Here's your wrestling news for August 12th 2021
And your headlines for today include
Gable Steveson Receives Negative Fan Reaction After Tweeting At Vince McMahon; Takes A BIG DIG AT John Cena!
Tony Khan - “I Think Everyone Knows What To Expect On The Second Episode Of Rampage”
Renee Paquette ‘s Future WWE Appearances
NXT Stars ‘Shocked’ WWE Passed On Hiring A BIG Name!
AEW To Feature Two UFC Champions For Dynamite In Houston!
Brian Knobbs Hospitalized With Various Health Issues!
Sting’s NEXT Wresting Match Is Set In AEW!
AEW Removes The Acclaimed From Rankings After Max Caster Controversy!
Paul Wight Gets Physical On AEW Dynamite; Says He Will Put On His Wrestling Boots Soon For AEW!
Released WWE Wrestler Says AEW Wrestlers Aren’t ‘Cogs In A Machine’ Like WWE
Former WWE Star At The PC, Molly Holly WWE Status Update, News On WWE Producers! And More!
We’re kicking off today with the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games, where WWE prospect Gable Steveson won gold in wrestling, becoming the
first U.S. heavyweight to win the men’s freestyle 125kg event since 1992. Even before his medal, WWE had their eyes
on Steveson, and they’ll now be able to see him attend Summerslam on August 21st at Allegiant Stadium
Speaking to Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Steveson revealed his plans, and also acknowledged Roman Reigns
as head of the table, saying: “I’m heading over to Vegas to watch the champ Roman Reigns do his thing
John Cena is great, but he’s still going to have to acknowledge Roman Reigns.”
Steveson added that shortly after his gold medal win, he heard from his long-time mentors Paul Heyman and Bruck Lesnar,
who he described as positive influences in his life, ever since high-school. Speaking about possibly joining WWE,
Steveson said he was considering becoming a Superstar, but under very specific circumstances, as he explained
“If I ever go to WWE, I’d be a ‘Paul Heyman Guy. Heyman is a legend. We’d be two people doing great things, and that would
be a tough team to beat. And I’ve known Brock since I was in high school. He’s been there for me for a long time, making
sure I do things the right way and put my best foot forward.” Gable isn’t the only Steveson on WWE’s radar,
as his brother Bobby has been training at the Performance Center, and has been praised for his recent work, with an official
contract expected for him with the next class of Performance Center recruits.
In fact, Gable told Sports Illustrated that Bobby will officially report to the Center as a contracted WWE talent next week, meaning
WWE will likely be announcing their next class of recruits then. In a post-TakeOver media call, Triple H said
he’d been speaking to Gable, and believes that the Olympic Gold Medalist will be amazing in WWE, whilst Steveson has said
that WWE has been great to him, as have the people in UFC. When you factor in Steveson’s interest in
the NFL, the Olympic Gold Medalist has a big decision ahead of him, and there’s some people out there who hope he steers clear
from WWE. When Steveson recently sent a hand-waving emoji to Vince McMahon, several Twitter users
reacted negatively, as they believe he shouldn’t go to WWE at all. Many encouraged the Olympian to go
for UFC or AEW instead, whilst another suggested that WWE’s interest in Steveson was a factor in the total 13 names who
were released from NXT last week. Ulimately, it’ll be Steveson’s choice what he does next after his incredible win in Tokyo,
but whether he joins WWE, UFC, the NFL or elsewhere, the 21-year-old, will be a huge signing.
Over to AEW, as this week will mark the premiere of Rampage, but it’s next week’s show that has got fans talking.
For the August 20th show, it’s believed that CM Punk will make his debut for the company, and several AEW performers have been
openly discussing Punk in interviews. Now, AEW President Tony Khan himself is saying his piece, as during Busted Open Radio,
Khan alluded to the rumours of Punk’s debut, saying: “It’s going to be a huge card, and tonight
we’ll establish more of what’s coming on the premiere of Rampage. Of course, I think everyone knows what to expect on the
second episode of Rampage, which is titled ‘The First Dance.’ And I expect the anticipation will continue to build.”
