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Hell in a Cell! What a disaster, eh?
Today's roundup is dominated by rumors and speculation about the WWE's latest unpopular PPV offering, and most of it pertains to the main event.
We have it all in today's roundup. What was Vince McMahon's first reaction to the crowd reception towards the main event finish? Why did he not want to put the Universal Title around The Fiend's waist? What was the backstage reaction to Wyatt taking 11 Curb Stomps? As we said, the roundup has a comprehensive backstage breakdown of the Hell in a Cell headliner.
Moving away from the PPV, WWE signed one of the hottest free agents in professional wrestling. Ever wondered how much money Braun Strowman makes in WWE? We know that as well now.
Backstage updates regarding WWE's deal with Cain Velasquez and his pro wrestling future were also revealed.
Finally, two big potential matches for Survivor Series were also brought to light, however, one of them was an accident on WWE's part.
On that note, let's get into the details then, shall we?
#1. Vince McMahon's reaction to Hell in a Cell main event finish
The Universal title match between The Fiend and Seth Rollins ended in an inconclusive stoppage and the fan reaction has been extremely negative.
The fans in attendance at the PPV vociferously booed after the show went off the air and it ended up being a sight that the WWE just wished they had avoided. Even Vince McMahon, who has often been criticized for his rigidity, admitted his misstep.
As revealed by Sean Ross Sapp on Fighful Select, the match's ending was entirely Vince McMahon's call. The match played out exactly the way he had envisioned.
However, McMahon reportedly realized 'he had messed up' when the crowd turned on the finish. A highly-placed source in the company also told Sapp that McMahon 'wasn't oblivious' to the crowd reaction and did indeed take it seriously. McMahon may have laughed it off at first, but it later dawned on him that he may have made the wrong decision.
The damage has already been done but WWE can still salvage something out of the angle with some strong booking in the coming weeks. Both Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt have been hurt by the match ending, and it will be interesting to see how Vince McMahon responds in the wake of the backlash.
#2. Cain Velasquez's WWE deal
Contrary to Cain Velasquez's claims during an ESPN interview that he hasn't yet signed a contract with WWE, the former UFC Heavyweight Champion has indeed inked a deal with the company, as per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer.
Meltzer explained on the Wrestling Observer Radio that Cain has signed a deal with WWE, stating that the company would not have pushed him into such a big angle if he wasn't locked down to a contract. The deal was agreed upon on Monday before RAW.
While there were apparent 'snags' initially between both parties, Velasquez and WWE came to a decision and we are now on course for a major showdown between the 2-time UFC Champion and Brock Lesnar.
Velasquez appeared on the SmackDown premiere on FOX and attacked the new WWE Champion. It was also reported that Velasquez and Lesnar will face each other for the WWE Championship at the Crown Jewel PPV in Saudi Arabia on October 31st.
#3. WWE announces a Survivor Series match on Twitter and then deletes the tweet, another 10-man Elimination match advertised
The next Survivor Series PPV is scheduled to take place on November 24th inside the Allstate Arena in Rosemount, Illinois.
The arena has already advertised a massive ten-man Elimination match for the show. The match titled the 'Best of RAW vs. Best of SmackDown' will see Ricochet, The Miz, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio and Drew McIntyre form the red brand's team take on the members on the blue side, which include Aleister Black, Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Finn Balor and Kevin Owens.
With the WWE Draft coming up soon and other changes set to take place, the current line-up will certainly witness a few alterations as we inch closer to the Survivor Series PPV.
Shifting our attention to the other Survivor Series match that has been rumored to take place, WWE announced that Bray Wyatt will take on Seth Rollins in a rematch from Hell in a Cell.
The announcement was made on Twitter and then mysteriously deleted within minutes. However, the men and women with fast hands and sharp minds took a screenshot of the tweet before it was taken down.
WWE's next big show is Crown Jewel, which will be live on October 31st from Saudi Arabia. The Rollins vs. Wyatt rematch has to happen at some point and Survivor Series seems like the perfect platform for the same.
#4. Backstage reaction to Bray Wyatt being booked to survive 11 Curb Stomps
The Fiend came into Hell in a Cell looking like an unconquerable monster. Seth Rollins stood no chance in the build-up to the PPV and a squash match seemed like the most logical result. We were so wrong.
Seth Rollins dished out a lot of punishment to The Fiend, and it just got ridiculous after a point. It's not normal to see a Superstar absorb 11 Curb Stomps and still kick out.
Sean Ross Sapp revealed on the Fightful Select that a WWE talent backstage, whose name was not disclosed, found the match very bizarre, especially the Curb Stomp spots.
The unnamed talent stated:
"I can appreciate over the top stuff. The blood coming out of Seth's mouth. That's stuff I can get a kick out of. But the BS finish in a cell? Come on. That needs to be the match that has the ultimate finality. But The Fiend’s first match with Rollins was in a cell, so that was flawed right out the gate. And taking fifteen curb stomps? That also was bizarre. It was bizarre. That's the best way I can describe it."
The general reaction backstage amongst the talents and personnel was of shock as none of them knew what to say or how to react.
At the end of the day, WWE missed the mark by a mile with that main event. What a shame.
#5. Braun Strowman's salary
There was a time when Braun Strowman was legitimately concerned about his future with the WWE. All that scepticism is a thing of the past now and the Monster Among Men is confident about his fortunes in the company.
Strowman signed a new 4-year contract with WWE and is reportedly being paid $1.2 Million per year, as revealed by Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
It was also revealed that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson signed 5-year deals amounting to $700,000 per year. Top talents whose contracts were coming to an end, and who could have been valuable assets in rival companies such as AEW and NJPW, have been given contracts worth more than $1 Million a year.
Here's what Meltzer stated:
When Strowman signed his latest deal, it was a four-year contract believed to be for $1.2 million per year. The key to that number is there are exceptions, but generally, the top downside number WWE offers is $1 million. Obviously, Styles signed for significantly more than that when his deal was due because of AEW. There are others who just because they knew how to negotiate, the company knew they could go elsewhere and make money, and the company feels were valuable that have guarantees above the $1 million threshold.
The recent deal that Gallows & Anderson signed was five years at $700,000 per year each. They had turned down a $500,000 per year deal and were ready to leave when their contracts were due.
Strowman is being rumored to take on Tyson Fury at Crown Jewel later this month.
#6. Why Vince McMahon didn't want Bray Wyatt to become the Universal Champion at Hell in a Cell
A majority of the rumors today are about the Hell in a Cell horror show. The fans, as well as sources backstage, are only talking about the finish of the Universal title match between Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt.
The match was stopped by the referee after Seth Rollins went against the official's orders and used the sledgehammer on a laid-out Wyatt. The Fiend was widely expected to become the Universal Champion at the show but WWE instead gave the fans an underwhelming outcome.
As reported by Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Radio, Vince McMahon didn't make Bray Wyatt the new Universal Champion as the idea was to have Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch as the top champions going into the new season.
Vince had already made up his mind about his top four champions and Bray Wyatt, unsurprisingly, was not favoured.
Here's what Meltzer noted:
"I think that Vince wanted to go in there, with, you know this is like a new season and I think that there was like this idea that he wanted Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar, Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch as the four champions going into this draft and going into this new season. Those were his picks and Bray Wyatt wasn't."
It was also reported that Vince wants Rollins, Lynch, Flair and Lesnar to be the cornerstones of the WWE Draft and the new season going forward.
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