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After a brilliant RAW and SmackDown Live, we are finally just a few days away from Clash of Champions. The PPV will see major matches such as Seth Rollins vs Braun Strowman as well as Becky Lynch vs Sasha Banks among others.
From major changes being made to the announce team, to a former Universal Champion's future plans, let us take a look at the biggest news and rumors making the rounds today:
#5 Elias removed from KOTR Tournament due to injury
4-time 24/7 Champion Elias suffered an unfortunate ankle injury and had to be removed from his semi-final match in the King of the Ring tournament against Chad Gable on SmackDown. The Drifter had made his way into the semi-finals of the lucrative tournament by defeating Kevin Owens and Ali.
Elias was replaced by Shane McMahon in the tournament - who failed to defeat Chad Gable, resulting in Gable heading to the KOTR finals.
Here is the Statement issued by WWE.COM:
Due to an injury, Elias will not compete in his scheduled King of the Ring semifinal match against Chad Gable.
Stay with WWE Digital platforms and watch SmackDown LIVE tonight on USA Network at 8/7 c for further updates as the situation develops.
As per backstage reports, the original plans were to have a battle royal to find the replacement for Elias, however, it was Vince McMahon who wanted his son Shane to fill in for the former 24/7 Champion.
It turned out to be a good idea, as having Shane inserted into the match helped build his ongoing feud with Kevin Owens as McMahon fired Owens - who was the referee of his match with Gable - after he failed to win the contest.
Also Read: 11-time Tag Team Champion challenges 'The Fiend'; Bray Wyatt invites Superstar to join him
#4 Kevin Owens hints at joining NXT
As mentioned in a previous slide, this week's SmackDown ended with a cliffhanger as Shane McMahon decided to sack the former Universal Champion Kevin Owens from the blue brand.
While this led to a lot of questions, Owens took to Twitter and left a cryptic message for the fans to figure out. His tweet simply stated these numbers: '14-24-20'
As can be seen, Twitter user Pika Priest was quick to decipher the code which essentially stands for NXT. This could mean that the former NXT Champion will soon be heading back to the gold and black brand.
While it may just be a cryptic Tweet and nothing else, Owens joining NXT would be hugely beneficial to the third brand of WWE as they make their way to the USA network. The star power of The Prizefighter will certainly help them get more eyeballs.
Even in the storyline, Shane McMahon will not be able to make Owens' life miserable on NXT as he has been doing on SmackDown for the past couple of weeks. However, if Owens does move to NXT, it would leave his current program with McMahon unfinished.
#3 Former WWE Superstar accuses CM Punk of lying
Former WWE Superstar Simon Dean was recently part of the Smarks and Stripes podcast where he spoke about CM Punk and how the former WWE Champion had lied about Dean trying to get him fired.
Here is what Simon Dean said:
This is where every single syllable that came out of Phillips' mouth after this, has to be proven, it's not only a lie, but a complete made-up fantasy. The man stated that I and Al Snow tried to fire him and The Major Brothers. That's outta his mouth. This is not fictitious. This is not five years down the road. The man said it two weeks ago. You can go look at it. Those words came out of CM Punk's mouth.
I don't like Punk, I don't dislike Punk. I have no feelings towards Punk at all.
Simon Dean was part of WWE from 2002 - 2007 but failed to make a major impact. His claim to fame was his gimmick as a fitness instructor and the 'Simon System' workout he introduced.
#2 King of the Ring finals removed from Clash of Champions
In a rather unexpected move, WWE have removed the KOTR finals from the Clash of Champions card and moved it to next week's RAW.
The finals will see Chad Gable of SmackDown take on Baron Corbin from RAW to fight for the chance to become the next King of the Ring. While all the rumors suggest that Corbin will likely win the tournament, it would be a good swerve if WWE decides to push Chad Gable by making him 'King' instead.
#1 Commentary teams going back to 2 announcers
There had been reports previously indicating that WWE is planning major changes to the announce teams. As per WrestleVotes, the era of the 3-people announce teams may be about to end:
Hearing that significant changes are coming to the commentary teams once the SD to FOX move happens in a few weeks. All shows will be impacted, including RAW. A source has said the return of the 2 man booth is coming.
With reports stating that Renee Young will be moving away from commentary, it will be interesting to see what the future holds.
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