WWE Is Reportedly Upset That Daniel Bryan Has Not Re-Signed
WWE apparently isn’t thrilled with Daniel Bryan.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc), Bryan still has not re-signed with WWE, and although the company isn’t too happy about it, it has given in to his wishes by reducing his workload:
Daniel Bryan still has not agreed to a new WWE contract as of this week, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Bryan’s current deal is set to expire on Saturday, September 1.
Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that Bryan’s segment on SmackDown Live made it clear WWE officials are not happy with him not re-signing yet. While he expects Bryan to re-sign, Meltzer noted that ‘there’s a lot of weird stuff going on,’ although he didn’t provide specifics.
Bryan has been removed from some weekend live events to lighten his schedule, which he had asked for. It appears WWE is working with Bryan to make him happy, as was expected, but he has not re-signed.
WHAT’S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Although Fightful.com recently reported that Bryan has signed a two-year deal with WWE, this latest report refutes that and adds to the cloud of uncertainty surrounding Bryan’s future.
Wrestling Standard noted last month that WWE was “preparing for Bryan’s exit” by running through a number of his dream matches and feuds, like his expected SummerSlam match against The Miz that many once thought WWE might hold off on until WrestleMania 35. We’re now less than a month away from Bryan’s contract expiration date, and reports that he has yet to re-sign with the company could boil down to his well-known desire to work a lighter schedule.
That same issue has reportedly delayed Rey Mysterio’s signing because WWE apparently wants Mysterio to work more dates than he is willing to work. Bryan’s situation, however, is slightly different in that WWE would be losing someone it already has under contract in the event that he chooses to leave if WWE doesn’t want to give him a part-time schedule. One would think that, given the threat of Bryan potentially working for New Japan Pro-Wrestling or one of WWE’s other closest competitors, WWE would be more than willing to give him a reduced schedule similar to that of Randy Orton.
With the independent pro wrestling scene thriving these days, Bryan could be the No. 1 star on the indies if he chooses to leave, while also having the ability to work as little or as much as he wants to. For Bryan, who’s well known to have a passion for pro wrestling that he prioritizes over money, making less money on the indies but getting to have stellar matches for top promotions is something that is very appealing to him and may also be preventing him from signing a deal with WWE that would force him to work more than he would like to at this stage of his career.
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#WWE giving Daniel Bryan time off; Brian Christopher’s coffin https://t.co/iyeS5gdvsTpic.twitter.com/Il4VSO99VK
— NoDQ.com – WWE Summerslam news #Summerslam (@nodqdotcom) August 2, 2018
The Latest On Brock Lesnar’s Schedule
Credit: WWE.comCREDIT: WWE.COM
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
Brock Lesnar’s time in WWE appears to be coming to an end.
According to Cageside Seats, “Brock Lesnar is expected to make his final three appearances for WWE on the Raw before and after SummerSlam, and SummerSlam itself.”
WHAT’S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Lesnar is scheduled for just one more Raw appearance prior to SummerSlam (on the go-home show on August 13th) and is also indeed advertised for the post-SummerSlam show. Then, what? No one seems to know.
Last week’s edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter speculated that Lesnar may have secretly signed a new deal to remain with WWE beyond SummerSlam, but unlike earlier this year when WWE.com confirmed that Lesnar had re-signed with the company, there has been no official statement from WWE in regards to Lesnar’s contract status. By most accounts, however, Lesnar’s contract expires in August, which obviously means that he will have to sign some sort of extension to remain with WWE and continue on as its Universal Champion past this month.
WWE seems to be setting the stage for Lesnar’s departure by teasing friction with Paul Heyman (and hinting that Heyman may inadvertently cost Lesnar his SummerSlam match against Roman Reigns), but that could also be a red herring in the event that Lesnar re-signs or has re-signed and will retain his title against Reigns. For the sake of the story, one would assume Reigns has to win at SummerSlam, even if he immediately falls victim to a Braun Strowman cash-in, but with so much uncertainty regarding Lesnar’s status, there is really no telling what WWE might do.
