Cena, Bryan, Punk and more
It was a busy week in the world of pro wrestling, so let’s jump right into things.
Cena and Reigns at SummerSlam
As seen at Money in the Bank last weekend, John Cena returned to WWE after Roman Reigns defeated Edge to retain the Universal title.
And, as reported in this column two months ago, Cena will challenge Reigns for the title at SummerSlam.
Although Cena will be working a lot of WWE shows over the summer because he is on break from Hollywood, I don’t see WWE pulling the trigger on a Cena title win.
Speaking of Money in the Bank, the show was solid and had a fresh feel to it.
If you have time and did not see the Reigns vs. Edge match, check it out. If you have time, the show was entertaining for the most part.
SummerSlam in theaters
In a move that has been a long time coming in my eyes, WWE announced last Thursday morning that SummerSlam will air in select theaters around the country.
Why WWE has not gone to this model once it moved away from the PPV model for the WWE Network is beyond me.
The only theater locally, and in Pennsylvania, for that matter, is Phoenix Theatres Chartiers Valley in Bridgeville. For more information, go to www.wweliveintheatres.com.
Goldberg returns again
After Lashley defeated a returning Keith Lee on July 19, Goldberg appeared and will now challenge Lashley at SummerSlam.
How many more times will WWE go down the burned-out road of having Goldberg show up, challenge a world champ, and face them?
Well, Goldberg’s deal runs into 2023 with him contractually obligated to a pair of matches each year, so fans may see it a few more times.
Bryan, Punkto AEW?
Talk of Daniel Bryan and CM Punk heading to AEW are starting to pick up steam. Bryan would go by his real name Bryan Danielson. “Daniel Bryan” is owned by WWE and would be the more likely of the two to sign.
WWE recently pulled Bryan from all future video game consideration, as well as any marketing moving forward in terms of licenses and merchandise. This is a tale tell sign that something is up with Bryan.
As far as Punk, if Tony Khan ponies up a hefty seven-figure deal, then Punk to AEW could very well happen. If Khan antes up and signs both, it will be huge for AEW.
Could AEW give fans the Danielson-Punk classic that WWE chose not to book?
AEW tickets available
Tickets remain for the two AEW shows at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh.
Dynamite will air live on Wednesday, Aug. 11, and Rampage will do the same two nights later. It will be the first episode of Rampage.
You can purchase tickets to both shows individually or for both nights at www.ticketmaster.com.
Kross buried
Once again, the confusing booking that Vince McMahon wants continues to baffle.
The latest example was last Monday when NXT champion Karrion Kross made his debut on Raw and was beaten by Jeff Hardy in 90 seconds.
This is the same Jeff Hardy who hasn’t won an important match in a very, very long time.
It is confusing as Kross is a big guy and McMahon has always preferred bigger guys. Guess this is just a case of Vince knowing what fans want more than they know.
Look for Kross to move to Raw fulltime after SummerSlam as he is defending the NXT title against Samoa Joe.
Logic says Joe will win the title, but then again, how often does logic play out?
Nikki A.S.H. and her title win
After winning the women’s Money in the Bank contract the night before, Nikki A.S.H. defeated new Raw champion Charlotte to become the second new champion in as many days.
A.S.H. (Almost a Superhero) was known previously as Nikki Cross.
This Day in History, July 25
In 1999, Steve Austin retained the WWF championship against The Undertaker in a First Blood match. Also on the card, Jeff Jarrett defeated Edge to win the Intercontinental title, The Acolytes (later known as the APA) defeated The Hardy Boyz to win the tag titles, D-Lo Brown defeated Mideon to win the European title and Triple H defeated The Rock in a strap match.
In 2011, Rey Mysterio defeated The Miz to be crowned WWE champion. Later in the night, John Cena defeated Mysterio to win the title and after the match, CM Punk, who had “walked out” of WWE after winning the title from Cena, surprisingly showed up as both men stood face to face holding their respective WWE championship belt.
This week’s question
With WWE having broadcasting issues with Money in the Bank on Peacock, could this lead to WWE leaving Peacock? Kelly from Fayette City.
For those who did not watch, Bank went out during the show and fans missed parts of two matches. When the feed came back on, it was the WWE Network feed used for other countries without the Peacock commercials.
WWE may say something to NBU Universal, but it isn’t getting out of the deal.
Email questions/comments to powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to @BillHughes_III.