Here's more wrestling news for June 22nd 2021
And your headlines for Afternoon include
Karrion Kross Set For WWE Main Roster Debut On Main Event!
WWE Creative Told There Are No Plans For Brock Lesnar’s Return!
Details On Origin Of Nikki Cross' New Superhero Character
Ronda Rousey Was Pulled From A Rematch Against Ruby Riott In WWE!
Kevin Owens Announces A Break From Wrestling After WWE Hell In A Cell!
BIG NXT Star Hints At Making WWE Smackdown Debut To Attack Pat McAfee!
Wrestler Mocks Charlotte Flair Over Hell In A Cell Spot!
G.I. Joe Origins Trailer Features Former WWE Superstar!
Aleister Black Drops Cryptic Post About His Pro Wrestling Future And more!
We’re starting today with SmackDown and before last Friday’s show, NXT Champion Karrion Kross and NXT North American
Champion Bronson Reed were brought in for a pair of dark matches, and clearly impressed the right people.
Not long after SmackDown, it was reported that Kross, alongside Scarlett were being brought back this Friday, and the group are
certainly getting comfortable on the main roster. PW Insider reports that Kross, Scarlett and
Reed were all backstage during this week’s RAW, though obviously weren’t used, and we now know what their main-roster debut
matches will be. It’s been confirmed that on WWE Main Event, Kross will face Shelton Benjamin, whilst
Reed takes on Drew Gulak. Not only will both get a main-roster televised match, but on F4WOnline, Dave Meltzer noted
that Scarlett is expected to have her own tryout this week before SmackDown, despite being mostly used as a valet in recent memory.
It wasn’t noted whether WWE plans on keeping the real-life couple together on the main-roster, as Vince McMahon has split-up
acts in the past when calling people up. Though there’s reportedly no plans for Reed to be called-up soon, Kross and
Scarlett are a top-priority for the main-roster right now, and the NXT Champion will get a taste of main-roster competition this week.
Now, Brock Lesnar hasn’t been in WWE since WrestleMania 36, and in that time, there’s been speculation for the past year of when
he’d return, including a recent report saying he and WWE are in talks. That apparently isn’t the case, as when
Ringside News asked around, it was made clear that WWE has no plans whatsoever for the Beast Incarnate.
Specifically, it was said that though his name comes up in conversations, there are no plans for Lesnar, and the source refuted the idea
that there are ongoing talks. It was also reported that if WWE could get their way, they’d have Lesnar return as
soon as possible, but obviously that decision isn’t theirs alone to make. Though Lesnar’s return could help move
the needle in terms of viewership, he certainly doesn’t come cheap, and whilst it’s still expected that the Beast will be
back one day, WWE doesn’t have plans for it to happen soon, despite what they’d like.
Over to RAW now, as last night, Nikki Cross qualified for the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match, and did so in an interesting
way. Not only did she reunite with her old tag- team partner Alexa Bliss to defeat Nia Jax
and Shayna Baszler, but before the match, the Scottish Superstar debuted a new character.
Donning a blue-and-yellow outfit and cape, Cross seems to be a superhero and says she’s representing everyone, even though
fans were quick to criticise the new gimmick. Despite what fans had to say, Cross
worked well on RAW, and she certainly has the talent to make this gimmick work. A new gimmick also means that WWE at
least has some plans for her, and with Cross notching up yet another win on RAW, and getting consistent TV time, all the signs are
pointing to a good push for the former Women’s Tag Team Champion.
After Cross debuted her new Superhero character, many hit out at WWE and Vince McMahon for making her wear it, but this
gimmick isn’t a company creation. On Twitter, Killain Dain, Cross’ husband explained the origins of the Superhero
character, saying: She had an idea and saw it brought to life. Very excited to see whats next! Go go
Nikki!!!! Cross donned her cape and mask to once- more team with Alexa Bliss, almost a year
since they last worked together, and the two are real-life friends. Speaking last year about their chemistry
in the ring, Cross credited their success in the ring to the real-life friendship that developed when they were teaming last
year, and time will tell if the former Women’s tag team champions will continue teaming, despite their very different characters.
