Logan Paul Requests To Open WWE SummerSlam: Wrestling News July 19th

He’s here… Bray Wyatt has returned to WWE’s video game franchise for the first time in almost five years as part of a new WWE 2K23 DLC pack!

Whilst the 3-time WWE world champion is currently not cleared to compete and missing from WWE programming as a result, gaming fans can finally play as Wyatt once more after he missed the last 3 iterations of the WWE 2K series.

Wyatt is playable as part of the ‘Revel With Wyatt’ DLC Pack that released earlier today and also allows Uncle Howdy, Zeus (yes, THAT Zeus), Valhalla, Joe Gacy and Blair Davenport to become playable. The pack is now available for $9.99 or your regional equivalent and Season Pass holders can download it now at no additional cost.

Wyatt last appeared in the WWE 2K games in 2018’s WWE 2K19, with his alter ego The Fiend featuring in 2019’s WWE 2K20 as a bonus character for pre-ordering the game.

This marks the fourth DLC pack to be released for WWE 2K23, with the final pack set to be released on August 16th. The Bad News U pack will centre around Wade Barrett, his first WWE 2K appearance in 8 years, and will also feature NXT stars Nathan Frazer, Andre Chase and Damon Kemp as well as WWE veteran Eve Torres.

Look around you, man. There’s nowhere left to go…. 🚪
Who’s destroying dreams in the ring next week with Bray Wyatt?

Grab the Season Pass today to pick up the Revel with Wyatt Pack next week!

As shown on #WWE2KShowDown. 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ZXVk60KUuU

— #WWE2K23 (@WWEgames) July 14, 2023

Will you be playing as Bray Wyatt in WWE 2K23? Who would you have him face first? Let us know by sharing on Facebook or Twitter down below!

Will Ospreay has taken time out of his busy G1 Climax schedule to assure fans of one thing: No, he is not into being kicked in the testicles and, in fact, “treasures” his.

A bizarre viral video recently made the rounds on Twitter in which a man, who looks remarkably like Will Ospreay, is seen being kicked in the testicles, spat on and generally humiliated in public – though he seems to be enjoying it.

Several wrestling fans pointed out the resemblance, with one suggesting that they thought it was Ospreay and another going as far as to tag the NJPW star himself.

Now, Ospreay himself has finally set the record straight – tweeting that “I swear to you. This isn’t me” and “I’m not into this, I treasure my testicles.”

Let’s hope no one takes advantage of this newfound knowledge against Will in the G1 (we’re looking at you, Toru Yano!). Ospreay currently holds 2 points in the round-robin tournament and is set to face KENTA next on July 21st.

Oh, one last thing: We’d highly suggest not watching the original video. Just trust us on this one.

Hey guys.

I swear to you. This isn’t me.

I’m not into this, I treasure my testicles. https://t.co/6H5j12kYjA

— Will Ospreay • ウィル・オスプレイ (@WillOspreay) July 19, 2023

Plans for The Judgement Day to recruit a recent NXT call-up into their ranks have reportedly been “halted” for now.

JD McDonagh was arguably one of the most anticipated main roster call-ups of the 2023 WWE Draft. His stellar work in NXT on top of being drafted to the same brand as his real-life mentor Finn Balor made for plenty of intrigue as to how he’d be used on the red brand going forward.

Surprisingly, however, the former Cruiserweight Champion has made just three RAW appearances since being drafted in May, featuring exclusively on Main Event since mid-June. Now, a new report has seemingly given some insight into why.

Per a report from WRKD Wrestling, McDonagh was set to become The Judgement Day’s fifth member but plans for him to join the faction have now been “halted for the time being.” The reason why is currently unknown.

McDonagh was last seen on the June 12th edition of RAW where he was seen taking advice about making an impact from Finn Balor backstage, before leaving when Damian Priest arrived.

https://twitter.com/WRKDWrestling/status/1681372179064057856

What do you think of JD McDonagh potentially joining The Judgement Day? Share your thoughts with us via Twitter or Facebook by sharing below!

Whilst Sami Zayn has arguably been on the biggest run of his career over the last year, his momentum may slowly be coming to an end thanks to the opinions of those backstage.

Zayn has been integral to The Bloodline storyline over the last year and a half, ultimately becoming the main cause behind the turmoil that now embroils the group.

After unsuccessfully challenging Roman Reigns, Zayn finally got his moment when he and Kevin Owens dethroned The Usos for the Undisputed Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 39. Since then, however, Zayn has slowly but surely fell away from the singles spotlight.

Dave Meltzer discussed Sami’s current booking in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, claiming that those behind the scenes don’t see Zayn having potential within the main event scene.

He also claims WWE “knew” his run wouldn’t last when he was elevated to that position thanks to The Bloodline and have recently booked him in a way to ensure his main event status wouldn’t last.

“But right now they are very protective of Rollins and Zayn often now loses on TV and they don’t see it as a big deal to beat him.

