The SummerSlam main event match between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa for the WWE title tonight will be contested under Bloodline Rules.
Bloodline Rules, meaning anything goes, ensures that there will be a lot of interference during the match. Sikoa made the request for the condition during last night’s Smackdown.
Sikoa promised that the title would be coming back to The Bloodline and Cody fired back saying that all he has to do is beat the Tribal Chief, and since the real Tribal Chief is not here, he’ll have to do with a wannabe.
There are rumors that Roman Reigns will be returning on the show tonight. He has not been seen since night two of WrestleMania XL.
SummerSlam 2024 is just around the corner and today we bring you the early odds for the show. Tomorrow night we will update the odds with the latest numbers.
Please remember that these odds will likely change so be careful if you are betting with real money.
In the main event, Cody Rhodes is the overwhelming favorite to retain the WWE championship with his odds at 1/25 while The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa is at 15/2 in his numbers.
Bookmakers think that there will be a new WWE World Heavyweight champion as Gunther is the favorite to beat Damian Priest at the show. Gunther is 1/4 favorite as of now while Priest is 5/2 to retain.
The year-long feud between CM Punk and Drew McIntyre finally reaches its climax tomorrow and it’s not good news for CM Punk as McIntyre is favorite with 7/10 odds while Punk is 1/1.
Logan Paul gets to defend his United States title in his hometown of Cleveland but LA Knight is the favorite to take it away from him with odds of 1/5 for the challenger while the champ is 3/1 to retain.
It looks like Sami Zayn’s reign as Intercontinental champion is also coming to an end as Bron Breakker is the big favorite with 1/10 odds to win the title while Zayn is 19/4 to walk out of Cleveland still with the title.
Nia Jax, the challenger for Bayley’s WWE Women’s title, is also the favorite heading in, with Jax having 4/7 odds and Bayley is at 5/4 to retain.
Mami hopes to be on top tomorrow night but the Liv Morgan revenge tour seems like it will continue as Morgan is 3/10 favorite to retain the WWE Women’s World title while the returning Ripley is 11/5 to regain the title she never lost.
SummerSlam weekend kicks off tonight with Smackdown returning live from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, just 24 hours away from the biggest party of the Summer.
Two title matches will take place tonight, both of which are for the tag team titles. Reigning WWE Tag Team champions Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano will be defending their gold against Jacob Futu and Tama Tonga of The Bloodline while Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn will defend the WWE Women’s Tag Team titles against the team of Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.
Plus, Cleveland’s own Logan Paul will be in the house and a final face-off between Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa will take place.
A double header of Biography: WWE Legends aired on A&E this past weekend with episodes on The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase and Paul Heyman.
The Ted DiBiase episode at 8PM did 297,000 viewers, up 89,000 viewers from the prior week. The show did a 0.07 rating in 18-49, up 0.02 from the Mark Henry episode.
Immediately following the conclusion of the DiBiase episode, the biography of Paul Heyman drew 262,000 viewers, down 35,000 viewers. It had a 0.05 rating in 18-49, down 0.02 from the DiBiase one. (Ratings credit: Wrestling Observer)
Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com is reporting in an exclusive story that Matt and Jeff Hardy met WWE officials this morning in Cleveland, Ohio.
Both of them were in town for the WrestleCon even which is being held in the area coinciding with SummerSlam and are expected to be part of the TNA Impact television tapings at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida this weekend.
Matt and Jeff Hardy are still considered free agents despite regularly appearing on TNA television. Johnson adds that the two brothers filmed some stuff for WWE Digital as well.
Matt left WWE in March 2020 when his contract expired while Jeff was released from his contract in December 2021 after he walked out during a tag team match at a non-televised live event.
The two departed All Elite Wrestling this year after both their contracts expired at different times.
On the latest episode of Grilling JR, Jim Ross said he believes Shane McMahon would add a lot to the AEW product if he were to come in as an on-screen talent.
Ross, who admitted that he’s a fan of McMahon, discussed the photo and meeting between Shane and Tony Khan and said that his name identity and ability to do physical things within reason would contribute to AEW television.
