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Welcome to another edition of the WWE News Roundup. This week, we take a look at a legendary WWE referee revealing that Edge and Randy Orton wanted to bring him back for one of their matches. A former WWE writer revealed how a conversation with Vince McMahon led to his departure from the company.
Also on this edition of the News Roundup, we take a look at a WWE Superstar's return after four years, Daniel Bryan's contract status, and more.
#5 Edge and Randy Orton wanted WWE to bring back legendary referee Mike Chioda for their match
Legendary WWE referee Mike Chioda was recently a guest on the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast. While discussing his release from WWE last year, Chioda revealed that the company had contacted him shortly after he was let go to referee the match between Edge and Randy Orton at Backlash. He said that Edge and Orton had personally asked for him to be the referee:
"They did call me for a match, a month or two later after the released me, for Edge and Randy Orton. But I was on my way to Texas so there was no way I could make it. They thought I was still in Tampa."
"They [Edge and Orton] wanted me to be the referee of that match. Yeah, I didn't get it either. The company's releasing me but the boys still want me to referee their matches...which is awesome, don't get me wrong, but I thought I might be able to go out strong and retire soon," said Chioda.
Mike Chioda has refereed matches in AEW since his release from WWE. He has said that he is interested in a part-time or full-time role in All Elite Wrestling in the future.
#4 Eva Marie set for WWE return after 4 years
WWE aired a vignette for Eva Marie on RAW on Monday, announcing that "Eva-Lution" is coming soon. Marie left WWE in 2017 and has since concentrated on her acting career. She has appeared in three films including Hard Kill alongside legendary actor Bruce Willis.
One person who is happy with Eva Marie's upcoming return is former WWE and WCW head writer Vince Russo. Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Legion of RAW, Russo said that he was a big fan of Marie despite how hardcore fans felt about her. He also praised her for having the 'it' factor:
"I have always said that if I was booking and this was the Attitude Era, Eva Marie's a star. I've come on here and I've talked to you many times about the 'it' factor. This girl has the 'it' factor. I could have done many many things with this girl but they cannot make her a babyface because their audience will cr*p on it because she can't work," said Russo.
It will be interesting to see what WWE has planned.
#3 Vince McMahon's role in Vince Russo's WWE departure
Vince Russo was recently a guest on That 90s Wrestling Podcast. During the interview, he opened up about why he decided to leave WWE and sign with WCW in 1999. Russo stated that one of the reasons for his departure was that WWE was starting SmackDown. Apart from the extra workload, he revealed that Vince McMahon hadn't even bothered to inform him about it beforehand.
The major reason for Vince Russo deciding to leave was a conversation with McMahon. Here's what he said:
"Vince was doubling down with this new show and I had a conversation with him and I was really stressing out. I wasn't seeing my kids, I wasn't seeing my family and I just wanted to move my wife closer to her family. That's all I wanted to do. So I had the conversation with Vince and that's when Vince [McMahon] said to me, 'I don't know what your problem is. You make enough money. Why don't you hire a nanny to take care of your kids?'"
Russo said that hearing McMahon disregarding his concerns like that immediately made him mentally done with WWE. He added that he contacted WCW after this and signed him contract with them soon afterward.
#2 WWE legend Dutch Mantell recently revealed how cops once pulled a gun on Roddy Piper
WWE legend Dutch Mantell recently revealed a scary story involving WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. The incident took place at a show in the Dominican Republic. Mantell revealed that he and others had warned Piper that it was dangerous there but he didn't pay much heed to it.
At a show in the Dominican Republic, Piper was pulled out of the ring by cops and had a gun pulled on him before being handcuffed in the back. Speaking on Sportskeeda Wrestling's Smack Talk, Mantell said the following:
"I wasn't around him that much but I remember one time he went down to the Dominican Republic and I remember telling him about how dangerous Puerto Rico was and the Dominican Republic was even worse. I don't think he believed it till he got over there. He was a master of getting heat and people hated him anyway. I think he was pulled out of the ring by two cops. They pulled a gun on him inside the arena and took him to the back and I think handcuffed him. They didn't beat him up anything but he said he was fearing for his safety and his life. So that's the only story I have about Roddy Piper. Roddy said, 'I'll never go back there again.' Somebody told him that we tried to tell you the first time not to go but you wouldn't listen."
Dutch Mantell also said that WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was another wrestler who had a bad experience in the Dominican Republic. You can check out his comments in full HERE.
#1 Daniel Bryan's WWE contract expired after the match against Roman Reigns on SmackDown
According to a report by Sean Ross Sapp on Fightful Select, Daniel Bryan's WWE contract expired or was set to expire after his match against Roman Reigns on SmackDown. Bryan was unsuccessful in his bid to win the WWE Universal Championship and is now banished from the Blue brand. He has also been added to the Alumni section on WWE.com since then.
In a recent interview with TV Line, Daniel Bryan addressed his WWE future:
"It’s funny that people gravitate towards the date 'September,' and I think it’s because that’s when my last contract ended, but it doesn’t end in September. I’m still trying to figure out what that looks like… I had a tag team match on SmackDown last Friday, and it was a lot of fun, but my neck was just wrecked," Bryan said.
Fightful also reported that they had spoken to a number of people in WWE. People in the company said they had indeed heard that Daniel Bryan's contract was set to expire. However, Bryan himself has reportedly been tightlipped about his contract status backstage.
