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It's been a big week for WWE with both the go-home shows of RAW and SmackDown ahead of Clash of Champions tomorrow night. We learned the identities of the members of RETRIBUTION this week as well as a whole lot more about WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns' relationship with Paul Heyman.
Check out the biggest pieces of news from the WWE Universe this week:
#6 Edge’s role in WWE’s plans for Forgotten Sons
We have not seen the Forgotten Sons on WWE television since the Elimination Chamber in March. The faction was taken off WWE television following a controversial Tweet from Jaxson Ryker, praising President Donald Trump during the protests for George Floyd. Ryker’s Tweet drew widespread criticism from a number of former wrestlers including WWE legend Batista as well as fans.
According to a report from Fightful Select, WWE have recently had meetings regarding the Forgotten Sons and creative has been told to find something for them. The report also says that WWE legend Edge has spoken to members of the Forgotten Sons and has given them advice. We don’t yet know if Jaxson Ryker will be a part of the faction moving forward.
#5 WWE may have chosen the chosen the next Brock Lesnar
With Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract expiring earlier this year, it looks like WWE may be positioning Roman Reigns to be the next Brock Lesnar. Reigns has already been paired with Brock Lesnar’s former advocate Paul Heyman. Here’s what Dave Meltzer said about Roman Reigns being positioned as the next Brock Lesnar on Wrestling Observer Radio:
The two could probably have a great match, since Uso is very talented and really has never had a chance to show it as a single, but the Reigns gimmick seems to be quick wins to establish him in the Lesnar position as the big star of the company, but one who would work more frequently and be more cost-effective.
Roman Reigns returned to WWE at SummerSlam, taking out both The Fiend and Braun Strowman after their title match. Reigns won the WWE Universal Championship at WWE Payback and will now face Jey Uso at Clash of Champions.
#4 CM Punk roasted RETRIBUTION following their WWE debut
RETRIBUTION’s revealed their identities on this week’s episode of WWE RAW, opening the show with a promo segment that was interrupted by The Hurt Business. We saw The Hurt Business and RETRIBUTION then main event RAW where we found out the new names for Dominik Dijakovic (T-Bar), Shane Thorne (Slapjack), and Dio Maddin (Mace). The match ended in a DQ win for The Hurt Business.
RETRIBUTION have not made a great impact so far, and the angle has drawn criticism, especially the new names for the former NXT Superstars. Former WWE Champion CM Punk was critical of the segment, roasting RETRIBUTION in an Instagram story. You can check it out below:
T-Bar of RETRIBUTION hit back at CM Punk on Twitter saying the following:
You mock my brother SLAPJACK because you are a coward like every current and former @WWE Superstar. You tease leading RETRIBUTION but we will not follow you to failure like your New Nexus. We will destroy this place piece by piece, including you if you ever show up.
RETRIBUTION have not been very impressive since they first appeared on WWE but the presentation of the storyline is the real problem. The nicknames the RETRIBUTION members have now been given aren't helping either.
#3 Roman Reigns will change up his look at WWE Clash of Champions
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was recently on a Zoom call with fans, presented by The Mania Club. During the interaction with fans, Reigns revealed that he will be changing up his look slightly at Clash of Champions. Reigns said he would stick to his SWAT-style pants but he would be wrestling shirtless this Sunday:
Get over it, you know what I mean? I mean, I am not gonna go out there in trunks. I've been wearing a SWAT outfit my entire career so I'm just gonna stick to those pants. You watch this Sunday, you'll see me with my shirt off, so that would be the change... putting in some work, I'm not perfect, I'm not like a bodybuilder, so I'm not stage ready where you can see my spine through my abs but I feel confident enough to go out there and be a scary looking athlete. And God bless my cousin 'cause I'm gonna have to whoop him. H/T: Sportskeeda
Roman Reigns will be defending the WWE Universal Championship against his cousin Jey Uso.
#2 Paul Heyman on why he was hired by Roman Reigns in WWE
Paul Heyman was a guest on WWE’s The Bump this week. During his appearance, he was asked about his partnership with Roman Reigns and spoke about why Roman Reigns had decided to bring him:
Take it any way that you want it but I also said it on Friday Night SmackDown, if you would kindly pay attention to our own television programming, the quote was 'I was thrown into an ocean of obscurity and I was rescued to the island of relevancy by Roman Reigns' and that is a fact. I was cast out. I was thrown away. I was sent out to drift into the ocean and just go away, 'don't even bother us anymore' and Roman Reigns realized just in order for him to protect his status as the Superstar in WWE, that someone who has experienced the same disrespect, the same lack of appreciation, someone who has experienced everything he is going through this year, that would be Paul Heyman, would need to protect him from these evil deeds that were cast upon him and to course correct what was happening here in World Wrestlig Entertainment. As it does in all other forms of entertainment, all other forms of sports and also all other forms of sports entertainment. H/T: Sportskeeda
The partnership with Paul Heyman has worked out pretty well for Roman Reigns, winning the WWE Universal Championship soon after his return to the company. The Big Dog defeated The Fiend and Braun Strowman and WWE Payback for the win.
#1 Roman Reigns says WWE paid him in full during his time-off
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns recently took part in a Zoom call along with a number of fans, presented by The Mania Club. Reigns, who returned to WWE at SummerSlam after taking time off, spoke about his time away. Reigns also revealed that WWE had paid him in full during his time away:
When I took the break, there was a lot of stuff on my plate and I put a stop to it because I didn’t want to open my mind to. There were a lot of scripts coming in, but because I took the time off from wrestling, I don’t want it to get confused; when I’m in contract with WWE, that’s 1A. I never put anything over the day job. When I took my time off due to the pandemic, there were a lot of opportunities coming in, but I felt it wouldn’t have been right to open up to something when I wasn’t even fulfilling my duty as an in-ring performer. The obligation is to be there, whether it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. God bless WWE, I was still being paid in full. There weren’t any type of problems like that. Me and my family were still well taken care of considering the fact that I was staying home. I felt it wasn’t right to chase other opportunities. I took it as a time to be with my family and be a father. H/T: Fightful
Despite his time away from WWE, Roman Reigns has looked better than ever since his time away and doesn't look like he's missed a beat.
