Here's more wrestling news for June 18th 2021
And your headlines for Afternoon include
Lots Of Gimmicked Shows Are Returning To WWE , Thanks To FOX & USA Network!
John Cena Incredibly Flattered By Vin Diesel Said He Was ‘Sent By Paul Walker’ For Fast & Furious 9!
Former WWE Superstar Announces Retirement!
Vince McMahon Is A Big Fan Of A Current WWE Superstar !
AEW Reveals What New Title Belt Rumors Were All About!
Breaking News As WWE Officials Are Talking About Bringing Back Aleister Black!
MJF Now Has His Own Cryptocurrency ; Baron Corbin Reacts!
Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake Dealing With Heath Issues And more!
We’re starting with WWE, who introduced the 24/7 Championship at the request of the USA Network in 2019, and whilst the
title and current champion Akira Tozawa haven’t been seen for a while, it goes to show the power that networks have over
WWE content. Now, the networks are stretching their creative muscles again, as Andrew Zarian
of the Mat Men Pro-Wrestling podcast reports that there’s going to be a lot more themed episodes of RAW and SmackDown,
specifically requested by the USA Network and FOX. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of special
episodes we get, but according to Wrestle Votes, the WWE is considering bringing back a fan-choice format, similar to Cyber
Sunday, where the fans would get to directly influence the show. The last Cyber Sunday event happened in
2008, where fans voted ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to officiate the main event between Chris Jericho and Batista, and it’s reported
that s fan-choice special could happen either late 2021 or early 2022. A Viewer’s choice episode is just one idea
being considered right now, as Wrestle Votes reported that Old School RAW and a King of the Ring tournament could also
happen later this year or next year. WWE Executive Adam Pearce recently teased bringing back the King of the Ring
tournament, after King Corbin discussed it on an episode of The Bump, and Xavier Woods has made no secret that he plans
on entering the tournament if it starts. Andrew Zarian later reported that King of the Ring is more than likely to happen this
year, as is RAW Roulette: a special that’ll see stipulations and opponents be determined by the spin of a roulette wheel.
FOX and the USA Network clearly want to bring up viewership numbers, and the belief is that these specials will help
accomplish that, and time will tell whether some of the events WWE are already selling tickets for will end up being an
extra-special event for the fans.
We’re heading to Hollywood next, as the Fast and the Furious franchise is undoubtably one of the most popular action
franchises ever, thanks in part to Vin Diesel’s leading role as Dominic Toretto. For the first six films, Diesel was joined
by Paul Walker, who tragically died before the release of Fast 7, and in April this year, Diesel praised John Cena, who plays his
villainous brother in the latest film in the series, saying that he believes Walker sent Cena to act in the film.
Speaking to Inside this week, Cena racted to Diesel’s comments, saying:
“I think that’s the most flattering thing that someone in the Fast Family could possibly say. The origin of Vin’s comments, I think
Vin is so much better to answer that than me. “Hearing something like that, man. Certainly,
you have expectations to want to do your best. The importance and the gravity of a statement like that is not lost on me.”
Cena’s role as Jakob Toretto will be the closest the WWE icon has gotten to a heel turn in years, and fans will have to wait
how Cena fares in his much darker role when the Fast and Furious 9 releases next week.
Back to wrestling, and in 20919, Jordan Myles, aka ACH left WWE after a controversy over a t-shirt design involving
his name, and now he’s leaving wrestling for good. On Instagram, ACH has announced that
he’s officially stepping away from professional wrestling, and thanked fans for their love and support.
Outside WWE, ACH has worked for promotions including ROH, New Japan and Impact, and it’s unclear why he’s
retired now. Before the controversial shirt, which he argued had racially insensitive undertones,
Myles won the Breakout Tournament, earning a shot against then-NXT Champion Adam Cole, and whilst it’s believed that
Myles was in store for a big push before leaving, we’ll never know just how far he would’ve gone in WWE.
One person fans can find in WWE is Reginald, who started off as Carmella’s Sommelier before aligning with Nia Jax,
and the acrobatic manager is certainly making a great impression. According to Fightful, Vince McMahon
himself is a strong supporter of Reginald being On tv, as he likes what he brings to the table, and what he adds to on-screen
angles. The former Cirque de Soleil performer has been inserted into quite a number of
segments since his debut, and it was reported that he’s also very easy to work with as well.
