to show that no matter how big you are, the WWE will
suspend anyone if needed.