Here's your wrestling news for September1st 2021
And your headlines for today include
Vince McMahon Reportedly “Angry And Loud” At Monday’s WWE RAW; Multiple Matches Scrapped!
What Led To Charlotte Flair & Nia Jax’s Having One Of The WORST Matches On WWE RAW?
BREAKING News About CM Punk’s MMA Career!
CM Punk Reveals What The Writing On His Shoes Really Meant!
WWE Queen Of The Ring Tournament Name Possibly Revealed!
Why Asuka Is Missing WWE RAW Is Finally Revealed!
Buddy Murphy CREATES A Controversy With A TWEET. Deleted The TWEET After MAJOR Fan Outrage!
WWE Wrestler Has MAJOR Heat In WWE Over Comments About Roman Reigns!
WWE Likely Preparing Drew McIntyre For Move To SmackDown! And More!
We’re kicking off today with RAW, which had a colossal three-hour show this week, but not everything planned made it to the broadcast.
In fact, none of the matches announced for RAW before the show took place, as the John Morrison Vs. The Miz match eventually
saw Omos flatten the former ECW Champion. Eva Marie Vs. Doudrop didn’t take place either, as Doudrop attacked her former mentor
before the match, in a very un-face-like move for RAW’s newest babyface. Instead of the promoted Lashley-Sheamus
match, the Celtic Warrior and Drew McIntyre faced U.S. Champion Damian Priest, in one of the biggest victories for the Archer of Infamy
According to Mike Johnson of PW Insider, WWE switched around a ton of plans for the show, in what was described as a quote “crazy day”
backstage. That craziness was down to Vince McMahon, who was “extremely unhappy” with the
original plans, and ripped up both the original script for RAW and the initial rewrite. McMahon then began requesting new ideas,
with one source saying it was “the loudest and angriest” they’d ever seen the boss.
This is why none of the advertised matches happened as planned, in what another source called one of the longest days in a
very long time for the creative team. PW Insider notes that there were no plans for RAW until 6pm Eastern, mere hours
before RAW went live in Oklahoma City. WWE has a recent history of not following through with announced matches, and though
with announced matches, and though this was far more common in the Thunderdome- era, this practice isn’t gone yet, especially
because it’s proving to be ever-difficult to please the Boss
This week’s RAW also saw Charlotte Flair and Nia Jax have an encounter that resembled a back-alley fight more than a pro-wrestling
contest. The bizzarre match, that even left Mick Foley confused, saw both women deliver stiff shots
to each other, as well as awkward spots, including a backwards Suplex by Jax to the RAW Women’s Champion.
During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer said how the pair tried to do a worked shoot, but according to PW Insider, the botches
during their encounter was down to bad communication. They write: PWInsider.com is told by several sources that
it was exactly what it appeared to be – a match that went awry and led to some legitimate moments where real slaps and
punches were lobbed after there was some sort of breakdown in communication. Briefly, there was a legitimate confrontation
inside the ring. By the end of the match, Jax and Flair were back on the same page and the finish went as originally booked.
“Nia looked really bad in that match, and I guess this is the new program for Extreme Rules.”
The RAW Superstars had no issues backstage after the match, as the tensions had already cooled down mid-match,
before they worked towards the match’s climax. Messy or not, Jax has a victory over the
RAW Women’s Champion, and has said she deserves a RAW Women’s Title match, which we can only hope doesn’t result in
an awkward shoot when they next face off.
Over to AEW next, as CM Punk will make his in-ring debut for the company this Sunday when he faces Darby Allin, but fans won’t be
seeing him in the Octagon. That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting, who say that Punk has officially retired
from Mixed Martial Arts, and this occurred after he signed with AEW. Punk’s MMA record is 0-1, though it was
originally 0-2, before his loss to Mike Jackson was overturned when he tested positive for weed
Punk’s loss to Mickey Gall at UFC 203 in 2016 is now his only official fight, and in 2014, the former WWE Champion removed himself
from the USADA testing pool. Although he took six random drug tests in 2020, Punk hasn’t been tested at all this year,
and now Punk is officially finished with MMA and back doing what he knows best in the Squared-circle.
Since debuting for AEW, Punk has been the center of attention, as have his shoes, which have been the topic of speculation amongst fans.
When fans spotted initials written on Punk’s shoes, many took it as a sign of other incoming stars, but that’s not the case,
according to the man himself. Speaking to the New York Post, Punk credited Basketball legend Lebron James with the idea,
saying: I stole this from LeBron James; a lot of basketball players will write messages on
their shoes and stuff. I wrote AC on my shoes and CF on the other foot. AC is Always Chicago and CF is Chicago Forever.
Fans had believed that AC stood for Adam Cole, who’s expected to join AEW soon, whilst the only wrestler with the initials CF
that fans could think of was RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair.
Punk didn’t address with BW meant, as a lot of fans are convinced it was a nod to Bray Wyatt.
Many ex-Superstars are expected in AEW, including Wyatt, Cole, Ruby Soho and Daniel Bryan, and we’ll have to keep playing close
attention to what’s written on the shoe of CM Punk.
Perhaps Punk will have something on his shoes tonight, as he’s been confirmed for AEW Dynamite.
On tonight’s show, Punk will discuss his upcoming match against Darby Allin, and given his talent on the mic, we’re sure the Best in the World
will have a lot to say on tonight’s go-home show before his first match in over seven years.
Next month, the WWE will reportedly begin their first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament, but the historic event won’t be known by that name.
In trademark filings from August 27th, WWE have filed for the term ‘Queen’s Crown Tournament,’ presumably what the tournament
to crown the Queen will be called. It’s been reported that the finals will take place at Crown Jewel in Riyadh, the same
night as the men’s King of the Ring tournament, and time will tell which woman dons the Queen’s Crown first.