JR said that if Khan the entrepreneur thought Shane could help in some way and if Shane wanted a good pay day and have some fun, AEW is the place to go.
“The wrestling business is in Shane’s blood,” Ross continued. “Where else does he go if he wants to stay in that vocation? Where else does he go?”
Ross added that he has no inside information on Shane’s future with AEW and said he has no “outstanding hope” but he’s the guy and could be a great new addition at some point.
“And if so, between both their creative abilities, it would be entertaining,” Ross concluded.
Fans who attended last night’s Absolute Intense Wrestling indie show at Temple Live in Cleveland got an unexpected surprise in the form of WWE Tag Team champions DIY.
The show streamed live on Triller TV and Gargano and Ciampa brought their WWE gold with them. The two cut a promo in the middle of the ring, putting over independent wrestling and AIW.
Gargano, who is from the area, wrestled for AIW in the past so this was not just a random appearance at a random independent show.
DIY are not part of the SummerSlam card but will be wrestling The Bloodline tonight with the WWE Tag Team titles on the line on Friday Night Smackdown.
Dynamite this week drew 609,000 viewers, the second least-watched broadcast of 2024 and the second least-watched for a Wednesday show ever. That is down 159,000 viewers from the previous week largely thanks to the Olympics as head-to-head competition. The show had a 0.18 rating in 18-49, down 0.08 from the previous show and was #8 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
Multiple industry insiders are reporting that Britt Baker was suspended and fined by AEW for a backstage confrontation with MJF and his girlfriend and AEW interviewer Alicia Atout.
In his latest edition of the Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer wrote that the altercation happened during the 250th episode of Dynamite just over two weeks ago when Baker passed some comments about MJF which Atout overheard. Atout told MJF about it and then he confronted Baker about her comments.
The incident took place after the one-hour match between MJF and Will Ospreay and Baker and Atout also had an altercation in the same day.
Meltzer adds that following an investigation, all parties were talked to the following week on Dynamite and Baker was handed her suspension. It’s unclear how long her suspension is or when it’s up, but Baker will be taking on Mercedes Mone at All In later this month.
Baker has just returned to the company following several months out due to an injury.
Mark Henry’s son Jacob has signed a developmental deal with WWE. The news was announced by Jacob himself during Remix Rumble, where he appeared along with his father.
Jacob, who attends the University of Oklahoma, is only 18 years old and wrestles for the university’s wrestling team.
Speaking to TMZ a few days ago, the WWE Hall of Famer said that while his son might also try football, his passion is wrestling and he doesn’t want to go to the Pro Bowl or win the Super Bowl, but rather main event WrestleMania.
“He’s gotta hand me that degree first,” Mark told TMZ. “Him and my daughter both. I was like…’Y’all hand me the degree, I will give you the keys to your inheritance and you can go do whatever you want to do!”
After news leaked that she had filed for divorce from her husband Sarath Ton, TBS champion Mercedes Mone addressed the situation in a three-minute video posted on her YouTube channel.
Mone said she wanted to do this pilot because she was signing the divorce papers tomorrow and she was excited, happy, and ready to be free.
“I’m ready to be free of not being afraid,” Mone said.
Mone, who married WWE costume designer Sarath Ton eight years ago, told her agent Keven Undergaro that the two separated at the end of December 2020 and he moved out of the house a month later. She explained that she wanted to keep it private for several reasons and didn’t want the outside world to judge her when there was a lot going on her life at the time.
“I was shooting The Mandalorian plus trying everything in my power to be the main event of WrestleMania, so of course I didn’t want this stuff to get out,” she said.
Despite no longer married, Mone said she still has a great relationship with Ton and credited him for changing and saving her life.
“But I’m excited to be free and to say that I’m finally getting a divorce,” she continued.
Mone admitted that she didn’t tell anyone in WWE about her separation when she was working there because she had no clue how Vince McMahon would react.
“I was in a storyline with Bianca, Carmella, and Carmella’s sommelier, and Vince was so obsessed with me and the sommelier, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, he wanted us to be together,’ and all this stuff. So me and Sarath decided we were going to keep this a secret.”
Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Wrestling is reporting that the exclusive negotiating window between All Elite Wrestling and Warner Bros. Discovery has ended.
This means that with no media rights deal signed so far, AEW can enter into negotiations with other television networks. WBD likely has a price match clause in their current deal where if any other network bids on AEW programming, they have the right to match it.
There are rumors that Tony Khan is meeting WBD President David Zaslav this weekend in Paris, France, to continue negotiations.
Khan has stressed multiple times that he would like to stay with WBD moving forward and publicly said that the two parties had great conversations over the new deal, with Khan remaining bullish on getting a much larger deal for his company.
WWE and Destination Vancouver announced that Survivor Series: WarGames 2024 will be taking place from Vancouver, Canada, on November 30, 2024 during Thanksgiving weekend.
The Rogers Arena will host the show, a surprise to many as Inglewood’s new Intuit Dome was rumored to be getting the show.
This will be the first-ever Survivor Series from the city.
Mercedes Mone will be wrestling at the NJPW Capitol Collision event on August 30.
The event, set to take place from the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, DC, will see Mone defend her NJPW Strong Women’s title against an opponent yet to be named.
Mone has not wrestled for New Japan Pro-Wrestling since May 2023 and her match against Willow Nightingale where she broke her foot.
She won the NJPW Strong Women’s title from Stephanie Vaquer at the recent Forbidden Door pay-per-view in June.
Wingstop, an American chain of restaurants that primarily sells buffalo wings, has signed on as the presenting partner for this weekend’s SummerSlam.
As part of their sponsorship, the Wingstop logo will be placed on the mat in two corners, the first time that such thing has happened. The Prime logo will remain in the middle of the ring on the mat.
In addition, Wingstop will also be the presenting sponsor of tomorrow’s SummerSlam Kickoff event. As part of the deal, WWE Women’s champion Bayley and Drew McIntyre will appear at a Wingstop location in Berea, Ohio, between Noon and 2PM ET tomorrow.
The WWE association with Wingstop will continue throughout the summer via an ad campaign featuring Braun Strowman and WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio who will be part of a video which will air on WWE TV during the Summer.
Apart from Wingstop and Prime, WWE has also secured sponsorship from C4, Manscaped, Wheatley, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, Riot Games, and Verizon Straight Talk for the event, which is now at 60% more in sponsorship revenue compared to last year’s show according to the Associated Press.
TNA star Joe Hendry revealed in an interview with Matt Camp that he is training full time at the WWE Performance Center, being the first non-WWE contracted star to be able to do so.
Hendry credited TNA for making it happen, saying his situation is unprecedented as a TNA talent appearing on WWE television, working independent dates, training full time at the PC, and doing his own appearances and signings.
“It’s never been done before in the business. So, thank you to TNA and WWE for figuring it out,” the Scottish star said.
Hendry added that he wants to get better and better and the only way to do that is prepare, prepare, and prepare and train with the best.
He thanked Shawn Michaels, who he said is offering unbelievable mentorship, for giving him the huge opportunity.
“Shawn said ‘Hey this door is open. If you want to train at the Performance Center, we’re going to open that door.’ I was like, ‘Let’s do it,'” Hendry said.
NXT felt the wrath of changing channels and Olympics with the show drawing its second lowest number ever, with just 468,000 viewers tuning in for night one of The Great American Bash. That is down 165,000 viewers from the prior week. In 1849, the show had a 0.15 rating, down 0.04 from the previous week and the second lowest of 2024. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
The All In main event has even bigger stakes as Swerve Strickland vs Bryan Danielson is now a title vs career match.
In an in-ring segment together on Dynamite last night, Danielson said that he will be putting his career on the line and if he doesn’t beat Strickland and win the AEW World title, he would retire from in-ring competition.
Danielson admitted that his contract with AEW is up today, August 1, and made a promise to his family that he would not sign a new full-time wrestling contract.
The former WWE champion never won a title in AEW since his arrival in 2021. He is expected to remain with AEW moving forward in some way, shape, or form, but will not be wrestling weekly, or even monthly for that matter.