This Friday’s Rampage will see AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker defend against Red Velvet, but with so much, which’ll happen
in Baker’s home town of Pittsburgh. Right now, all attention is on next week’s Rampage, named the First Dance, and
we’ll soon know whether the reports of Punk signing with AEW are true.
Now, this month marks one year since Renee Paquette left WWE, and in that time, she’s been very active on social media and the
Oral Sessions podcast. Given that her husband Jon Moxley is in AEW, there’s also been speculation of her joining the
company in the future, but she’s not forgotten about her time under Vince McMahon’s wing. Speaking to Wrestling Inc, Renee said there’s
no reason for her not to appear and do stuff for WWE, saying she has a lot of love for the company, and if WWE ever want to reach out
and do something, she’s always ready. In June, Renee and Moxley welcomed their first child, Nora, and like all parents, the pair
will have been kept busy in their new role, and we’ll have to see what Paquette does next, and for which company.
More from AEW next, as Wheeler Yuta can be seen on TV as part of the Best Friend’s stable, serving as Trent’s replacement after his neck
surgery. Yuta has since found his home in AEW, which may never had happened, as he reportedly
impressed everyone during his tryout with WWE. Fightful Select reports that Yuta was so
impressive, that many in the company were shocked when they passed on signing him, and the decision to not offer him a contract
turned several heads.” Those “of influence” in NXT felt that Yuta was a perfect fit for what NXT traditionally
had been, though that directive has changed drastically recently, thanks to Vince McMahon.
Three anonymous NXT Superstars told Fightful that it was a shock that the company didn’t sign Yuta, and another
added that they could tell a “major shift was coming when a guy like that didn’t get picked up.”
WWE’s loss is AEW’s gain, as Yuta is doing great in Tony Khan’s promotion, but the 24- year-old Wrestler didn’t fit Vince McMahon’s
image for the gold brand.
We’ll have to see if Yuta is on next week’s Dynamite from Houston, but the show will feature Dan Lambert of American Top Team
and he’s not coming alone. On Busted Open Radio, Tony Khan confirmed that Lambert is bringing not one, but two UFC
Champions, and it’ll be interesting to see who Lambert brings from the Octagon, and what they do in AEW.
We’ve got some concerning news now, as wrestling legend Brian Knobbs hs been hospitalised with various health issues.
Knobbs is going through several tests to determine his afflictions, but we know that the root of his problems are in his stomach,
according to the GoFundMe that was launched. That GoFundMe has already raised over
$7,000 and has a goal of $20,000, and the campaign also explains that Knobbs’ good knee has finally given out, and it’ll require
surgery if he hopes to walk again. One half of the legendary Nasty Boys, the pair haven’t been inducted into the WWE
Hall of Fame yet, and we’re sending our best to Knobbs at this difficult time.
Sting news now, as the WWE and Impact Hall of Famer has had a couple of matches so far in AEW, and next week, he’ll make
his in-ring Dynamite debut. Next Wednesday, Sting will team with Darby Allin to take on 2.0, aka former NXT Tag Team
with Darby Allin to take on 2.0, aka former NXT Tag Team Ever-Rise, in what’ll be the latter’s biggest match to date as they cement
themselves in AEW. Sting is so-far undefeated in AEW, having won at Revolution and Double or Nothing this year,
and next week’s show will also see the Young Bucks defend their World Tag Titles against Jurrassic Express.
Sammy Guevara will return to his home town to face his longtime foe Shawn Spears, in what’ll be a huge Dynamite next week in Houston.
One person fans won’t see on next week’s Dynamite is Max Caster, who’s career is in serious jeopardy after his recent rap.
In the rap, Caster mocked Simone Biles for withdrawing from the Olympics, and poked fun at Duke University Lacrosse players
who were falsely accused of forcing themselves on a female student in 2006. That rap aired on the August 3rd Dark
and it’s not just Caster who’s getting heat for it, as his partner Antony Bowens is also facing the consequences on Max’s actions.
