Another WWE Backstage Release! | WrestleTalk News

I’m telling you, Chopper Pete, no-one’s going to top the US belt and the 24/7 belt in WWE as the worst championship designs in all of wrestling.

Oh my god. 

But it is in the Tokyo Dome. 6su stars desnai!

Tempest will have more on New Japan’s controversial new heavyweight title design in his world wrestling round up at the end of this video.

“I just can’t believe they’re gone” 

And the beautiful old IWGP title belt isn’t the only thing gone from wrestling this week.

It’s that time of the year WWE lets everyone go again segway!

Another WWE Release Backstage

Following Andrade being granted his release two Sundays ago, Ringside News is reporting the WWE writer/producer Chris Dunn – no relation to Kevin ‘Shake It Like a WWE Beatdown Camera’ Dunn – is now gone from the company.

Chris first joined WWE in August 2016, and he was revealed to be behind a lot of the Street Profits’ promo work last year. While Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins did improvise occasionally, they were apparently “more scripted than you’d expect” – with Chris Dunn as the one doing the scripting. The Street Profits’ relationship with Dunn was said to be very good backstage, a partnership that was originally put together by Paul Heyman when he was executive directing Raw. But, much like everything else Heyman tried to build in his tenure in control of Monday nights – like Andrade, Buddy Murphy and Aleister Black – it’s now been dismantled. 

We’ll always have your sexy schwing, Drew McIntyre.

It’s an odd move to make just two weeks out from WWE’s biggest show of the year, where they typically need every hand on deck – YES THAT WAS A PIRATE PUN FOR THE PIRATE THEMED SHOW, I’M VERY HAPPY WITH THAT – for extra writing and producing jobs during the increased workload.

Speaking of things that Heyman tried to get over!

Another depressing sign of WWE taking steps backwards segway.

SmackDown Wrestler Told To Delete Posts

Buddy Murphy, without any real program right now, has been trying to grab those brass rings – that definitely do exist – by building his own storyline on social media. 

In the eternal Seth Rollins vs The Mysterios feud last year, Murphy finally became an item with Aalyah Mysterio in December. But because there was no Seth around anymore, WWE kind of lost interest in it all, and it was dropped, and Aalyah hasn’t really been seen since.

Ringside News has reported even now “still doesn’t know if she’s finished with WWE or if she will be used,” which has made Murphy “legit frustrated”.

So on the Road to WrestleMania, Buddy posted a comment on Instagram calling out Rey, Dominic and Aalyah in a worked shoot style – saying his kayfabe girlfriend “used me to be on TV and advance an acting career.”

But while WWE say they want wrestlers to go out there and make names for themselves, that’s just doublespeak, as it’s now come out officials ordered Buddy to delete that post.

Dave Meltzer has revealed on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE ordered Murphy to take down his comment calling out the Mysterios, which he has. Ringside News elaborated on Buddy’s backstage feelings right now, which is yet another version of a wrestler being pushed and creatively fulfilled when being booked by Paul Heyman, but losing his momentum when Heyman lost his booking role. He’s now “desperate” to get noticed, and his “frustration is building.” It’s unknown when his contract expires.

So Buddy’s just going to keep trying to book another match, by knocking for his old mate.

Aliest Black and Murphy had a series of matches at the start of last year, but Black too fell out of favour when Heyman was removed from creative. So Murphy tweeted:

“Wonna steal the show’s at #WrestleMania @WWEAleister ? ” 

Which Black himself has now responded to, quote retweeting with a picture of his gear.

Black hasn’t been seen on TV since last October, where he was way down the Draft picks to SmackDown, and his real life wife Zelina Vega got released by the company the following month. PWInisder have reported his absence has been because he’s been healing up from minor injuries, and has started training again at the Performance Center in the last several weeks.

What do you think about Murphy, Black and all the other Paul Heyman guys from last year? Should they form a faction? Should they request their releases? Should they go back to NXT? Let me know in the comments down below, because I’ll be replying to people FROM OUTTA… this swing set with my besties Alexa Bliss and the Fiend.

But Murphy isn’t the only WWE wrestler trying to start a feud on social media. Because Carmella wants to fight the booking of Raw’s women’s division.