Danielson is said to be hurting with injuries and is not currently cleared to compete and not expected to wrestle until his All In match in London.
There is a rather unique betting culture surrounding the chaotic but undeniably fun world of professional wrestling! Often dubbed as the man’s telenovela, it cannot be denied just how enjoyable it is to watch a professional wrestling match, even if the ‘sport’ is predetermined. Most of pro-wrestling’s fanbase consider it as a part of the charm, as evidenced by the numbers of live audience members in shows like WWE Raw, Smackdown, AEW Dynamite, Collision, and of course, their big special events! The predetermined nature of pro wrestling is the epitome of show, don’t tell, which is why these bet practices for pro wrestling will help bettors remain focused in events.
Knowing is half the battle
Sourcing out in-depth pro wrestling information has come a long way since it started growing in popularity in the mainstream. The advent of social media made this information accessible, despite dissemination of insider information being treated as taboo by key industry figures. Today, however, news about pro wrestling seems to come out everyday much more easily and promoters sometimes use it to willingly mislead the fanbase about developments. Like a poke in the eye from Ric Flair out of nowhere, it can be used as a ruse so be critical of the information consumed!
But more often than not, a good indicator of the professional wrestling business is the fan reaction and reception. Most promoters would want to capitalize on a wrestler’s popularity so bookers, or people in charge of arranging who wins what matches in which event, use that fan reaction as a guide and a tool to create exciting moments and discerning fans can see what would happen from a mile away.
The same is true for bettors who would like to wager on websites like betway for potential match outcomes. For example, in the events leading up to Wrestlemania 35, anyone who followed the product wouldn’t consider placing a bet on Kofi Kingston winning the WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan after he put up a stellar performance during the Elimination Chamber. But fan demand and reaction has been incredibly high for Kingston, and it has likely influenced bookers to finally put Kingston in the company’s top spot. It was also a significant win for Kofi Kingston fans all over the world!
Avoid betting on main event talent
If there is ever a match put together on the weekly iteration of WWE Raw that puts up the current champion in a match a few weeks before a major event comes up, the champion will almost always win that match. Unless the situation calls for it, which rarely ever happens, champions don’t easily lose on weekly episodes. With this information in mind, it is also safe to say that title changes are most likely to occur in main events such as WWE’s Wrestlemania or Royal Rumble and AEW’s All In or Full Gear.
Much like in professional wrestling matches, the odds on websites like betway will almost always be in favor of the champion. Earnings from wagers placed on current champions winning are most likely lower compared to the challenger. But remember! Fan reception is an indicator and most of the time, it’s the most obvious one. A significant example of this is Hangman Adam Page’s championship match against the AEW World Heavyweight Champion at the time, Kenny Omega, in AEW Full Gear. Hangman Adam Page had the momentum for weeks entering that match, which resulted in Page finally winning the title.
Learning how pro wrestling works is as exciting as watching its matches. Once a player gets, and more importantly, enjoys, how the business works, placing good wagers and bets will become second nature!
The SummerSlam store will be open for public starting today ahead of this weekend’s premium live event.
Located at Tower City Center on W. Huron Rd, the shop will have the largest collection of SummerSlam merchandise under one roof along with replica championship titles, Superstar apparel, signed memorabilia, collectibles, mini-titles and so much more.
Opening hours are today from 10AM to 7PM, tomorrow from 10AM to Midnight, Saturday from 10AM to 7PM, and Sunday from 10AM to 5PM.
A couple of meet and greets will also take place at this store, starting today with Chelsea Green from 5PM to 6PM, tomorrow it will be Candice LeRae from 11AM to Noon, and Sunday it’s Bron Breakker’s turn from 11AM to Noon.
A second store will also open inside the Cleveland Browns Team Store inside the Cleveland Browns Stadium.
Opening hours are today from 10AM to 6PM, tomorrow from 10AM to 7PM, and Saturday from 10AM until gates close.
Meet and greets inside this store will have The Street Profits today from 3PM to 4PM, and Austin Theory and Grayson Waller tomorrow from 1PM to 2PM.
