Here's your wrestling news for June 18th 2022
And your headlines for today include
Vince McMahon Appears on SmackDown: What did the now ex-WWE CEO say?
Backstage reaction to McMahon’s strange SmackDown appearance revealed
WWE Board of Directors CAN fire Vince McMahon if he’s broken these rules
Vince McMahon was in a “great mood” despite allegations and investigation
Brock Lesnar returns on SmackDown! Summerslam match confirmed
WWE give sad update on Randy Orton’s injury
Reliable source confirms Sasha Banks has been released by WWE!
Sting makes shock return during latest AEW Rampage
Former WWE Referee Brian Hebner Dead Aged 73
Cody Rhodes to be treated like WWE Hall Of Famer when he returns after Injury And more!
We’re kicking off today with Vince McMahon, who appeared on last night’s SmackDown in his first public appearance since stepping down as CEO of WWE.
Many were shocked that McMahon would appear, given the contro versial allegations made against him, but not only did he show up, but he did so completely in character.
Getting a huge pop from the fans, McMahon reminded the audience of WWE’s tagline ‘Then. Now. Forever. Together’ and emphasised the Toget her part, implying that he has no plans on leaving the company he made.
McMahon welcomed the fans to SmackDown and tossed the microph one down before leaving, without making any reference to the ongoing investigation into the alleged affair or hush money payment.
Who knows when we’ll see Vince McMahon on WWE TV again, but the former Chairman seemed his usual fun-loving self on last night’s edition of SmackDown on FOX.
McMahon may have got a huge pop from the crowd in attendance, but that feeling wasn’t shared by those on the roster who was watching backstage.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful reports that he received a bunch of reactions from both current and former WWE Superstars reacting to McMahon’s appearance, and that the general consensus
ranges from confused to enraged.
One anonymous former Superstar said that they were glad the promo was so short, but that McMahon showed no accountability for what’s being alleged against the ex-Chairman.
This ex-Superstar made it clear that they believe the allegations against McMahon, saying that this situation is “something directly his fault.”
One top talent within WWE contacted Fightful to call the promo “tone deaf and embarrassing,” and believes it was McMahon’s attempt to lessen the impact of the investigation.
Everyone is going to have their opinions on the investigation and what McMahon had to say last night, and while the current roster are wisely keeping their comments to themselves, they weren’t
thrilled with what happened during the broadcast.
When the investigation was announced, many were quick to dismi ss It, pointing out that with the voting majority, McMahon can’t be removed from power, even if the board of directors wanted to.
With McMahon stepping down as CEO, it’s unclear if he still has this majority sway, but it turns out that the company can be rid of him no matter his role.
As Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics pointed out, Vince McMahon’s employment agreement states that the WWE Board can terminate him under certain conditions.
There are two clauses that stick out in the paperwork, with one clause saying that McMahon can be dismissed if he commits theft or embezzlement in his role.
While there’s no hard evidence of either theft or embezzlement of company funds, many have questioned the paralegal’s promotion, which saw her $100,000 a year contract jump to $200,000 a
year, when the alleged affair began
If this investigation doesn’t go McMahon’s way, then there is a good chance that he could face an embezzlement allegation by using company funds to give to his alleged mistress.
The other clause which may have McMahon shaking in his boots is clause C, which reads:
“Executive’s willful and intentional material misconduct in performance of his duties or gross negligence of his duties.”
If the investigation concludes that McMahon had an affair with an emp loyee and doubled her wages for sex, then this could be deemed misconduct in performance of his duties, and lead to his dismissal.
These are early days into the investigation, and it’ll be interesting to see what comes out about McMahon, but his job with WWE isn’t as safe as some may have thought.
With an investigation into him, the risk of losing his job permanently, and allegations of an extra-marital affair, right now is a tough time to be Vince McMahon, but you wouldn’t know it by his behaviour backstage.
According to a report from PW Insider, McMahon was in a “great mood” behind the scenes in Minneapolis, and was joking around with talent despite the weight of the allegations he was facing.
The report goes on to detail a “weird” pre-production meeting, with no acknowledgment from Vince, nor were any questions asked about the WWE board of directors’ investigation.
Even more glaring is that the pre-production meeting apparently did not cover the segment featuring McMahon himself, and some had even questioned it had been pulled from the show.
McMahon was all smiles behind the scenes, but he clearly did not want to address the allegations being made against him, as the claims of a $3 million hush money arrangement cast a dark shadow over last night’s show.
SmackDown may have seen an appearance by WWE’s ex- Chairman, but he wasn’t the only important name to make their return last night.
In the main event, Riddle went toe to toe with Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, and despite a solid perform ance by the Original Bro, it was Reigns who retained his title.
