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It's time for another edition of the WWE News Round-up where we try and bring you the biggest WWE news and rumors from the WWE and we've had a lot to talk about over the last couple of days. We start this week's edition off with the biggest news regarding WWE right now, Cain Velasquez's reported release from the company.
We also have another WWE veteran put on furlough by the company as well as one released WWE Superstar giving us an update on what his ring name post-WWE could be. Apart from this, we take a look at a retired Superstar who still wants to face Goldberg, Jinder Mahal's return to WWE and a whole lot more.
WWE has reportedly released Cain Velasquez
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez has reportedly been released from his lucrative multi-year WWE contract. The news was broken on Wrestling Observer Radio by Dave Meltzer who said that Velasquez also hasn’t been seen working out in the WWE Performance Center for quite a while.
There was interest in signing Velasquez from AEW and other promotions when he signed on the dotted line with WWE. He has barely wrestled for the company since, his biggest match coming against former UFC rival Brock Lesnar at WWE Crown Jewel last year, where he was pretty much squashed by ‘The Beast’.
Velasquez was also in the news in March after posting a photo with Ronda Rousey on social media. The photo was taken at WWE headquarters and Vince McMahon was reportedly furious because of this.
There is no official word on why Velasquez was released by the WWE.
Velasquez’s release follows a number of releases this month, both Superstars and other personnel, as WWE continues to deal with the financial implications of the Coronavirus pandemic that has gripped the globe.
Gerald Brisco furloughed by WWE
WWE veteran Gerald Brisco has been furloughed by the company as they deal with the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced the company to host their shows behind closed doors at the Performance Center. The news was broken by Dave Meltzer.
Brisco is a 36-year WWE veteran, having signed with the company all the way back in 1984. He has been an integral part behind the scenes in WWE and was one of Vince McMahon’s most trusted lieutenants. He was also an on-screen character during the Attitude Era as one of Mr. McMahon’s stooges.
Heath Slater gives an update on his post-WWE ring name
Heath Slater was one of the Superstars released by WWE this week. Slater had been on WWE’s main roster for ten years at the time of release and despite barely being featured in recent months, is still popular amongst the WWE Universe.
Slater is a 4-time tag-team champion in WWE and is also a former WWE 24/7 Champion.
Slater was recently a guest on Lilian Garcia’s Chasing Glory podcast. During the episode, he discussed post-WWE plans and also revealed what name he might go by going forward:
Heath is my real name. There’s some trickery that we can do, but then again, I don’t know, I might just want to go by just Heath… Pyro's coming off, I’m walking down, slapping hands. I can see it.
Check out our original article HERE.
MJ Jenkins would love to wrestle for AEW
A number of WWE Superstars were released by WWE earlier this month. An official wwe.com article listed the main roster stars released although the NXT released were not named. One of NXT Superstars released by WWE this month was MJ Jenkins. Jenkins’ story is even more heartbreaking when you take into account that she lost her beloved brother-in-law to COVID-19 just days before her release from the WWE.
Sportskeeda’s Gary Cassidy caught up with MJ Jenkins earlier this week for an exclusive interview. During the interview, Jenkins revealed that she would be very interested in wrestling for AEW in the future:
Oh, man... You know, there is so much wrestling out there and... [MJ laughs] ..I can say, from what I've seen, the main place I would love to go is AEW. I can't lie! To say that I haven't been watching would be a complete lie. I think what they're doing is amazing.
You can check out Gary’s interview with MJ Jenkins HERE.
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Jinder Mahal said he feels disrespected after WWE return
The ‘Modern Day Maharaja’ Jinder Mahal made his return to WWE on RAW last night. Mahal faced Akira Tozawa in singles action, making short work of the Japanese Superstar, pinning him after hitting the Khallas.
Mahal was interviewed backstage after his match but the former WWE Champion was in no mood to celebrate. Instead, Mahal said that he felt disrespected. Here’s what he had to say:
Congratulations? You want to congratulate me? I feel disrespected. I feel disrespected by my peers, by the WWE Universe. People thought, I was gone for good, I was injured, I had knee surgery. They thought that was it. I'm a former United States Champion, a former WWE Champion. I haven't forgotten that, Akira Tozawa hasn't forgotten that, and I strongly suggest all of you do not forget.
Mahal had previously been out of action from June of last year after picking up a knee injury. Mahal had been involved in the WWE 24/7 Championship title scene at the time.
Get the full list of WWE Events affected by the COVID-19 pandemic
Tyler Breeze says that Randy Orton was a big fan of the Fashion Files
Breezango made an impact on the WWE Universe in 2017-18 with their hilarious Fashion Files segments on WWE SmackDown. Even though it didn’t lead to much in the end, it looks like Randy Orton was actually a huge fan of the segments.
Tyler Breeze was a guest on New Day’s Feel The Power podcast this week and revealed how Orton sent him weekly texts praising the Fashion Files:
We had the freedom to make it even funnier on a couple of little things, to the point where people would be texting us, ‘What did you guys do this week?’ Or, notoriously, every single week, I would get a text at three in the morning from Randy Orton saying he loved The Fashion Files this week and wants to know what’s next.
Tyler Breeze went on to say that he feels that the segments were cancelled “by accident”.
You can check out our original report on this topic HERE.
Retired former champion Gillberg still wants a match with Goldberg
Lewis Nicholls recently interviewed former WWE Light Heavyweight Champion Gillberg. During the interview, Gillberg revealed how he had met Goldberg at a convention in New York in 2016 and asked him for a match although Goldberg never took the issue any further.
Gillberg, who is now retired, said that he still wants a match against Goldberg, saying it could finally help end the Gillberg gimmick:
It’s Goldberg, I’ve been making fun of him for twenty-something years! And, to be honest with you, it would be WrestleMania-worthy. It really, really would. People would love to see that match. Believe me, I could really make the match look good. I’m still in great shape. I could still do everything I could do before. Maybe a little slower!
Gillberg, who was involved in a segment with Goldberg and The Rock in 2003, revealed what it was like meeting Goldberg backstage:
He put his hand on my shoulder and that was about it. We had a little segment that night and he did a bunch of pictures with me. He was kind of cool about it but you could tell that he didn’t like me at all.
