'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
It's Survivor Series weekend and naturally enough, a lot is happening in the world of WWE.
However, the WWE PPV is just one part of the bigger landscape as there are many interesting stories from other sources that feature in today's roundup.
Batista is back in the news for a comment he made on Twitter that has kickstarted a long thread of reactions on the social media site. The WWE Untold edition focussing on Sting brought to light some incredible stories about the WWE Hall of Famer that were previously unknown.
A top WWE tag team got a new entrance theme song at a recent live event as well.
A roundup these days can't be complete without CM Punk and today's lineup is no different. Elsewhere, reports of Vince McMahon being high on two NXT Superstars were also revealed. There was also a disconcerting update about the company's stance towards injury-prone Superstars.
As you may have realized, we have quite a diverse collection of stories today, so buckle up and enjoy the ride:
#1 Vince McMahon likes two NXT Superstars
Vince McMahon knows a potential Superstar when he sees one and he may have found two top future names for the main roster in NXT.
As revealed in a report from WrestlingNews, the WWE boss has become a big fan of Matt Riddle and Keith Lee.
As per the report, Vince McMahon was overheard praising Keith Lee backstage and it is being speculated that the towering NXT Superstar could be in line for a monster heel push once he gets the permanent call-up to the big leagues.
While Lee has the size and charisma to be successful on the main roster, it was additionally reported that he is quite well-liked backstage which has further improved his chances of having a positive impact on the main roster.
McMahon has also keenly been following the rise of Matt Riddle, and he believes that the controversial NXT Superstar is similar to a young Shawn Michaels.
A source relayed the following information to WrestlingNews:
“Vince like guys like Shawn who have that rebel mentality and he sees some of Shawn in Matt. Matt can rub some people the wrong way but he’s a good guy and he will do great when Vince calls him up. I think he’s a future world champion. Vince will try to tweak him but his personality will get him far.”
It was also speculated that Vince McMahon considered the NXT brand invasion angle to be a big success as it helped bring some freshness to RAW and SmackDown. It was added that while WWE wants to go back to a hard brand split after Survivor Series, they could use main roster stars in NXT if ratings go south in the future.
"How can you not do it again? What if [AEW] wins on Wednesday? So they are just going to do business as usual? I think we’ll see more crossover stuff on NXT if ratings drop this week.” H/t Credit: WrestlingNews
#2 Reactions to Batista being single again
We live in a generation where all it takes is one tweet to kick off a highly entertaining chain of newsworthy reactions.
Batista recently took to Twitter to reveal that he is single again. Dana Brooke was the first to react to the tweet by stating that she had already discussed going out on a date with the former WWE Champion.
Alicia Atout was also, for some reason, brought into the thread as a confused fan may have mixed up the breakup story.
Joey Janela, Blake Murphy, Danny Cage, Taynara Conti, and Ricky Stars are some of the notable names who also responded to Batista's tweet. Check them out below:
#3 The Kabuki Warriors get a new theme song
The Kabuki Warriors have finally been given a new entrance theme song as the WWE Women's Tag Team Champions debuted the same at a recent WWE Live Event in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
A fan who was in attendance tweeted out a video of the new entrance. Kairi Sane went on to retweet the video, confirming the much-needed change.
Kairi Sane and Asuka were in the news last week regarding their contract statuses with the WWE.
As revealed by Sportskeeda's very own Tom Colohue, the general belief backstage is that the company is positive that they will renew the contracts of the Japenese Superstars once their contracts end in a few months.
Sane and Asuka are expected to engage in a title programme with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair going forward.
#4 Sting still hopes for a match against The Undertaker
The latest edition of WWE Untold featured a host of previously unknown stories about Sting. However, one revelation that is a known fact is that the former WCW Champion wants a match against the Undertaker.
The WWE Hall of Famer reiterated his desire to have a face-off against The Deadman and is still hopeful that the WWE can have some kind of a segment between the two living legends.
Sting added that he still believes that he is in the physical shape to have a dream showdown against Undertaker.
Here's what he said:
“You know, if everything lines up just right. Vince, Triple H, ‘Taker, and Sting, maybe we could do this. Maybe we could just do a little… Let’s just do a face-off! Let’s get you guys involved in this or that. So maybe I could do it. Maybe I could do that. And so, you know, I don’t know, again, if it’s just ego and pride or whatever, but I feel like I could do it all these years later.” H/t Credit: EWrestlingNews
Sting was forced to end his in-ring career after suffering a career-ending neck injury during a WWE Championship match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in 2015.