The fact that Lesnar is only advertised for the Raw after SummerSlam may ultimately not mean much because he could just be taking another lengthy hiatus after the pay-per-view, which would explain why he isn’t advertised for any future shows. What’s that tell us about his match against Reigns and the future of the Universal title? Nothing really. Until SummerSlam is in the books and we can see exactly how Lesnar’s match against Reigns plays out, there is really no definitive word on what Lesnar being excluded from future advertisements actually means.
And given that Lesnar is making a ton of money for a very limited schedule, it would be a shocker if he does decide to leave WWE for good, whether he wins or loses at SummerSlam.
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Do these five things prove that Brock Lesnar’s WWE career is over? https://t.co/2R0aH338YE
— Sportskeeda Wrs’ling (@SKProWrestling) August 2, 2018
Is WWE Set To Reunite The Shield?
Credit: WWE.comCREDIT: WWE.COM
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
WWE could be on the verge of reuniting not one but two popular tag teams.
According to the Wrestling Observer’s Bryan Alvarez (h/t Ringside News), both American Alpha and two-thirds of The Shield are expected to be back together soon:
Plans change all the time but from what I’ve heard it’s probably going to be Gable and Jordan and Rollins and Ambrose as teams and not Rollins and Jason Jordan.
This report comes on the heels of Rollins saying just last month that there is “a lot of room for future Shield reunions,” perhaps hinting that the band could be getting back together soon.
WHAT’S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Raw’s tag team division desperately needs some star power, but with Jordan still yet to be cleared after undergoing neck surgery earlier this year, it looks like WWE will instead focus its efforts on a mini Shield reunion.
Given the way Rollins has been feuding with Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, it seems rather obvious that WWE is ultimately building toward the return of Dean Ambrose. “The Lunatic Fringe” is reportedly nearing a return to the ring, and as one of WWE’s most popular stars and a long-running top merchandise seller, WWE will almost assuredly push him as a babyface when he comes back, even if many fans believe he could thrive as a heel.
By reuniting Ambrose with Rollins and potentially including Reigns down the road for a full-fledged reunion of The Shield, WWE would be reassembling a faction that has proven to be a merchandise-selling machine and TV ratings draw in the past. With Raw recently generating its lowest average viewership in the show’s 25-year history, a brief reunion of The Shield could be a good way to bring back fans who have stopped tuning out over the past few years. However, a lengthy run for The Shield likely isn’t sustainable.
Rollins, Reigns and Ambrose are three of the biggest singles stars on Raw, and with the show not exactly possessing a boatload of top heels, it would be a big blow to the red brand’s singles division if The Shield had an extended run as a trio. Thus, it might be a better move for WWE to simply keep Rollins and Ambrose together as a tag team for a few months before having Ambrose turn on Rollins much like Rollins turned on Ambrose in 2014.
That would pave the way for Ambrose to go full-blown heel and would give Raw the No. 1 villain it desperately lacks, all while providing an entertaining storyline involving two of the best overall performers in the company.
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Rumored Plans For Dean Ambrose’s Return
Details Here: https://t.co/xUV8fJZIc3pic.twitter.com/H0T3MD2mDj
— IWNerd.com (@InnerN3rd) August 2, 2018
WWE Possibly Building Toward The Rock Vs. Elias
Credit: WWE.comCREDIT: WWE.COM
WHAT’S THE DEAL?
Elias may be headed toward the biggest match of his career:
The Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer (h/t Ringside News) pointed out that it’s “not a coincidence” that Elias called out The Rock on this week’s episode of Raw:
I don’t think it’s a coincidence, I think that may be the idea that they’re building towards. Wow, it is good for him. For him to be in a match with The Rock, it’s a positive.
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (h/t Cageside Seats) adds that “there’s an ‘open dialogue’ between The Rock and WWE about his making appearances in the future.”
WHAT’S IT MEAN FOR WWE?
Reports emerged last week indicating that The Rock wants to wrestle at WrestleMania 35, which certainly gels with “The People’s Champion” recently telling WWE’s Cathy Kelley that he “can’t wait” to be back in a WWE ring.
