Much happened in, around and in the aftermath of Great Balls of Fire, one of the more interesting pay-per-views that WWE has put out in the recent past. The Beast Incarnate triumphed over Samoa Joe, Roman Reigns showed his darker side and Braun Strowman proved that he can be a great babyface if WWE decides to push him.
So much happened this week that it is impossible to have kept track of everything. In this piece, we bring you the most important developments that you may have missed out on, thanks to your busy schedule. Sit back, read and stay up-to-date on some of the important developments and updates from the WWE Universe.
#1 Bill Goldberg returns to wrestling
Bill Goldberg made his wrestling return at Survivor Series last year and established himself as a big draw to this day, being one of the featured attractions at Wrestlemania 33 at an age when most men hang up their boots to dry.
The night following Wrestlemania, he proclaimed that he did not know what the future held for him, even as he bid farewell to the WWE Universe for the time being. We are glad to report that Goldberg will be making his return to professional wrestling. This time, he’ll be the featured attraction at a Maryland Championship Wrestling (MCW) event.
We urge fans to go watch him in action because he certainly won't be wrestling too many matches in the near future.
#2 Lesnar advertised for a SmackDown Live event
John Cena may claim to be a free agent, but The Universal Champion lives the free agent lifestyle. He was advertised for his fourth WWE Live Event in 2017 alone, in the Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. Yes, The Beast arrives in Hawaii very soon with a slew of SmackDown superstars. Here is the official poster for the big event.
Does this imply that SmackDown Live lacks the star power to sell out an arena on their own, without the help of big stars such as Brock Lesnar? If so, then it's not a very good sign.
#3 Hugely popular weekly WWE Network show cancelled
Good things never last, do they? Talking Smack, one of the most popular shows that WWE put out on a weekly basis, will now only be a post pay-per-view special, and will not follow 205 Live like it has been doing. WWE issued the following official statement, in this regard:
We continuously review WWE Network’s programming line-up based on a variety of factors, including viewership and subscriber research. Talking Smack and Raw Talk will air following pay-per-view events, and Tuesday will continue to feature 205 LIVE.
WWE superstars such as The Miz joined several fans in supporting Talking Smack and anchor Renee Young on Twitter.
#4 Summerslam’s main event match disclosed
Remember, you heard it here first! Brock Lesnar will defend his championship in a Fatal 4-Way match at Summerslam and his opponents will be Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe and Braun Strowman. Yes, in the coming weeks you should see the plans unfold and things fall into place.
It is interesting to note that Rollins and Balor were initially part of this mix, instead of Joe and Reigns, but things got shuffled by the bookers. To quote Jim Ross, this will be a slobber knocker!
#5 UFC legend attends the Mae Young Classic
Ronda Rousey made a return to WWE for the first time since Wrestlemania 31. This time, it was to support her good friend and fellow Four Horsewoman Shayna Baszler, who is competing in the Mae Young classic 32-woman tournament.
WWE posted a video of Triple H and her good friend Natalya, welcoming her to the event.
With Marina Shafir having been such an integral part of NXT in recent months, supporting Roderick Strong in his quest against Bobby Roode for the NXT Championship, we have seen three of the four horsewomen on WWE television quite recently.
One wonders if we'll see a Four Horsewomen vs. Four Horsewomen feud between the sports entertainers and the popular UFC fighters.
#6 The most electrifying president in US political history
The Rock has done it all. He was the face of the Attitude Era. He segued the momentum from professional wrestling into a successful movie career too. And now, it is official. He has been filed for the 2020 US Presidential Campaign as well.
The form was filled by Kenton Tilford of West Virginia, who felt that there was a great chance for The Rock to become the President of the United States in 2020. The Rock has been very vocal about wanting to contest for the Presidential elections in the past. Best of luck to The Great One.
#7 The eternal Paige and Alberto El Patron saga
There was a public incident between Paige and El Patron at an airport in Orlando. Following the same, El Patron was suspended from Impact Wrestling for an indefinite period, while a lot of information came to light. Paige’s brother alleged that El Patron had been beating her and Paige herself issued an official statement that can be seen in the Twitter link below:
We urge this couple to sort out their issues and get their life back on track, considering that they have been in the public eye ever since they got together.