It was a self-fulfilling prophesy as they always saw Zayn as just a guy, who got over as a fluke and they didn’t see him as having potential past a certain level, and when he got there, they “knew” it wouldn’t last, and booked it so it didn’t.”

h/t to ITRWrestling

Logan Paul has seemingly confirmed he will be competing at SummerSlam this August as well as revealing a bold request he made to WWE management about his match!

The social media influencer looks to be facing Ricochet at the event after tensions between the two have built from their high-risk spots at both the Royal Rumble and Money In The Bank, though it has yet to be officially confirmed.

Speaking on the latest edition of his Impaulsive podcast, Paul claimed he will be wrestling at the event and requested for his match to open the show in order to leave right afterwards.

His plan is to immediately board a private jet and fly from Detroit to Dallas to try and attend his brother Jake Paul’s boxing match against Nate Diaz, all whilst still in his wrestling gear from SummerSlam.

“As soon as my match ends, I’m going to hop on a private jet, fly to Dallas in my [wrestling] gear, walk in the ring with my brother for his fight against Nate Diaz,” Logan said. “I’m going to try. I don’t know if I’m going to make it, but I think if I do, it’ll be minutes. I walk into the venue round one, Jake Paul-Nate Diaz starts. It is barely possible, but how incredible [would that be]?”

h/t to WrestlingInc

Former WCW booker Kevin Sullivan has joined many across the wrestling world in praising the story of The Bloodline, claiming it may be the greatest wrestling story ever told.

Whilst Sullivan competed across the United States during his in-ring days, he was perhaps most influential during his time as a booker of WCW during the meteoric rise of the nWo.

Speaking to Nick Hausman of Inside The Ropes, Sullivan was asked about whether he felt he was ahead of the curve in terms of putting more ‘sports entertainment’ into his wrestling persona and booking. Whilst Sullivan admitted he hadn’t thought of it that way, he went on to praise the current top storyline in wrestling – The Bloodline:

“I don’t know if I actually thought I was, but I figured that had to be the way to go. Look at I’ve been around for a long time. Right? I think The Bloodline’s the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Sullivan went on to praise the group’s 40-minute segment on the July 7th edition of SmackDown and compared how Roman Reigns elevates those around him to the nWo, which he felt became “stronger than WCW” itself by its end.

Click here for more details on this story.

Lance Storm didn’t hold back with his thoughts on former WWE Head Writer Vince Russo, branding him as “a complete moron!”

Vince Russo has once again drawn the attention of the wrestling world, this time through a new interview with Chris Van Vilet. During the interview, Russo claimed that wrestling has shifted its focus to wrestling matches rather than the characters and storylines – a move that he believes doesn’t draw the attention of casual fans.

Several names across the wrestling world have criticised Russo’s comments, including wrestling veteran and current IMPACT Wrestling producer Lance Storm. Storm fired back at Russo, pointing out The Bloodline storyline has been character-driven and one of the best wrestling stories “since who even known when.”

Storm went on to accuse Russo of showing his “contempt for wrestling” by describing matches as fake but not the characters or stories and stated that Russo was simply “a complete moron.”

He’s a complete moron. The Bloodline is a classic character driven story and it’s the best one since who even knows when. The fact that he states the “fake match” but not fake character or fake story shows his contempt for wrestling.

— Lance Storm (@LanceStorm) July 18, 2023

What do you think about Russo’s comments? Do you think wrestling has moved away from characters and storylines in favour of matches? Let us know by sharing your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter below!

Alexa Bliss and her husband Ryan Cabrera have officially revealed their baby’s gender during their rockstar-themed gender reveal party!

A new video from Entertainment Today showed the couple revealing the gender in front of friends and family at the Common Ground Bar in New York. Cabrerea smashed a pink and blue guitar which contained pink smoke, revealing that the couple will be having a baby girl this December.

Bliss and Cabrera initially revealed they were expecting their first child back in May in an announcement that Bliss herself admitted was “unexpected.”

Bliss last competed at the 2023 Royal Rumble where she unsuccessfully challenged Bianca Belair for the RAW Women’s Championship. Bliss competed inside WarGames just two months prior at Survivor Series after losing the Women’s Tag Team Championship alongside Asuka to Dakota Kai & IYO SKY at Crown Jewel.

Congratulations to the couple!

Eric Bischoff has revealed that he was once pitched an idea to make WCW-branded condoms.

Yes, really.

During the latest edition of his Strictly Business podcast, Bischoff revealed the most ridiculous merchandise pitch he ever heard whilst running WCW was condoms featuring WCW branding.

Whilst the Hall of Famer saw potential in the idea, even considering wrestler-specific branded versions, he ultimately shot it down due to concerns advertisers wouldn’t be happy being associated with condoms on top of the already hard sell of advertising on a wrestling programme.

“Condoms. WCW-branded condoms… It didn’t go far. I mean it may have ended up that way [wrestler-specific] had we engaged in that conversation, but I did not engage in that conversation. And it’s not because — look, you know, condoms are condoms, and it’s a consumer product, and it’s a credible, valuable product that’s out there in the marketplace.

