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This week was an absolute treat for wrestling fans, was it not? One that began on Saturday night with NXT Takeover: Brooklyn and concluded on Wednesday with the latest episode of NXT, featuring the fifth straight night of action from the Barclays Center.
We saw some massive call ups, debuts and returns and even heard some not so good news, through the course of the power-packed week. In case you haven't kept up with all that's been happening, we present them in the latest edition of SKFabe, for your convenience.
#1 Brock Lesnar has a brand new challenger
Certain trios have changed the very landscape of sports entertainment, over the years, be it the NWO or The Shield. Truthfully speaking, 3MB wasn't one of them. Two of the three men from the faction, however, have had massive returns to the company and are in prominent positions right now. Jinder Mahal is the WWE Champion, while Drew McIntyre is the NXT Champion. The third member of the faction, Heath Slater, is unfortunately NOT the Universal Champion. Wistfully, he sent out a Tweet before the SummerSlam 2017 main event match that was eventually won by the reigning and defending Universal Champion — Lesnar.
Unfortunately, as cool as it would be to see Heath Slater lock horns with Brock Lesnar once again (remember their previous encounter?), we do not see it happening, considering where each man is, in the card. A humour skit may really not be such a bad idea, though!
#2 Lesnar's new opponent revealed
Back to reality.
Despite the fact that the main event of SummerSlam was a Fatal 4-Way match, it was when Brock Lesnar confronted Braun Strowman that the crowd seemed to explode with delight. Strowman looked absolutely unstoppable in the match, and while Lesnar did pick up the win, Strowman was made into a certified main-eventer during the said contest.
The carnage continued on Raw, as Strowman made short work of Lesnar, making the Beast look the most vulnerable he's seemed in recent memory. It was determined that Lesnar faces Strowman next month, in the main event of No Mercy, for the prestigious Universal Championship. In many ways, this seems like a bigger match (no pun intended) than the rumoured Wrestlemania main event, featuring Lesnar and Roman Reigns.
#3 Unfortunate, untimely injury for top Raw heel
WWE superstars are trained not to curse on live television. Nobody blamed Big Cass for cursing aloud though this week on Raw. The man suffered an unfortunate injury during a Brooklyn street fight with Enzo Amore. From the looks of it, he may be out for as long as nine months. This will be a setback for the star, who was getting ready for the push of his life.
This is what the ringside doctor, Chris Robinson, had to say about Big Cass' injury, immediately after he saw it happen:
"It looks like he has an ACL tear, possibly a medial meniscus tear, but we’re going to wait for the radiologist to evaluate the MRI and give us their full report.”
We hope that the setback is a temporary one and that Big Cass returns to Raw, at full health. If not, it would just be very unfortunate indeed.
Let's move on to some good news from over the power packed weekend.
#4 A glorious debut on SmackDown Live
When Bobby Roode did not answer AJ Styles' open challenge, nobody expected his debut that night. However, the TNA original made his much anticipated main roster debut in a squash match against Aiden English, immediately afterwards.
The crowd exploded as they sang his highly popular song, serenading him to the ring, as he showed a strange shift in character, almost playing a babyface. In almost no time at all, the video has almost 1.4 million hits on WWE's official YouTube Channel. With the loss of John Cena to Raw, this was a much needed call up, and one that will have massive repercussions over the months that follow on SmackDown Live.
#5 Dana Brooke's boyfriend unfortunately is no more
Renowned bodybuilder Dallas McCarver passed away on 22nd August, 2017 after choking on food. He was the boyfriend of WWE superstar Dana Brooke, and we can only imagine how heartbreaking it must be for her. McCarver was only 26 when he departed the world. He was found unconscious at his home in Florida, and met his demise shortly afterwards.
Dana Brooke spoke about the loss of her best friend on Instagram, and we are sure you will join us in expressing our condolences to Miss Brooke. May you find strength and consolation in such dark and trying times.
Our heartfelt condolences, Dana.
#6 Huge name arrives at NXT, huge name departs!
Adam Cole bay bay!
We saw Adam Cole unite with his fellow superstars from ROH, Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly, and stand tall over the new NXT Champion, Drew McIntyre, at the conclusion of NXT Takeover: Brooklyn III. Cole was arguably the hottest free agent in the world before his debut, and his arrival should change the topography of NXT.
While Asuka and Ember Moon gave us the match of the night, last week at Takeover, the NXT Women's Champion suffered a collarbone injury during the epic clash. As a result of the same, she bid farewell to the NXT Universe, and vacated her prestigious championship. The kayfabe reason given for the same is that Asuka had begun negotiations with both Raw and SmackDown Live and was on her way to the main roster, very soon. Could we see her take on The Boss, for the Raw Women's Championship shortly?
#7 Reigns wants to face The Dead Man again at Wrestlemania!
In the latest Wizard World, Roman Reigns named some potential Wrestlemania opponents. While the usual suspects such as Lesnar and Cena were mentioned, Reigns also mentioned The Undertaker in a rematch from Wrestlemania 33. This makes us wonder whether The Dead Man truly is retired or if he has another match in him.
That concludes our weekly round up of news. Let us know in the comments below if you think we've missed out on anything. See you next week!
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