The last time that The Rock wrestled a “match” was at WrestleMania 32 in 2016 when he squashed Erick Rowan in all of nine seconds, but his last true match took place way back at WrestleMania 29 in 2013 when he faced John Cena. WWE reportedly tried to secure The Rock as Ronda Rousey’s tag team partner at WrestleMania 34, but it’s believed that a possible scheduling conflict as well as insurance issues ultimately prevented that from happening.
Still, there has been plenty of speculation that WWE could be looking to bring back The Rock for more than just a one-off appearance because the company may need more mainstream stars to build around upon the launch of its new TV deals next fall. Thus, WWE has already laid the foundation for a match between The Rock and Elias as the latter has called out the former on numerous occasions, presumably to set the stage for a potential comedy bout between the two if The Rock cannot return for a traditional full-length match.
Although Elias is a red hot, rising star these days, one would think that WWE would utilize the drawing power of The Rock to put on a much bigger bout than one with Elias would be. After all, there is no shortage of potential dream matches waiting for The Rock in WWE, including bouts with guys like Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, and it stands to reason that those bouts would have much more drawing power than a brief, comedy-based match with a midcard star would.
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WWE Possibly Planning The Rock Vs Roman Reigns At WrestleMania 35 https://t.co/FaAaTXL2z7
— WrestlingINC.com (@WrestlingInc) July 29, 2018
WHAT ELSE IS NEW?
This week’s Raw averaged 2.9 million viewers, the show’s highest average viewership in six weeks and the first time its topped the cable viewership rankings in one year. We can probably attribute the jump in viewership to the advertised returns of Lesnar and Rousey.
SmackDown viewership increased for the fourth straight this week, this time averaging 2.401 million viewers. Finally, the blue brand is reaping the rewards of having a very entertaining product these days.
The Undertaker and John Cena, who had been rumored to be facing each other at SummerSlam, are now doubtful to work the show at all. No surprise there as they likely would have appeared on Raw by now if WWE planned on utilizing them on the PPV.
WWE is getting aggressive in its pursuit to sign New Japan Pro-Wrestling star Kenny Omega. Omega is arguably the biggest star in NJPW, and with his contract expiring in a matter of months, WWE is expected to make a huge offer to pry him away from what many consider to be the world’s No. 2 promotion.
WWE could be doing some sort of brief NWO reunion with Hulk Hogan in the near future, although it’s not expected to be anything more than a one-off appearance or a WWE Network special.
Reports suggest WWE may have earned close to $50 million for the Greatest Royal Rumble, which explains why the company achieved record revenue for Q2 2018.
WWE is expected to sign Rey Mysterio soon, as the world’s most popular luchador has no more advertised independent appearances after early September.
It looks like Ricochet has been a big draw for NXT live events, which certainly bodes well for his chances of being pushed on both NXT and the main roster whenever he’s called up.
FOX is interested in having multiple WWE shows on its network when its new TV deal for SmackDown begins in October 2019. Among the shows being considered are a SmackDown pre-show and a post-PPV show that would presumably be similar to Talking Smack.
WWE officials reportedly believe SummerSlam “lacks excitement,” and though the pay-per-view certainly features a lot of star power, it isn’t necessarily loaded with must-see matches or rivalries.
There are apparently “several” wrestlers who are looking to leave WWE later this year, marking the second time over the last year or so that rumors have surfaced about a potential mass exodus of talent from the company.
Sting said he is “done with wrestling,” so we can officially call it quits on any chatter about a potential Sting vs. Undertaker dream match.
Former UFC fighter and indie stalwart Matt Riddle has reportedly inked a three-year deal with WWE. He is expected to show up at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn and instantly be pushed as one of NXT’s top stars.
Early betting odds suggest Samoa Joe will beat AJ Styles at SummerSlam, which would end Styles’ lengthy nine-month reign as WWE Champion.
WWE reportedly offered Tommy Dreamer a whopping $1 million to shutdown his independent promotion House of Hardcore, which certainly shows that the company is serious about eliminating any organization deemed as competition.
Several WWE competitors, ranging from MLW to ROH to NJPW, are seeking lucrative TV deals that could position them as the first true competition WWE has head since WCW.
WWE is reportedly interested in signing Fenix and Pentagon Jr., who are currently working for Impact Wrestling and are two of the world’s best luchadores.
Blake Oestriecher is an
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