On their tag-team rankings, the Acclaimed, who briefly held the #2 spot, have now been removed the ranking completely
in a worrying sign for the team’s future. Tony Khan has said that he’ll be editing all editions of AEW Dark and Dark Elevation
from now on, and with the Acclaimed gone from the tag-team rankings, Caster’s tasteless rap may have been his last in the
company.
Earlier this year, Paul Wight shockingly joined AEW because WWE had nothing for him to do, and at long last, the former Big Show got
physical during last night’s AEW Dynamite. During a segment where the Factor was cutting promo, QT Marshall targeted the son
of Tony Schiavone, dragging him into the ring, and after roughing him up a bit, levelled Schiavone Jr. with a Diamond Cutter.
The crowd in Pittsburgh popped huge when Wight came into the ring, and delivered a thunderous chokeslam to Aaron Solo
This was a huge moment for Wight, as he’s primarily worked as a commentator so far in AEW, but this shows that his wrestling days
aren’t over just yet.
Shocking the world by joining the company a few months back, Wight has been primarily working as a commentator, but that doesn’t
mean his wrestling days are behind him. Upon joining, Wight made it clear he’ll also work as a wrestler in AEW, and he may be
lacing up his boots very soon, according to an interview with WrestleZone. He said:
“With me starting out in a commentary role, it gave me a chance to study the AEW product, study the AEW talent and become familiar
with them. So when I start putting on my boots real soon, I already have an idea of all the talent I’m working and what they’re
trying to achieve individually.” Wight plans on wrestling very soon, but there’s no word on who his first AEW
opponent will be, but after his chokeslam this week, it appears that the Factory may be the first group to face off with the former Big Show.
Wight is just one of many WWE Superstars to jump to AEW, after spending over two decades working for Vince McMahon.
As a former Superstar, Wight knows all about the backstage atmosphere in WWE, and while speaking to WrestleZone, the former WWE
Champion explained how things are different with Tony Khan: WWE has been doing it for a long time,
everybody has their roles, everybody has their gears, they are a cog in the machine, it snowballs and makes everything happen.
The energy in AEW is completely different. There’s people handling multiple roles. There’s people in positions doing
roles that you wouldn’t think they’d normally be doing. But with that comes an incredible amount of freedom
Joining the WWE in 1999, after four years in the chaotic WCW, Wight has earned himself some creative freedom, and that’s exactly
what he’s getting in AEW.
And we’re ending with WWE, who from 2000- 2007, had Rob Conway signed as a wrestler, and now the former World Tag Team Champion
is back working with the company. According to PW Insider, Conway is working as a guest coach at the Performance Center,
a role he previously held in September 2018. That stint as a coach came around thanks to his good friend Randy Orton, and he’s not the
only former Superstar doing big things behind the scenes. WWE Hall of Famer Molly Holly has been
working as a RAW Producer at recent TV tapings according to PW Insider, and although she’d previously been working with
SmackDown, she’s now jumped to the red brand. Holly started having a tryout for a producer
role back in June, as WWE wanted more female producers, and in late June, she said she was still in a trial period, but that
that seemingly has changed. Veteran wrestler turned producer Shawn Daivari is back with WWE on a fullt-ime basis,
and has been receiving a lot of praise for his work. Daivari was first hired as a producer in
January 2019, but was released in 2020 due to the dreaded budget cuts. In his time away, Daivari wrestled for Impact
and MLW, but returned as a WWE producer in June for a SmackDown taping, the same month his brother Ariya was released.
Speaking of changes backstage, Pat Buck has been taking on additional duties in WWE’s Talent Relations department as of late, as
as he’s now in charge of booking extras and indue talents, as well as producing for both RAW and SmackDown.
The booking of extras is a position previously held by Drake Wuertz, who was fired earlier this year.
Furloughed in April 2020 but brought back that Summer, Buck also appears on-screen as an official, but he’s just one of many interesting
names working behind the scenes in WWE.