On the latest RAW, Reginald was seemingly possessed thanks to the dark powers of Alexa Bliss, and whilst he may one day
break out and start competing as his own Superstar, for now he’s continuing to exceed in his current role, which makes
Vince McMahon very happy to see.
Over to AEW, and it’s no secret that the company is seriously considering introducing trios tag titles, and those new
titles could be coming very soon. When AEW took to Twitter recently, sharing a close-up shot of a championship belt,
many fans speculated that new titles were coming, either the Trios Tag Team titles,
or some new Women’s tag team titles. In a tweet, Nyla Rose expressed her desire for the company to introduce women’s tag
team titles, but if that is the plan, it won’t be happening yet. In a later tweet, AEW confirmed that AEW
World Championship replicas are coming soon, with the presale starting on June 23rd, but didn’t give a specific price.
The announcement of replica world titles isn’t the announcement most fans were hoping for, but with AEW constantly
growing in popularity, it may be a matter of time before new championships are introduced on TV.
Back to WWE, and this month, Aleister Black was released from WWE, but he won’t be gone from Vince McMahon’s
company for long. PW Insider reports that many people in WWE are discussing the former NXT Champion,
and following Samoa Joe’s return to the gold brand, and the fan reaction, that WWE is working on bringing the Dutchman back.
It’s reported that some of WWE’s top executives and decision makers have been trying to get Black back, and that the
fact that AEW has shown an interest in him has been a factor in WWE wanting him to return.
Wade Keller of PW Torch reports that WWE is planning on surprising fans by debuting him at the next Pay-Per-View, meaning he
could be back as soon as this Sunday, or saved for Money in the Bank on July 18th, which’ll have live fans.
It’s also reported that Black’s new contract will have a no-cut clause, meaning WWE would be unable to release him before his
contract expires again, and given that these clauses are typically reserved for top stars, it appears Black could be in for a major
push upon returning. The general consensus is that Black was released from WWE too soon, and now
WWE are doing all they can to bring the Dutch Superstar back home.
More from AEW, as MJF has made history this week, becoming the first pro-wrestler to have their own cryptocurrency.
On Twitter, the Pinnacle leader announced that he’s partnered with Rally Network to released the MJF-coin, which currently
has a value of $7.69 American. In his tweet, the AEW star blasted over cryptocurrencies including Doge coin and
Bitcoin as garbage, saying that MJF-coin is better than you and you know it. In a reply, WWE’s King Corbin applauded
MJF’s new currency, as the two heels are clearly fans of one-another. Corbin is clearly on MJF’s side, and we’ll
have to see who else gets on the MJF-coin bandwagon in the crypto-economy.
Back to WWE, and as the WWE Champion, Bobby Lashley has a lot to be proud of, and doesn’t plan on letting go of the gold
anytime soon. Recently, the Almighty spoke to Fightful Select about his reign, and in a preview
of their interview, it was noted that Lashley is yet to feel tested, despite recently passing 100 days as Champion. Fightful reports:
He’s never had anyone test him in the ring, but has had some times outside the ring where he’s questioned if people are doing it.
He says Riddle and several others still train and grapple around. Perhaps Lashley will feel tested when
he enters his first Hell in a Cell match this Sunday, where if he wins, Drew McIntyre will no longer be able to challenge as long
be able to challenge as long as he’s Champion. According to reports, Lashley is expected
to retain this Sunday, and we’ll see who challenges Lashley when McIntyre is out of the title picture, as the Almighty
continues to look for someone who can test him in the ring.
And we’re ending with some sad news to report, as Brutus ‘The Barber’ Beefcake is going through some concerning health
issues. On Facebook, Brutus’ wife Missy Leslie asked fans to keep him in their prayers,
as the Hall of Famer has been suffering from shortness of breath and headaches.
Brutus’ blood pressure was 170/110, which is dangerously high, and Missy added that he was at the doctor’s office on Wednesday.
Missy didn’t provide any more details about her husband’s condition, but we’re sending our best wishes to the 2019 WWE Hall of
Famer at this time.