WWE Raw Fallout

Following Monday’s terrible episode of Raw, Carmella tweeted, seemingly in reference to the amount of women’s wrestling on the show:

“Less than 10 minutes total in THREE WHOLE HOURS??? Thinking faceFace with monocleExpressionless face”

You’re just jealous you haven’t got Reginald anymore.

Watching Raw, particularly its treatment of the women’s division when Charlotte’s not there, does often feel like they don’t have any plans or direction or care for the future. Which is nonsense. Because they’re apparently going to have a four way women’s tag match on Night One, to crown a number one contender for the titles on Night Two.

What says well-thought out plan like a multi-person match added last minute!

According to PWInsider, an angle was taped for this coming Monday’s Raw to set up the matches, and that “it may be four teams”, although that could change. Going by Raw and SmackDown for, what feels like, the last nine years, that’ll be some combination of Lana & Naomi, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke and The Riott Squad. 

It’s that sort of riveting week-to-week programming that has pulled in Raw’s lowest rating of the year this week: an abysmal 1.7 million viewers, down over 100,00 viewers from the previous week. 

And one possible reason for this has come out. WWE is intentionally botching their programming.

Matt Riddle Botch Was A Work

On Monday’s episode of Raw, Riddle went up to Asuka backstage and started to do his ‘comedy’ about how scooters could be big in Japan… when he then forgot his lines, looked right into the camera to apologise, and then walked off. Asuka looked genuinely confused, and the show cut to commercial.

It was a rare moment of spontaneity on the show, something felt real for a change in the very fake world of WWE. 

Only, apparently, it wasn’t.

Ringside News is reporting Vince McMahon wasn’t angry with Riddle backstage following the ‘botch’, and he was still put on Raw Talk directly afterwards. Something they say WWE wouldn’t have done if he really did screw up. They claim Riddle forgetting his lines and then looking into the camera was actually the plan – to fit into Riddle’s stoner character.

The term ‘WCW in 2001 bad’ is thrown around a lot at the current WWE product. I’ve always said to those, go back and watch WCW from 2001. It’s way worse than anything WWE are doing even now. Until this, if true. To say to the audience that their show is falling apart, to intentionally say so blatantly that pro wrestling is a work, brother, to deliberately make a bad TV show, really is WCW in 2001 bad.

What do you think about the Riddle ‘botch’? Let me know in the comments.

WrestleMania Plans

Elsewhere in WWE, the very reliable WrestleVotes has tweeted there may not be “a match on the WrestleMania kickoff show for night 1, as the 1st entrance back in front of fans is being looked at as a HUGE deal.”

It’s something they might want to figure out sooner rather than later, unlike their contract with the Raymond James Stadium – which Jon Alba has revealed wasn’t officially signed until the 16th March, which was one of the days Mania tickets were meant to go on sale, but got delayed.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the delayed 2020 class was taped yesterday at the Thunderdome, and hosted by Jerry Lawler. Here’s a photo of the inductees JBL, the Bella Twins, the NWO and Smith family representing the British Bulldog, along with Warrior Award recipient Titus O’Neil, flanked by Triple H and Vince McMahon. There was no mention of the originally intended headliner, Batista – who says it’s because of a scheduling conflict.

William Shatner was also announced as the 2021 class’ celebrity inductee. Both ceremonies will air next tuesday on Peacock and the WWE Network.

And get used to wrestling on Tuesdays, because after being first reported over a month ago, it’s been made official…

NXT Moving To Tuesday Nights

…NXT is moving to Tuesday nights. 

WWE and the USA Network have announced a “multi-year extension” for NXT, which will move from Wednesday to Tuesday nights live from April 13th. 

Which means, yes, we will be trying out NXT reviews and podcasts on WrestleTalk again – hooray!

Be thankful you filthy marks.

Chopper Pete and Tempest will be doing live reactions for next week’s two night Stand and Deliver Takeover, with a full night one and two review podcast on Friday, and we’ll then do weekly NXT reviews from April 14th, along with Tempest doing an ‘in about 4 minutes’ cutdown review to go in the WrestleTalk News here.

What are your thoughts on the above story? Let us know in the comments on Twitter or Facebook.

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