Does Rousey vs. Steph seem familiar?
WWE teased a feud between Stephanie McMahon and Ronda Rousey dating back to WrestleMania 31 in 2015.
Several months ago in this very column, we looked at how WWE was going to use Rousey鈥檚 popularity to help McMahon build a bigger reputation in national circles.
Rousey made Steph tap out at WrestleMania 34, and this past Monday on Raw, Rousey attacked her.
Is anyone else having flashbacks of 鈥淪tone Cold鈥� Steve Austin and Vince McMahon?
Starting in 1997, WWE used Austin鈥檚 popularity and Vince 鈥渟crewing鈥� Bret Hart out of the WWE title to create the greatest WWE villain of all-time.
However, it was Austin who truly made Vince into that character, and is WWE going down the same path with Rousey and Steph?
That is the vibe I am getting and while time will tell, don鈥檛 be surprised to see a one-on-one match down the road between the two.
Angle training for in-ring return
A part of the reason Kurt Angle has gone on a 鈥渧acation鈥� was so that he could apparently amp up his training for an in-ring return. The most logical opponent for him is Baron Corbin.
Kevin Owens quitting
This past Monday on Raw, Kevin Owens 鈥渜uit.鈥� Don鈥檛 fret KO fans, as it is all part of a storyline.
Neville update
Neville鈥檚 no-compete clause outside of WWE has expired, so he is free to wrestle for whoever he wants.
In an odd move, he was recently spotted in Pittsburgh, which is where one of WWE鈥檚 top doctors is located. Could he be gearing up for another WWE run already?
RYSE returns to Lemont Furnace
New RYSE champion 鈥淭he Reaper鈥� Matt Conrad defends the title against Jason Gory Saturday night at The Stronghold in Lemont Furnace. For more information, go to www.RYSEwrestling.com.
WWE ticket sale update
WWE has two huge shows lined up for October, and the Wrestling Observer Newsletter gave details on both.
The Super-Show in Australia is selling tickets well-below the pace WWE thought it would sell, as it originally said 80,000 tickets would be sold.
Now it looks like it will be lucky to get to 60,000, which is still a huge number.
The Evolution PPV in Long Island, N.Y., at the end of October still has tickets available at every level. The event is set up for 11,000 seats.
On this date:
Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff creates a World title and awards it to Triple H in 2002.
This was to counteract Paul Heyman and undisputed WWE champion Brock Lesnar taking his title to Smackdown exclusively.
This week鈥檚 question:
Going back to Extreme Rules in Pittsburgh, which I went to, we all know how Vince McMahon can get, at times, when he doesn鈥檛 get his way. With that being said, how long do you think it鈥檒l be until, or if at all, Pittsburgh gets another PPV at PPG Paints Arena, especially after how the fans were acting during the 30-minute Iron Man match main event? I am sure Vince wasn鈥檛 happy hearing the fans count down every minute like it was the Royal Rumble. Nate Everly, Uniontown.
WWE brings PPV鈥檚 to Pittsburgh every two years or so, give or take.
That said, I know for a fact that there were members of management that were furious as to the fact that fans were counting down every minute.
WWE returns to Pittsburgh for Smackdown on Dec. 29, but that event has been booked for at least three or four months.
If the off-the-cuff behavior continues, it could lead to Pittsburgh getting fewer PPV鈥檚 or TV events.