The WCW Icon has since stayed away from the ring while making sporadic appearances on WWE TV. Despite the nature of his injury, Sting is still hopeful of being given the green signal to have one of the biggest encounters in pro wrestling history against the Undertaker.
#5 Triple H reacts to CM Punk's current status regarding an in-ring return
Triple H spoke to the media after NXT Takeover: WarGames and the Executive Vice President of the WWE was asked about whether he had spoken to CM Punk about a possible return to the ring.
There has, of course, been a lot of talk about getting Punk back into the ring in his hometown of Chicago at Survivor Series.
Triple H revealed he had not talked to Punk regarding a return and made it clear that the Cult of Personality, as of now, is employed by Fox and not WWE.
The Game also addressed a recent situation when Sam Roberts possibly alluded to CM Punk returning at Survivor Series during the kick-off show. Triple H concluded that we should be happy that he is back in business as part of WWE Backstage, however, there is a long way to go before we can even think about Punk's possible in-ring return.
"I have not spoken to him. To be honest, we have not had that conversation. I know he's working for FOX and it's a bit of an arm's length from us. All of this stuff is baby steps, when people want something so bad, it's like they're saying, 'So you're saying there's a chance.' That's the moment of time that we're in."
"There was a moment where Sam Roberts had said in the Kickoff show a couple of times or was going to say, 'The person is in Chicago.' I was like, just don't say the person and 'in Chicago' in the same sentence because I feel like you're setting that up. 'The person is here' is fine. I understand it and I get it, it is what it is at this point in time.
"Be happy that he's on WWE Backstage and doing something with the business again. The rest of it, I've said it a million times, never say never. But that's a long, long way. I know when you say that, people say, 'they're working us!' Because there's nothing that you can say that will make people think otherwise, it is what it is." H/t Credit: WrestlingInc
#6 Seth Rollins' first reaction when he was told he would be facing Sting
Seth Rollins' match against Sting at Night of Champions in 2015 will always be remembered for the wrong reasons as it marked the end of one the greatest careers in pro wrestling history.
Nonetheless, it was a match that we never expected to see. It was a dream even Seth Rollins never dared to dream.
During the most recent episode of WWE Untold, Rollins revealed that he almost collapsed in his kitchen when he was informed about his match against Sting through a phone call.
The former Universal Champion couldn't come to grips with the fact that he would be facing one of his all-time favourites and he had to hold on to the kitchen counter when he was told about the match.
Isn't it great when a fanboy gets to live his dream?
#7 WWE might not trust injury-prone Superstars
Irrespective of what some people may tell you, pro wrestling is a ruthless activity that takes a major toll on the bodies of the performers.
Many careers never reached the intended heights due to various injuries and that's very unfortunate. During an interview with The Mirror, Dolph Ziggler spoke about a host of topics while also revealing why WWE may not trust a talent who is injury-prone. He explained how staying away from injuries is one of the most important attributes of having a lengthy career at the top.
A lot of it is luck because injuries, no matter how good you are, can put you on the sidelines. No matter how good you or your opponent are, you can step on the mat wrong and tear your ACL. So a couple of those add up, and they don't trust you anymore and you can't do certain things. H/t Credit: Mirror
Ziggler is right on the money here.
#8 Sinn Bodhi wants credit for The Fiend gimmick
Former WWE Superstar Sinn Bodhi was a guest on Jordan Garber's NOW during which he spoke about his time in the WWE, that lasted from 2003 to 2009. Bodhi, who played an eccentric circus-themed character named 'Kizarny' during his time with the company, demanded credit for Bray Wyatt's The Fiend.
Bodhi claimed that he had a major influence in how characters such as The Fiend have come about to be and all he wanted was to be referenced for his contributions.
Here's what he said:
"I have no problem with circus guys like Bray Wyatt doing anything in this business. I don't have a copyright, it's just that if someone wants to be influenced or borrow something be my guest, but just reference it and put over where you got an idea.
"I have so many influences on things I do I don't take anything outright I just take bits and pieces and morph it into myself. If he was to say Bodhi was where I got a lot of my stuff from, that would help stuff out from me with promoters. In the long run, we eventually talked things out in private and I'm super glad how things turned out. When I see guys like Bray Wyatt, I hope he cares about me as much as I care about him and I'm glad he is successful and doing his thing. I like his character." H/t Credit: WrestlingInc
Do you love to play crosswords, Wordle or other exciting games? We'd like to connect with you. Fill the form here!
