Here's your wrestling news for June 22nd 2022
And your headlines for today include
More investigations launched into WWE! McMahons in serious trouble
Backstage atmosphere in WWE revealed amid ongoing investigations
Latest on Bryan Danielson’s Injury, when will he be back in the ring
Bad news for multiple injured AEW stars according to latest update
Happy Corbin says major spot from WrestleMania 38 match wasn’t his call
Chris Jericho weighs in on MJF possibly jumping ship from AEW to WWE
Popular NXT 2.0 Superstar to return next week after recent injury And more
We’re kicking off today with WWE, as the company has been rocked over the past week.
Over the past seven days, the company has seen Vince McMahon step down as CEP, John Laurinaitis be placed on administrative leave, and now even more investigations have been launched.
Just a few days ago, we knew of only two investigations, the one into McMahon by Scott+Scott law firm as arranged by WWE’s board, and the one investigating the board themselves by Schall Law firm.
Now, the total number of investigations has risen to five, with three more firms, the Rosen Law Firm, Bragar Eagel and Squire and Labaton Scharow all launching their own investigations.
Each of the new investigations is related to McMahon’s alleged affair and argues that WWE not informing their investors of the investigation prior to public knowledge may have been a breach of their rules.
WWE’s investors only learned of the investigation after reading an article for the Wall Street Journal, and it’s been suggested that share holders would have done something had they known about the
investigation, prior to the news being published.
After the now infamous Wall Street Journal article was published, WWE stock fell nearly 4%, costing those investors a lot of money.
With five investigations into WWE, who knows what will come up over the next few months, as the company may be set to undergo even more dramatic changes.
With so many investigations and changes, it’s been a wild time in WWE over the past few days, and the Superstars and employees have been left reeling from what has happened.
That’s according to a report from PW Insider, who notes that “there’s a lot of silence among employees,” and that they’re waiting to see just how bad the situation may get.
Employees are “keeping their heads down” to not get caught up in the mess, and many are biting their tongues to avoid saying something that could get them in trouble either during or after these investigations.
It’s said that there’s “a lot of sympathy” for Stephanie McMahon, who everyone knows wanted to take a break from the company to spend more time with her family, only to get a bigger role that’ll keep her busy.
As for Vince McMahon and his recent on-screen appearances, it’s repor ted that there’s been “a lot of headshaking,” as employees have speculated that him being on screen is some kind of denial tactic by the ex-Chairman.
Clearly, things are tense right now in WWE, as nobody wants to risk their job or risk someone else’s job with their comments or actions, as many behind the scenes expect heads to roll no matter the result of these investigations.
Over to AEW now, as Bryan Danielson has been one of the most featured stars since joining the company last September, but that momentum has been derailed.
A recent injury has forced AEW to put all plans for him on hold, and we have an update on his condition.
Bryan Alverez explained on Wrestling Observer Live that despite initial reports that Danielson would just need a couple of weeks off, he is expected to be out for much longer than that.
The former WWE Champion did create a lot of buzz by mentioning Zack Sabre Jr. during a recent Rampage, but it appears that this match won’t be happening at Forbidden Door.
Alverez didn’t explain when exactly Danielson should be cleared again, but did say that he might not be cleared “for a while.”
Given his history of injuries, including his two-year retirement in WWE, we can’t fault AEW for being extra careful, and we should know even more when Bryan addresses his status on tonight’s Dynamite.
Bryan Danielson is out of action for the time being, but he’s not the only AEW star who is on the shelf.
Darius Martin has been out of action for a few months now after getting injured in a car accident, and despite undergoing ACL Surgery in March, has been injured again.
Fightful has learned from a source within AEW, that the company isn’t expecting Martin back soon, but are hopeful that he can be back before the end of the year.
Lee Johnson is another star who’s out of action due to an injury, after last appearing on AEW programming in early May.
The report adds that Johnson will miss all of the Summer, and it’ll be a few months at the very least from him to recover from his knee injury.
Now, at WrestleMania, Drew McIntyre faced Happy Corbin in a match that many felt was beneath the two-time former WWE Champion.
While McIntyre wasn’t challenging for a title, he did make history, becoming the first person ever to kick out of the End of Days.
Appearing on the Out of Character podcast, Corbin discussed the match, and said that it wasn’t his call for Drew to kick out.
“Wasn’t my call, let’s just say that. I mean, honestly, we’re out of character here, the 100 percent honest truth, I would have loved to have saved that for a bigger moment for me and something that
selfishly would have benefited me.”
Corbin added that he would’ve loved to have saved the first End of Days kick out for a high profile match such as a World Title match against current Champion Roman Reigns.
The former King of the Ring decimated every opponent in his path with the End of Days, and while McIntyre’s kick out was a big moment on a show full of big moments, it’s not one Corbin himself wanted to see.
Now, it’s been a while since fans saw MJF on AEW TV, after his scathing promo against Tony Khan that took place three weeks ago today.
AEW has done their best to distance themselves from MJF by remo ving him from their programming and pulling their merch, and even making an edict with WarnerMedia not to feature him in any way.
MJF has made no secret that he is willing to sign with WWE once his contract expires in January 2024, but a lot of people are against that idea.
Speaking with Talk Sport this week, Chris Jericho weighed in on the possibility of MJF jumping ship, and explained why he doesn’t agree with the Salt of the Earth going elsewhere.
“Oh absolutely, [his character would be watered down in WWE]. He’s better off staying in AEW. But, again, don’t stick your finger in the light socket. You tell a little kid not to do that and they’re going to do it to see what happens.”
Jericho isn’t the only one who thinks MJF would be watered down in WWE, as many have said that his hard-hitting heel persona wouldn’t work in WWE’s PG environment.
Ultimately, only MJF can do what he feels is best for his career, but for the time being, his absence from AEW programming ironically is making him one of the most talked about stars.
And we’re ending today with Nikkita Lyons, who has been out of action in recent weeks.
Since the end of May, Lyons has been out with a partially torn MCL tear and sprain, which caused to be pulled from her NXT Women’s Breakout Tournament semi finals match with Fallon Henley.
During last night’s episode of the paint splattered brand however, it was announced that her return will be sooner than fans thought, and she’s set to make her return on next week’s NXT 2.0.
There’s no word on what Lyons will be doing on the show, but her return is some good news for the brand.
In the few months she’s been around, Lyons has certainly earned a ton of fan support, and we’ll have to see what’s next for the self- professed Lioness of NXT when she’s back next week.