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On-screen, this week’s WWE shows revolved around the upcoming SummerSlam pay-per-view, with Braun Strowman vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (Universal Championship) and Bayley vs. Asuka (SmackDown Women’s Championship) among the matches that have been added to the event.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes this week, it was revealed that a two-time WWE United States Champion is set to return after a six-month absence from in-ring competition.
We also found out that Goldberg did not take kindly to a comment that Roman Reigns made about him in January 2020, while Erick Rowan gave an insight into a bizarre idea that almost saw him undergo a makeover to look like Daniel Bryan.
In this article, let’s take a look at the full details behind those stories, plus seven others, as we count down 10 of the most interesting real-life stories that have been revealed about WWE Superstars and storylines this week.
#10 Update on Samoa Joe’s WWE in-ring future
Samoa Joe has been a member of the WWE RAW commentary team for most of the last eight months, but recent developments on Monday nights have suggested that he could align with Dominik and Rey Mysterio in their battle against Seth Rollins and Murphy.
Another WWE Superstar, MVP, told Newsweek earlier this week that, from what he understands, Joe is going to return to in-ring action again.
Apollo Crews’ current rival said he has been good friends with Joe for many years, but they have never faced each other in a one-on-one match.
With Bobby Lashley and Shelton Benjamin now by his side, MVP added that he would feel confident about facing Joe, even though The Samoan Submission Machine would not be fazed by the presence of his fellow Hurt Business members.
#9 Goldberg’s honest thoughts on Roman Reigns’ shot at him
Six weeks before WWE announced their WrestleMania 36 match-that-never-was, Roman Reigns took a dig at Goldberg on Twitter for accidentally cutting his head open before some of his WWE matches and segments.
Speaking to professional strongman Robert Oberst in an interview on the American Monster Productions YouTube channel, Goldberg called Reigns a “joke” for what he said and explained that he needed to headbutt doors to get in character before he went out to the ring.
#8 Erick Rowan was almost made to look like Daniel Bryan
Erick Redbeard (fka Erick Rowan) told Sportskeeda’s Stephanie Chase this week that he was almost given a makeover to look like Daniel Bryan during their alliance on WWE SmackDown in 2019.
After five months off television to recover from a biceps tear, Rowan was informed shortly before the 2019 Royal Rumble that he was going to be paired up with Bryan.
He agreed to wear a plaid shirt, just like Bryan, but he was hesitant to agree to a request from WWE management to trim his beard down to the same length as his new WWE ally.
In the end, Rowan had a meeting with Vince McMahon, who reassured him that his beard did not need to get cut.
#7 What JTG learned from pitching ideas in WWE
Sportskeeda’s Chris Featherstone spoke to former WWE Superstar JTG on the latest episode of UnSKripted.
The interview, which you can watch in full above, featured an interesting comment from JTG about his approach when it came to pitching ideas to Vince McMahon.
Instead of presenting an idea to a member of the creative team, who could then get behind the idea and pitch it to McMahon, he went straight to the WWE Chairman.
While this might seem like the right thing to do, JTG admitted it was a mistake because it meant that he did not have anybody else to back him up.
#6 AJ Styles wants to face Edge in WWE
Although AJ Styles briefly shared the ring with Edge in the 2020 WWE Royal Rumble, the two men have never gone one-on-one in an official match.
Styles, 43, said on his Twitch channel this week that he “badly” wants to face Edge, 46, in WWE before both men retire from in-ring competition.
Their spot in the Royal Rumble saw Styles oversell one of Edge’s spears, causing The Phenomenal One to land awkwardly on his shoulder. Fortunately, he only had to miss one month of in-ring action, which meant he returned in time for WWE Super ShowDown and WWE WrestleMania 36.
#5 The story behind Kofi Kingston’s Royal Rumble saves
While he has never been able to win a Royal Rumble, Kofi Kingston always entertains WWE fans by finding a creative way to prevent himself from being eliminated, such as when he walked on his hands at ringside to stop his feet from touching the floor.
Speaking on the Table Talk podcast, the New Day member revealed that he got the idea to avoid elimination from the Royal Rumble from John Morrison, who clung on to the barricade in 2011 before leaping over to the steel steps.
Kingston said he volunteered to perform that spot in the Rumble every year following Morrison’s departure from WWE in November 2011.
#4 The one time Chris Jericho almost broke character in WWE
Bob Barker, the former host of TV show 'The Price Is Right', appeared on an episode of WWE RAW in September 2009 as the guest host.
Chris Jericho was one of the WWE Superstars who played The Price Is Right with Barker on that episode of RAW, and he reminisced about the comedy segment on the latest edition of his Saturday Night Special YouTube show.
The nine-time WWE Intercontinental Champion had to keep a serious look on his face throughout the segment, which included a confrontation with Barker, but he admitted that he almost started laughing when the veteran host threatened to put him over his knee if he did not behave.
#3 Shotzi Blackheart found her stolen car
Shotzi Blackheart took to Twitter earlier this week to reveal that her car had been stolen from outside her apartment in Orlando, Florida. The car contained her gear bag, including her boots and entrance jacket, but she was particularly upset about her helmet, which she has had since she started wrestling seven years ago.
Fortunately, as you can see in the heartwarming video above, the WWE NXT Superstar’s car was found, and her ring gear and helmet were still intact.
#2 How Armando Estrada garnered backstage heat
You would think that cutting an excellent promo at a pay-per-view would result in praise from WWE officials, but that was not the case at Unforgiven 2006 when Armando Estrada made his way backstage after Umaga’s match against Kane.
Estrada, who managed Umaga at the time, said on Busted Open Radio that the wording of his promo changed several times before the segment and he only had 10 minutes to remember what he had to say.
As a result, he cut out parts of the final script and decided to use the best version out of all the promos that he had been given.
This landed him in trouble backstage with WWE producer Michael Hayes, who told him that doing the same things that got him to the dance – WWE’s main roster – will get him sent back to the developmental system.
#1 How Erick Rowan reacted to Braun Strowman’s WWE debut
In August 2015, Braun Strowman debuted as a member of The Wyatt Family on the post-SummerSlam episode of WWE RAW. At the time, Erick Redbeard (fka Erick Rowan) was out of action due to an injury, so he watched the show that night from home.
Speaking to Sportskeeda’s Stephanie Chase, the former Wyatt Family member said Brodie Lee (fka Luke Harper) gave him a heads up about Strowman joining the group, but he did not know while watching the show whether or not he had been permanently replaced by The Monster Among Men.
