In this WrestleTalk News, Alexa Bliss threatened on social media, the Brand Split is ‘essentially
done’, Sasha Banks leaving wrestling and more.
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And once you’re done watching this video, check out my review of Raw from yesterday.
Nothing happened.
Link’s in the video description below!
Female wrestlers, unfortunately, have always seemingly been targeted on social media by
trolls and obsessed ‘fans’.
But in recent years, these situations have increasingly migrated offline into the real
world.
In August 2020, a man broke into the home of Sonya Deville.
Thankfully, Sonya and her house guest escaped, and the man was arrested - where he later
confessed he planned on kidnapping Deville.
Just several months after, Paige revealed on Instagram that a stalker who had been sending
her gifts and flowers showed up at her house - where the police were quickly called.
With those in mind, wrestlers can’t just dismiss online threats as trolling behavior.
These are threats that can, and have, had very real life consequences.
The latest example has come with Alexa Bliss.
Her post promoting a charity fundraiser this Friday received a string of threatening messages
from the single account.
“plus for your information I took my daughter bliss stuff including that dumb ass doll of
yours I burned everything of your merchandise my daughter doesn’t know and you can’t
stop that I should I have sent you the video hahahaha”
“so you can’t stop me there what you going to do put an restraining order on me that’s
not goin to work cause you can’t do that sweetheart nice try tho”
The account then starts to refer to Alexa’s ex Matt, which is presumably former WWE star
Buddy Murphy, who’s real name is Matthew Adams.
Buddy and Alexa are on very good terms, with both of them praising each other in interviews
just last year.
He is currently in a relationship with WWE star Rhea Ripley.
The account makes baseless allegations about Bliss hounding them.
“Plus you need to leave Rhea Ripley and Matt alone let those beautiful couples be
your getting in his business for the last time leave matt alone.
You don’t care about him anymore isn’t that right.”
“I know his Twitch account so you can’t do anything I’m friends with Matt on Twitter
and Instagram so you can’t do anything hahahahaha” “I’m still going to talk to your ex matt
you can’t stop me to talk to him hell he has a better woman than you and you can’t
stop that” Replying to the account asking if she had
anything to say, Bliss very much did, posting on Instagram:
“I do have something to say – I saw the DM you sent to people saying you were going
to shoot me and my husband yourself.
Those screen shots have been turned in.”
We’ll have updates on this situation as it unfolds today on WrestleTalk.com.
There’s no easy way to transition out of that very real life story, so here’s a video
of Roman Reigns cutely interacting with a young fan at a house show!
After several days of making children cry on last Friday’s SmackDown and Monday’s
Raw, WWE has decided to be nice to them - as at a recent house show a two year old fan
in the front row gave the Head of the Table some mean mugging eyes, which Reigns continued
to play along with for the rest of his match.
The two year old will reportedly be the person to finally beat Roman Reigns for the title
when he drops it in twenty four years’ time.
But until then, the Tribal Chief needs people to beat.
So let’s have him burn through both brands on the main roster instead of just one.
Brand Split LOL segway.
As you might’ve picked up on with all four of the world and tag titles now held by the
Bloodline on SmackDown, WWE appears to be ditching the hard borders of the brand split.
RKBro lost the Raw tag team titles to The Usos last Friday, Sami Zayn and The Usos wrestled
in the opening match on this week’s Raw, and according to PWInsider, Seth Rollins,
Kevin Owens and Cody Rhodes are all scheduled for this Friday’s SmackDown taping this
Friday night - three men who currently have exclusively Raw feuds, with no reason to cross
over to the blue brand.
This has led to Bryan Alvarez saying on Wrestling Observer Live, that while there isn’t anything
official, he’s heard backstage that the brand split is “essentially done”.
Which is how it happened with the first brand split back in the early teens.
Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
First the tag team championships are unified, letting the holders appear on both shows.
Then a few months later, random midcarders just start appearing on the opposite brands.
And before you know it, Los Lotharios are showing up for enhancement matches on Monday
night with their own Raw namebar graphics.
The most recent incarnation of the brand split went into effect almost six years ago in July
2016.
Interestingly, that closely mirrors the first brand split, that first started in 2002.
Six years later, wrestles started to appear on both shows for no reason, and the divide
was officially ended in 2011.
If history is anything to go by, expect more explained and unexplained wrestler cross overs
- come on, wild card cross brand invitational rules!
- for the next three years as the Brand Split fizzles out.
I blame this all on Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon!
You were meant to protect the sanctity of the brands!
Stephanie shockingly announced that she was taking a leave of absence from WWE to focus
on her family.
This news came not just as a surprise to all of us, but WWE staff too, who were reportedly
caught unaware by the announcement.
And implying just how long that leave of absence is expected to be, WWE is now actively recruiting
for someone to replace her.
On their corporate website, WWE has posted a listing for the full time position of a
Brand and Marketing Director, which is described as “an important contributor to the growth
and success of the WWE Premium Live Events, WWE linear programming and the WWE brand.”
You will lead promotional planning for live events, manage media agency relations and
make PowerPoint presentations.
Now’s your time Drew Gulak.
It fails to mention the other key responsibility of the job: emasculating and undermining the
company’s top babyfaces.
Cody Rhodes has yet to be emasculated and undermined by a member of the McMahon family
- but you better believe that’s coming, you don’t just smash a throne with a sledgehammer
in another company and think ‘oh yeah, Triple H is definitely cool with that and it’ll
never affect my career now he’s kinda my boss’ - and I can’t stage that angle in
the latest WWE 2K game either, as Cody isn’t in it.
According to a new report from Sports Gamers Online, WWE did try to get Cody in 2K22 when
they knew he was returning to the company back in February.
But with the game coming out just the following month, the idea was “quickly shot down”.
It might’ve, you know, also spoiled the big WrestleMania surprise.
It was far more likely for Cody to be added in a DLC for the game, but even that wouldn’t
work for the timeline.
The report notes “Creating a singular character takes weeks of effort from the staff.
The team has to scan the wrestler, capture the entrance animations, update moves if needed,
and then capture audio from the commentary team.
It becomes more difficult for ring entrances as Greg Hamilton, who does the ring entrances
for WWE 2K22, is no longer with the WWE.”
WWE have released so much talent, they haven’t even got the right ring announcer anymore.
Instead, the report confirms Cody will be part of the next WWE 2K title, providing he’s
not also released by then, while Cody himself as replied to a fan asking him to be the cover
star for 2K23: “I don’t know the talented folks at @WWEgames
- but I’m a pretty decent gambler and I would bet they’re working very hard on something
special for pro wrestling fans” WWE 2K23, with new Cody whipping mode.
It whips different.
And finally for now, there’s been an update on Sasha Banks since dramatically walking
out on last Monday’s Raw, and then being suspended and stripped of the tag titles by
WWE.
She’s working on an NFT project because of course she is.
Snoop Dogg and his team have revealed on Logan Paul’s podcast that “we helping [Banks]
with Web3 investments, trying to expand her portfolio” - which appears to involve NFTs.
Snoop Dogg is Sasha’s real life cousin.
This follows Snoop Dogg posting a photo of them both on Instagram with the caption ‘Bloodline’.
That’s the wrong faction, Snoop.
Given WWE’s contract restrictions on their performers doing outside projects, ranging
from movie roles to having their own Twitch channel, it’s unlikely they would’ve signed
off on her using her likeness for NFTs.
In that case, this could be something Sasha has embarked on over the last week, suggesting
she’s done with WWE for now, and is happy to explore a career outside of wrestling.
Especially as there’s a theory that WWE has lied about a crucial part of the Banks/Naomi
walkout.
Watch more to find out.