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We've had a ton of news from the WWE Universe this week including two-time WWE Women's Champion Jazz announcing her retirement. We have also had an update on the injury Finn Balor suffered in the main event of NXT TakeOver 31.
Eric Young spoke about a conversation he had with Triple H during an interview this week, about plans for him to return to NXT before his release. We also take a look at former IMPACT star James Storm and how close he came to signing with WWE.
We have also heard a lot about Vince McMahon and WWE's recent edict regarding third-party agreements with the likes of Twitch and Cameo. Some Superstars are unhappy with the edict and former US Presidential candidate Andrew Yang has also chimed in. AJ Styles also recently gave his thoughts on WWE's decision to takeover Superstars' Twitch and Cameo.
Read on for more details.
#6 Former WWE Superstar Jazz announced her retirement from pro wrestling
Former WWE Superstar Jazz recently announced her retirement from pro wrestling. After wrestling her last match, she confirmed her retirement on Chris Van Vliet’s podcast:
"Honestly, I just had my last match this past Sunday. I am done in the ring. I was going to do a whole tour in 2020 but with pandemic happening, that screwed everything up. I’ve been having issues with my knees and my back and a lot more issues physically, mentally and emotionally. That’s why I had to forfeit the NWA title. I have two beautiful daughters and I have to focus on them right now." (H/T: WrestlingNewsCo)
Jazz, who has been wrestling in the NWA in recent years, appeared at AEW All Out 2019, taking part in the Casino Battle Royal.
Jazz wrestled for WWE between 2001 and 2004, winning the Women’s Championship twice. She briefly returned to WWE in 2006.
#5 Finn Balor on a liquid diet following fractured jaw
Finn Balor suffered a fractured jaw in the main event of NXT TakeOver 31. Balor’s jaw was fractured in two places after taking a knee strike from Kyle O’ Reilly. According to an update from WWE, the NXT Champion is currently on a liquid diet and has not been cleared to compete. Even Kyle O’ Reilly has not been cleared to compete yet.
#4 WWE Superstar Mercedes Martinez no longer a part of RETRIBUTION?
Mustafa Ali was revealed as the leader of RETRIBUTION earlier this week on RAW. Ali was about to be on the wrong end of a beatdown at the hands of The Hurt Business when RETRIBUTION interfered and Ali’s role as their leader was revealed.
It now looks like Mercedes Martinez may no longer be a part of the faction. Ali put out a Tweet following WWE RAW tagging the members of RETRIBUTION, all except Mercedes Martinez, leading to speculation that she may not longer be a member of the faction going forward.
#3 Triple H wanted to bring Eric Young back to WWE NXT
IMPACT star Eric Young was recently a guest on Sitting Ringside with David Penzer. Young was released by WWE earlier this year with a host of other Superstars and staff, as the pandemic hit.
During the interview, Eric Young opened up about a conversation he had with Triple H. Young revealed that Triple H had wanted him back in NXT after WrestleMania 36 but COVID-19 ended up changing plans.
"I was still talking with Hunter and he was very interested in having me back in NXT after WrestleMania. That is where I was supposed to go. Obviously plans changed and the pandemic happened and I got furloughed or fired. I say fired but they are going to say furloughed because it sounds better."
Unfortunately, WWE ended up releasing Eric Young in April, following WrestleMania, along with a number of other Superstars and staff. Young went on to sign with IMPACT Wrestling. He has been very critical of WWE CEO Vince McMahon in interviews following his release, saying that the WWE Chairman had failed as a leader.
#2 James Storm on why WWE retracted a contract offer
We learned earlier this week that James Storm was set to make his RAW debut before WWE pulled their contract offer due to the pandemic. The former IMPACT Wrestling star was recently interviewed by Michael Morales Torres of Lucha Libre Online. During the interview, he opened up about WWE retracting their contract offer:
"You know us on the contract and all that stuff, and I was just waiting to take the physical exam, and I was supposed to take it a couple of days right before WrestleMania. Then they had called me and just told me, 'hey, it's going to be put off just because of all the stuff going on.' I completely understood and then once I saw that they were going to, they were making all these cuts with all these different guys and stuff. Like I just knew it was a matter of time before they just retracted the contract, which I mean it's business. It's no big deal. That's how business goes, and I completely understood it, and I can't tell you like, so many people have problems with this guy named Canyon, seemingly always. People talk bad about it. But for me, this guy was nothing but professional, and he was also just like man, like I just have bad news. I really hate to give it to you, and I was like, hey man, like it's no big deal. "
James Storm added that even though he was disappointed, he hoped to do business with WWE in the future. He also said that there were no hurt feelings on his behalf and said that even though it didn’t didn’t work out for him, a lot of people have been cut loose during the pandemic.
#1 Some WWE Superstars reportedly unhappy with Vince McMahon's edict regarding Twitch and Cameo
WWE are set to take over the Twitch and Cameo accounts of Superstars. According to a report from WrestlingINC, Superstars will get a part of the income from the channel which will count against their downside guarantee.
A number of Superstars are said to be unhappy about Vince McMahon’s new edict with Paige commenting publicly on Twitter:
Former US Presidential candidate Andrew Yang also spoke about the matter on Twitter:
AJ Styles gave his thoughts on Vince McMahon’s edit regarding third parties recently during his Twitch stream. Styles admitted he was not quite sure what was going to happen:
"I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know what they expect from us when it comes to our channel. I don't know if it's something that they're like, 'We just want you guys under an umbrella like a WWE Twitch and have a set lineup and here is who is on when'. If that's the case - great! Then fans would know where and when to find us. I don't know if that's going to happen."
AJ Styles added that he only found out about this decision from the internet, same place as most fans.
