Speaking to the Boston Herald, John Cena talks about now being the right time to end his in-ring career, and if he has a preference on who to end it with: “I feel a little bit slower. I’m not as strong as I was. I look at all the current superstars, and they’ve earned the right to chase their dreams. For me, it’s time. (A last opponent?) I’ve been doing this for 23 years, and I’ve never once chosen my opponent. I’ve always lived by the philosophy that life will give you opportunities every single day, and you have to do the best you can every single day with what life gives you. So whoever challenges me for that last match, I’m going to give it my best shot.”
Speaking of Mr. You Can’t See Me here’s Cena shilling for WWE PLEs on ESPN’s DTC.
The upcoming Sabu documentary will debut September 15th on Kinema. “Following Sabu’s journey to his final match, the film traces his storied upbringing under the influence of The Sheik, through the electrifying days of ECW, to the closing chapter of his in-ring career. Along the way, Sabu reflects on his evolution as a performer and the extreme style that defined his legacy. From personal challenges and career-threatening injuries to moments of triumph, Sabu gives an unflinching look at the realities of professional wrestling, the chaos, artistry, and physical toll of a career that blurred the line between performance and sacrifice.”
Karrion Kross, now going by Killer Kross again, has relaunched his Pro Wrestling Tees store.
Here’s what Dave Meltzer has to say about Kross: “The belief in WWE is that he’s gonna be back, but we’ll see. Are they working the boys on this, if he comes back? You could say yes, but it’s also one of those things where – it’s not like they’re being fooled. It’s not like guys are coming and going like, ‘Oh, no, he’s really gone.’ I mean, no one is saying that. They’re just like, ‘We don’t know, and whatever.'”
Two developments in the Janel Grant lawsuit — the judge denied her legal team’s request to depose Dr. Carlon Colker, but they did approve her request for all medical records and communications related to her treatment by Colker.
If this report is accurate WWE is planning to run head-to-head with AEW All Out by adding a new PLE for September 20th in Indianapolis.
AEW wrestler Angelico has reportedly transitioned to being a producer backstage. (FF)
TKO’s Mark Shapiro talks about the UFC deal moving “numbered events” to Paramount+: “(Pay per view is) antiquated. It’s just an antiquated model. What’s on pay per view these days? Once in a while, a big time boxing match that starts in the middle of the night and/or maybe some movies on DirecTV. It’s an antiquated model. It’s a wall. It’s a barrier, at the end of the day, for our fans to get our product. This will be well-received by our athletes, by our fans, and that was crucially important to Dana White.”
DEFY Wrestling founder Jim Perry is rejoining the promotion.
Matt Riddle will defend his MLW title against Donovan Dijak at Fightland on Sept. 13th.
Cody Rhodes says there was never a “double turn” planned for SummerSlam: “I just did an interview with Unreal, and I kept hearing the phrase ‘double turn.’ Double turn is a little more complicated than people think. It shouldn’t be. I have a bounty out if one person can actually tell me what that means. They’re going to say the thing that sounds the most simple, and that’s not what a double turn is. I’m not going to get into it. Fans are always right. I’ve learned my lesson. Whenever you try to mansplain something, you end up just coming off like a dick. The fans are very much in control of what we do. If it was discussed, it didn’t go far. I don’t think it got to me, by any means, because I would have some ideas on how I would execute it and what would happen. If you’re Triple H and looking at three years of record business and you’re looking at your team. Rhea Ripley, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Jacob Fatu, if you move a piece in a big way, does it affect the rest of the team? Do we keep record business? That’s a discussion where, with this company and the way it’s done today, it’s a team effort. Hunter is going to make the call, but he’s got a good war room of people to weigh it all out.”
The last SmackDown did a 0.48 18-49 and 1.557 million viewers, up from 0.46 and 1.544 million viewers the week before. (PI)
Speaking of SmackDown here’s the current lineup for Friday. (WWE)
- DIY vs. Street Profits
- The Miz & Carmelo Hayes vs. TBA
- Drew McIntyre addresses his attack on Cody Rhodes
TNA is taping in Minneapolis on September 4th and 5th.
Here’s the current card for Clash In Paris on August 31st. (WWE)
- World Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins vs. LA Knight vs. Jey Uso vs. CM Punk
- Women’s World Championship Match: Naomi vs. Stephanie Vaquer
- Logan Paul vs. John Cena
Corey Graves & JBL will be the English announce team for TripleMania XXXIII. (WWE)
Lola Vice has signed a new WWE contract. (FF)
Penta and Xavier Woods are scheduled for a match on Raw next week. (WWE)
