Here's more wrestling news for June 21st 2022
And your headlines for Afternoon include
Theory’s U.S. Title return in grave jeopardy ahead of John Cena return
WWE commentator rumoured for match at Summerslam
Samoa Joe explains why he didn’t appear at Impact’s Slammiversary
Nixed plans revealed for last week’s WWE Raw
WWE faces ANOTHER investigation into their business practices
Some good news for Vince McMahon – Recent lawsuit has been settled
Paige’s first appearance after WWE has been confirmed And more
We’re starting off with Raw, as Bobby Lashley got his revenge on Theory, not once but twice.
In an act of revenge from last week, the first instance saw Lashley squeeze baby oil in the face of the United States Champion, replicating what Theory did to him next week.
In the second instance, Lashley would win a gauntlet match that saw him submit Chad Gable, eliminate Otis by DQ, and then pin Theory to tearn a title match against the U.S. Champion at Money in the Bank.
Lashley certainly has momentum going into next weekend’s event, but it may not be the All Mighty alone who takes the title of the cocky young Superstar.
Since becoming United States Champion, Theory has been goading John Cena into a match, and with Big Match John returning next week, he could be the difference maker.
A match between Cena and Theory has been rumored for Summerslam, and taking the U.S title out of the equation is probably for the best.
With Cena’s busy Hollywood schedule, the idea of Cena becoming champion again would be difficult to pull off, while having a straight singles match between the two makes much more sense.
Expect Cena to play some kind of role at Money in the Bank, presumably costing Theory the gold, setting up their inevitable collision at the Biggest Party of the Summer.
Since joining SmackDown, Pat McAfee has earned a ton of love by fans for his commentary, and has been praised for the infectious enthusiasm he brings to every show he's on.
McAfee certainly has a love for the wrestling industry and respect for the wrestlers , and will soon be stepping back in the ring himself.
On a recent SmackDown, McAfee cut a promo on Happy Corbin, poki ng fun at the former king of the Ring, and on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer has said that a match at Summerslam is likely to take place.
While being a commentator, McAfee is no slouch in the ring, having earned a ton of respect for his two matches as part of NXT.
This year, McAfee toppled Theory at WrestleMania 38, before losing to Mr. McMahon shortly after, and fans can expect the former NFL punter to take on Corbin next month.
Over to Impact now, as the company celebrated their 20th anniversary at this past weekend's Slammiversary event, which saw a surprise appearance by AJ Styles.
Given that Styles is with WWE, fans were shocked to see the Phenomenal One show up, and fans were also surprised to see one name NOT appear.
Since AEW and Impact have worked together in the past, some fans have been surprised that Samoa Joe didn't appear on the show whatsoever.
On Twitter, the former TNA World Champion and current RIng of Honor TV Champion explained how he was never asked to appear at the event, but wished Impact a happy 20th anniversary.
While Slammiversary saw several stars from the past appear, includi ng Kurt Angle, Dixie Carter and AEW's Sting, Joe was nowhere to be seen, but it doesn't appear that this was due to any action by Tony Khan.
During last week's Raw, WWE U.S Champion Theory faced off against Bobby Lashley in a pose down, in what was the main event of the evening.
Having a pose-down headline your flagship show was an interesting call for WWE to make, but there were some plans for the segment that WWE kept off TV.
That's according to Fightful Select, who report that the original script called for R-Truth to get involved, and there were several comedy spots planned that were also nixed.
It's not stated who decided to nix plans for Truth, but like everything seen on WWE TV, the decision to change plans for the pose down must have been approved by Vince McMahon.
The segment ended with Theory spraying baby-oil in Lashley's eyes, blinding the two time former WWE Champion, but with Lashley earning a title match at Money in the Bank, Theory’s days with the
US gold seem to be numbered.
Now, WWE has been rocked by multiple investigations as of late, with the scrutiny of Vince McMahon being just one of them.
Not long after the announced investigation into McMahon, the law firm Scott+Sctott said they were investigating WWE management to determine if they’ve breached their duties to the company and
its shareholders, and now yet another investigation is underway.
The Schall Law firm has declared that they two are investigating claims on behalf of the company’s investors, alleging that there have been violations of the securities law.
The investigation will focus on whether WWE made false or misleading statements important to investors, or did not inform investors on matters that they should have been told about.
A statement by the law firm suggests that by not informing investors about the investigation into McMahon, that WWE kept vital information that would have been important to investors.
Any investors who have lost money due to WWE’s actions, or rather inaction, have been encouraged to get in touch with the law firm immediately.
This marks the third major investigation into McMahon and his business dealing, as things are seemingly going to get tougher for the ex-CEO long before they get better.
Vince McMahon is having to fight off several investigations at the moment, but there is some good news this week for the billionaire promoter from outside the world of pro wrestling.
For a year now, McMahon has been in a legal battle with Oliver Luck, the former XFL commissioner who claimed that he was terminated without reason from his contract with the league.
In response, McMahon and his company Alpha Entertainment said that Luck had breached his own contract with the XFL by allowing someone with a criminal conviction to play, giving them reason to
terminate his deal.
PW Insider was the first to report that the two parties in this story have now settled, though no amount was confirmed with how much either side has paid the other.
In a statement given to Brandon Thurston by one of Luck’s attorneys, it was said that both sides have resolved the matter amicably, and wish each other well in future endeavours.
This is some much needed good news for the Chairman of WWE, who won’t have to worry about the Oliver Luck lawsuit any more, giving him more time to stress and plan around the three
investigations that are ongoing.
And we’re ending today with Paige, who will finisher her tenure with WWE on July 7th, bringing her eleven-years with the company to an end.
Paige has made it clear that this was WWE’s decision to not renew her contract, and that she had been pitching ideas to stay which the company turned down.
Now, Paige’s first post-WWE appearance has been confirmed, as the World Association of Wrestling Twitter account confirmed that the former Divas Champion will be around for their Frightmare 4 event this October.
The show will happen at the Norfolk Showground in Paige’s hometown of Norwich, England, and the tweet interestingly stated that Paige will be “stepping back into a WAW ring for the first time in over a decade.”
It’s worth stating that at no point does the tweet explicitly state Paige will be wrestling, adding that fans will have to stay turned to learn what role she’ll play in the show.
With WWE owning the rights to the name Paige, the soon-to-be ex employee will be going by the name Saraya from now on, and it’ll be interesting to see how she fares outside WWE.