In March this year, Asuka lost some teeth thanks to Shayna Baszler, and it was feared that the Empress of Tomorrow had suffered
a concussion. Since then, the former RAW Women’s Champion has been wrestling with temporary teeth,
and now she’s had that fixed. On social media, Asuka thanked Dr Byron M. Blasco for getting her teeth fixed, but what
really caught fan attention was the cast she wore on her arm. It was previously believed that Asuka was
fine to wrestle, but WWE wasn’t using her, but the Superstar herself called that report out as false, as she’s clearly injured.
Hopefully, whatever injury with her arm gets better soon, as though she has new teeth, the Empress of Tomorrow won’t be returning to
to the ring yet.
Earlier this year, Buddy Murphy was released from WWE, and his 90-day non-compete clause is officially over.
Yesterday marked Murphy, who’s now called Buddy Matthews’ last day under the clause, and he chose a controversial image to
celebrate this news. In a tweet, the former Cruiserweight Champion showed someone in shackles and those
chains breaking free, as a symbol of him being free from WWE’s control after years with the company.
Some fans took issue with the image of shackles under the hot sun, as it has connotations of slavery, and the consensus
from fans was that this was in poor taste. One fan said how Matthews could’ve chosen any other photo, while another said slavery
isn’t the imager the former Superstar wants to evoke. The former Superstar has been sharing
videos recently that show him getting out of prison, but the idea of someone being shackled in the open had people thinking of
slave work, not a jail cell. The image in this tweet didn’t garner the reaction Buddy Matthews had hoped for,
which is why he deleted it, and put a similar tweet, this one with a caged bird flying free.
In a subsequent tweet, Matthews apologised for the offensive tweet, saying it wasn’t his intention at all and it’s since been deleted.
Some fans didn’t see a problem with Buddy’s tweet, whilst others felt otherwise, and either way, the former Superstar’s first tweet as a
free agent certainly didn’t go as expected.
Back to WWE, and soon, NXT will get a new look and new logo, as well as a new revamp of the Capitol Wrestling Center.
This is all part of Vince McMahon’s plan to shake-up the gold brand, returning it to being a developmental ground for the main-roster,
and though the Chairman has plans, he’s not sharing them with the NXT roster.
According to Fightful, talent in NXT have been told very little about the rebrand effort, as they report:
Several NXT talent knew there was fire where there was smoke, but even top talent on the brand is being kept in the dark as to what that
specifically entails. WWE is remaining very tight-lipped about the details of NXT’s future, look, and branding moving forward in that
regard. We’ll have to see how NXT looks when they get back to live broadcasts, as the company
pre-taped several weeks worth of content, to allow more time for NXT’s big change. A new logo and a new potential theme by
Wale are just two of the changes coming to NXT, and this is an interesting time to be watching the show as they get a new look.
Over to RAW, and Riddle has been one of the red-brand’s best pushed Superstars in 2021, despite some issues with certain names
backstage. Riddle’s issues with Goldberg and Brock Lesnar are well-documented, but recently,
the RAW Tag Team Champion took aim at Roman Reigns, claiming that the Tribal Chief hasn’t moved the needle, and hasn’t
impressed him, encouraging Reigns to ‘shut his mouth.’ During this week’s Wrestling Observer Radio,
Dave Melter said how Riddle’s comments often get him in trouble backstage, but that his push should be safe, as he’s one of
Vince McMahon’s favourites. With that said, Riddle should probably avoid insulting Reigns, who is unquestionably WWE’s
top star right now, especially since they’re not even on the same brand. RK-Bro have been a highlight of 2021
but WWE’s patience with the Original Bro will wear out if he keeps making comments like these, and if Riddle wants to keep his spot,
he’ll have no choice but to acknowledge the Tribal Chief.
Next month, WWE will reportedly be hosting another draft, and it seems that hints are already dropping about some of the biggest
moves. On this week’s RAW, fans were surprised to see Drew McIntyre take the pin during the
United States Championship triple threat, and that could be a sign of things to come. During Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer
noted how it appears McIntyre is heading to SmackDown, and how typically, a Superstar will lose a few high-profile matches before
they get switched over. After his loss this week, McIntyre shook hands with U.S. Champion Damian Priest,
in a show of respect from the two babyfaces, and it could be another indication that McIntyre is wrapping up things on RAW, and will be
rocking the blue by the end of the year. Since returning to the main-roster in 2018, McIntyre has exclusively been a RAW
Superstar, but there’s one SmackDown Superstar he has on his radar. In 2019 and 2020, McIntyre collided with
Roman Reigns, losing both feuds to the Tribal Chief, and the Scottish Superstar wants another shot at the Universal Champion
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Drew made it clear that he wants to sink his teeth into a lengthy feud with Reigns, saying he hopes
the Tribal Chief is ready for when they next face off, and called the rematch “inevitable.” With McIntyre finished with Jinder Mahal and
losing this week’s Triple Threat, it seems a move to SmackDown is coming, and with it, a potential feud with the Head of the Table.
And we’re ending today with Molly Holly, who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year, and was hired as a backstage producer
after impressing in her tryout. Holly has certainly impressed the right people, as her role has expanded to being a producer
for RAW and SmackDown, and now she has even more props to her name. Speaking to Brian Wohl, RAW’s Doudrop gave
former Women’s and Hardcore Champion major credit, praising her excellent leadership skills backstage. She added:
“Getting to work with her is like a dream come true… Her experience has been vastly useful for me. You try to chat to everybody but you
definitely have to get a woman’s perspective because let’s face it, there’s not a whole lot of us.”
Molly brings years of experience in wrestling with her as a producer, and has proven to be a great hiring for WWE, as she’s
determined to help shape the next generation of female Superstars for years to come.