Post-match, Reigns said how there is no one left to face him, only to be interrupted by the familiar entrance music of Brock Lesnar.
The Beast Incarnate emerged in his homestate and offered to shake the hand of the Tribal Chief, an offer the latter refused, so Brock instead gave him a ring-shaking F5.
WWE waited until after SmackDown to announce that Lesnar will challenge Reigns at Summerslam next month, adding that it will be a Last Man Standing match.
After going back and forth for years, many thought their feud had ended for good at WrestleMania 38, but the Beast Incarnate will have one more chance at the biggest party of the Summer.
Prior to SmackDown, the plan had been for Reigns to defend against Randy Orton but that match had been in question for the past month.
After losing the Raw Tag Team Championships to the Usos, Orton hasn’t appeared since then, and WWE gave an update on his condition last night.
During SmackDown, Riddle confirmed that Orton will have to undergo surgery for his damaged back, and said he doesn’t know if the Viper will be able to train again.
It was previously known that Orton was injured, but given that he’ll need surgery, it appears that his condition is worse than first feared.
WWE had hoped that the Legend Killer would be back in time for Summerslam, but It’s now believed he will miss the rest of this year, and we’re wishing him the best on his road to recovery.
Now, earlier this week, it was rumoured that Sasha Banks had left WWE, though it wasn’t clear if she had been released, or chosen to depart the company.
After Raj Giri’s report, some cast doubt over his claims, as no sources within WWE were willing to confirm the news, but now another source has said that she is gone.
Reddit user kermit125 has now reported that Banks has been released from her deal, adding that it happened “some weeks ago.”
Kermit has proven to be accurate in the past, as he was the one who first reported that The Steiner Brothers were going into the Hall of Fame, Ronda Rousey was returning at the Royal Rumble, Shad
Gaspard would be this year’s Warrior Award recipient and that Cody Rhodes had signed a deal with WWE.
These are just a small handful of reports by Kermit that have proven to be true, so its safe to say he has source within WWE.
It was recently reported that Banks’ lawyers had been trying to get her out of her contract, and it appears those efforts have been fruitful.
If Banks is gone, then WWE haven’t confirmed it just yet, but we’re very interested to see what the Boss does next in her wrestling career.
Over to AEW next, as Sting was written off TV on the May 18th Dynamite, which ended with the Undisputed Elite Pillmanizing his ankle.
Speculation spread that the angle may have been cover for a real injury Sting wasn’t cleared to travel to Las Vegas for Double or Nothing weekend, but the Icon is back on our screens.
In the main event of last night’s Rampage, Darby Allin got a level of revenge for his friend, defeating Bobby Fish in the main event, but was attacked post-match by Kyle O’Reilly.
There beatdown was cut short when the lights went out and Sting made his return, and the faces cleared house in an amazing moment on Rampage.
O’Reilly and Fish were writhing in pain as Rampage went off the air, and we’ll see what the Stinger and Allin do now that the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion has returned.
We’ve got some sad news to report now, as veteran referee Dave Hebner has died at the age of 73.
The sad news was confirmed by his nephew and fellow referee Brian Hebner during his latest podcast, and no cause of death is known at this time.
Dave Hebner started officiating with the WWWF in the 1970s, and is perhaps best remembered for the controversial ending to the WWF Main Event in early 1988.
That finish saw Dave deliver a fast count during the WWF title match, costing Hulk Hogan the gold and giving the win to Andre the Giant, but then an identical referee debuted.
In storyline, it was explained that Andre’s manager Ted DiBiase had paid someone to get surgery to look like the referee to do the fast count, and that the second referee was Dave’s brother Earl Hebner.
After retiring from refereeing, Dave worked as a road agent for WWE until his release in 2005, and we’d like to offer the Hebner family our deepest condolences at this sad time.
And we’re ending today with Cody Rhodes, who is out of action for the foreseeable future due to his torn pectoral muscle.
WWE have reported that Rhodes is expected to be away for nine m onths, but the company is already making plans for his impending r eturn.
In this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s noted that despite the nine-month window, Cody is expected to be back much sooner, with a Royal Rumble return considered a likely possibility.
Dave Meltzer noted that WWE’s plan is for Rhodes to be given the Triple H treatment, and that his return will mimic the Game’s return from a torn quadricep in 2002.
To hype up Triple H’s return, WWE had weeks of vignettes to U2’s Beautiful Day, and he had a thunderous return inside Madison Square Garden.
Triple H would go on to win the WWE Undisputed Championship at WrestleMania 18 that year, cementing his return from injury, and expect a similar massive push for the American Nightmare.