So nothing against condoms. But you have to think about, what is the advertiser that’s coming up right after the condom commercial think about having their product being associated with wrestling, number one. And, ‘Oh yeah, we’re pitching rubbers too.’ Eh, you gotta think about that. You gotta think about the universe of advertisers you’re creating for your show and make sure they all feel comfortable.”

h/t to 411Mania

What’s the most ridiculous piece of wrestling merch you’ve ever seen? Let us know by sharing on Facebook or Twitter below!

Vickie Guerrero has become the latest AEW star to depart the company following the expiration of her contract.

The news comes via a Fightful Select report which revealed that Guerrero has officially left the company after two years, making her a free agent.

Guerrero has been missing from AEW programming since February earlier this year when she was told to stay home for the remainder of her contract. The WWE veteran commented on her time in AEW coming to an end earlier this year, stating that she was ultimately “ready to move on.”

Vickie Guerrero initially joined AEW in 2021 after sporadic appearances in both 2019 and 2020, managing both Nyla Rose and Marina Shafir during her two-year tenure. She was also responsible for the on-screen introduction of Andrade El Idolo to the promotion in June 2021.

Click here for more details on this story.

AEW has maintained a small pay-per-view schedule since its inception in 2019, running just 5 pay-per-view shows across all of 2022. But a report from Fightful Select earlier this week suggests that that could all be about to change, with Tony Khan having now addressed it directly!

As part of the heavily-rumoured negotiations regarding AEW’s upcoming television deal, Warner Brothers Discovery have reportedly requested that AEW increase their current pay-per-view schedule as part of one of their “major proposals.”

The move is said to be a “very likely possibility” and could even expand to monthly pay-per-view events. Now, Tony Khan himself has commented on the report and the likelihood of the company’s pay-per-view schedule expanding.

During the latest AEW media call ahead of Blood & Guts as well as ROH Death Before Dishonor, Dave Meltzer inquired about the report. Khan stated he is considering the move, but is already happy with what AEW has built regarding its pay-per-view events:

“As for expanding the calendar even further, it is something we can talk to Discovery about and it is something everybody believes could potentially be revenue positive so I think that’s something that certainly to consider, but I’m very happy with what we built.

“So, it’s something that I’m thinking, obviously you can probably tell from the length of this answer and some of the things I’m saying, it’s something I’m giving a lot of consideration.”

h/t to ITRWrestling

Dominik Mysterio has won WWE singles gold for the first time in his 3-year career, capturing a championship you might not expect…

On the July 11th edition of NXT last week, Mysterio accepted the open challenge of NXT North American Champion Wes Lee but escaped before the match could be made official – giving the champion another week to prepare.

Mysterio and Lee’s championship showdown featured in the main event of last night’s July 18th show. Despite an even contest between the two, Mysterio picked up a shock win thanks to interference from his Judgement Day allies.

Towards the end of the match, Finn Balor distracted the referee to allow Damian Priest to attempt to hit Lee with the North American Title. Lee managed to evade but walked right into Rhea Ripley, who hit him with her Women’s World Championship. Mysterio then pinned Lee, capturing the NXT North American Championship as well as the first WWE singles title of his career.

What do you think of Dominik winning the NXT North American Title? Is it right for main roster talent to win NXT championships? Let us know by sharing your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter below!

2-time WWE Women’s Champion Victoria may have shown an interest in a wrestling return with her shock return in the 2021 Women’s Royal Rumble, but an All Elite debut doesn’t look likely…

Earlier this year, Victoria admitted that she was “treated like s**t” whilst backstage during her WWE return and now, she’s revealed she had a similar experience whilst visiting the backstage area of AEW as well.

Speaking on the latest edition of GAW TV, Victoria admitted that her backstage visit to AEW left her feeling “very uncomfortable.”

The former WWE Women’s Champion visited to see her friend Sarah Stock, who works as a producer for the company, but left early as she was getting questioning looks about what she was doing backstage.

“I even felt that at AEW. I went backstage to go find Sarah (Stock). She goes, ‘Are you gonna come back here to say hi to me?’ I go, ‘Um, can you meet me at the curtain?’ I go, ‘Oh no, all the new talent’ and then of course when I went back there, I got the look like, what the f*ck is she doing here? Excuse my language. I felt uncomfortable.

Only Mark Henry, Sarah, (Christopher) Daniels and just the people that we knew, even some of the people that we knew in the past, they were like, ‘Are you gonna watch the second show?’ And I go, ‘Let’s go.’ I felt very uncomfortable.”

h/t to POST Wrestling

Good morning everyone and welcome to the first-ever TJRWrestling Live Blog!

Every Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be with you from 7 am to 1 pm EST covering the latest news from WWE, AEW, NJPW and elsewhere across the wrestling world!

We’ll be kicking it off this morning with some of wrestling’s biggest stories today including:

• WWE veteran admits they felt “very uncomfortable” backstage at AEW
• Dominik Mysterio wins his first singles WWE championship
  
• Tony Khan “giving a lot of consideration” to expanding AEW PPV schedule
• Eric Bischoff recalls pitch for WCW condoms (yes, really)