Earlier this year, Ruby Riott was cut from the company after never holding championship gold in WWE, despite having some
opportunities to become a Champion. One of her most memorable outings was a RAW Women’s title match against Ronda
Rousey at Elimination Chamber 2019, and while speaking to the Wrestling Perspective, Riott explained that the match didn’t
go as hoped. She added: I was bummed. She [Rousey] actually rallied for me to have a rematch. She
pitched for it and pushed for it hard and got it to happen. The following night, I main evented Raw for the first time and we had
this match that we had worked so hard on perfecting and it’s probably one of my favorite matches I had in the company.
Riott added that she’ll always be grateful to Rousey for helping her main-event RAW, and that the former UFC star was willing
to work with her so close to the then- RAW Women’s Champion headlining WrestleMania 35.
Rousey hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since her lost at WrestleMania 35, and is currently pregnant, and though the pair won’t be
having a rematch when the Baddest woman on the Planet returns, Ruby Riott will always be grateful for what Rousey
did for her career.
Hell in a Cell news next, as Kevin Owens came up short against Sami Zayn last Sunday, and fans won’t be seeing him for
a while. After the show, the former Universal Champion took to Twitter to explain that
he fought like hell, but now needs a little break from the ring, and will be back soon.
For years, Owens has been lauded as one of WWE’s most consistent performers, so for him to take time off is a huge deal.
Time will tell when the Prizefighter returns, but don’t expect to see him on this Friday’s SmackDown.
Adam Cole news next, as last year, the NXT Superstar had a bitter rivalry with Pat McAfee, who has since joined SmackDown
as a commentator. McAfee’s last match was at TakeOver: Wargames 2020 in December, but Cole still
hates him, recently making that clear with a tweet. When the WWE on FOX Twitter responded
saying Cole knows where to find McAfee on Friday nights, the former NXT Champion said he certainly does, teasing a possible
appearance on SmackDown. Speaking on his own show earlier this month, McAfee dared Cole to come to SmackDown
saying he’ll “eat another boot” if he does, and with a WWE draft this August, both men could once-again be on the same show very soon.
Back to Hell in a Cell, and during the RAW Women’s title match, Charlotte Flair delivered some alleged kicks to Rhea Ripley, that came
nowhere close to the Australian Superstar. A clip of those kicks quickly went viral and on Twitter, Indie star Warhorse joked that this
is what it looks like when you hand the controller to a younger sibling during a wrestling game.
Flair herself hasn’t responded to any comments over that spot, which some have said was actually the Queen mocking
Ripley’s stomp, but hopefully she’ll avoid making the same mistake in her next RAW Women’s title opportunity.
AEW news next, and as the company prepares to return to the road, another city has been announced for their
On Twitter, AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker promised a major announcement, which was revealed to be that Pittsburgh
will host the August 11th edition of Dynamite, and the August 13th premiere edition of AEW Rampage.
It makes sense that Baker teased the announcement, given that she’s from the steel-city, and tickets for the two shows
will go on sale this Friday at 10am Eastern.
Movie news now, as ahead of the release of Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins on July 23rd, a trailer was dropped this week, and WWE
fans noticed a familiar face during that video. During the trailer, former WWE Superstar Mojo Rawley can be spotted, as even though
he’s still under his 90-day non-compete clause with WWE, that only applies to competing against other wrestling
promptions. The former 24/7 Champion can be seen fighting Henry Golding at the start of the
trailer, and whilst we’re not sure how big a role he has in the new film, having a G.I. Joe film under your belt is huge
accolade on his acting resume. Rawley was released this past April, after not appearing on TV for months, and now
we know how he spent some of his time off-screen. Perhaps this’ll be the first of many acting
gigs for the former WWE Superstar, and after being with WWE since 2012, where he went unused for much of his career,
fans can now see him on the silver- screen.
And we’re ending with Aleister Black, who was released from WWE earlier this year, and has now dropped a cryptic post about
his future. On Instagram, the former NXT Champion referenced how the world is slowly
opening up, and that there will be new opportunities, and asked fans where they want to see him go, and who he should face.
It’s been reported that AEW has an interest in Black, and that big names in WWE believe they fired him too quickly, as there’s plenty
of places wiling to give Black the opportunities he referenced in this cryptic post.