New NXT Women’s Tag Team champions were crowned last night at the Great American Bash with Io Shirai and Zoey Stark defeating Candice LaRae and Indi Hartwell for the gold.
Shirai and Stark had some assist in the form of the returning Tegan Nox, who appeared during the end of the match to distract Candice LaRae. With Shirai knocking both out, she tagged in Stark who hit her finishing move on Hartwell for the pin.
This was Stark’s first title in NXT, which came relatively quick considering she only made her debut earlier this year. Shirai becomes the third person to hold both the NXT Women’s and NXT Women’s Tag Team titles following Raquel Gonzalez and Ember Moon.
The reign of The Way was not a long one, with the duo only lasting as champions just over two months. They won the titles from Shotzi Blackheart and Ember Moon in early May to become the third team to hold the championship.
All Elite Wrestling hits the road today for the first Dynamite outside Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida since March. Apart from a few tapings at QT Marshall’s gym in Georgia, Dynamite has been held in Jacksonville throughout the pandemic, behind closed doors and slowly in front of fans.
But tonight’s Road Rager Dynamite will take place from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Florida. Just over 1,000 tickets remain available for the show. Originally, the arena was not operating at a full capacity but after tickets went on sale, the 200 Level seats were all opened for 100% capacity.
All the July episodes of Dynamite are themed, with Road Rager tonight, a two-night Fyter Fest on July 14 and 21, and then Fight For The Fallen on July 28.
AEW will return to Jacksonville and Daily’s Place for a Homecoming episode on August 4 but after that, it will be quite a while before the company holds another show there.
C4 Energy, America’s fastest growing energy drink brand, has partnered with WWE and engaged Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, Montez Ford, and Mandy Rose as part of their first-ever global brand campaign launching later this Summer.
All four Superstars have already shot promotional material for C4 and the company’s social media accounts have started promoting their drink using Reigns, Belair, Ford, and Rose.
C4 Energy has a variety of flavors, naturally sweetened with zero sugar and no artificial flavors. Their 12-pack 12oz cans start from $25.99.
The WWE is known for, among other things, its strict drug testing policy. Fortunately for the wrestlers—whose bodies take a battering every time they step into the ring—the policy is a little more flexible when it comes to cannabis and its primary ingredients, namely THC and CBD.
WWE stars who test positive for marijuana can reportedly avoid a lengthy suspension by paying a $2500 “weed tax.” What this shows is that Vince McMahon and the other top WWE execs understand the therapeutic value of cannabis and choose not to excessively punish their athletes for self-medicating with it.
Cannabis use in the WWE
Fred Rosser (aka Darren Young) estimates that as much as 90% of the WWE roster uses some form of cannabis. He told Fightful that he used a lot of CBD when he wrestled for the WWE, mostly to help manage his anxiety.
Rosser’s marijuana claims were backed up by Enzo Amore. Appearing on Chris Jericho’s podcast, Amore described himself as a “huge pothead” and said half the WWE locker room uses cannabis, viewing it as a good alternative to prescription pills.
Like Rosser, Amore is a big believer in the curative effects of CBD. He told Jericho he uses topical lotions to reduce the pain, explaining that he’d “rub the CBD cream all over my body when I was with the WWE.”
Since we’re on the subject of CBD, it would be remiss not to mention Rob Van Dam, who has his own CBD company called RVDCBD. On the company website he states that, for him, CBD is an effective stress reliever. And given that he suffered hundreds of concussions over the course of his wrestling career, he’s also interested in CBD’s effects on brain health.
Understanding CBD and its effects
I noted earlier that, along with THC, CBD is one of the main components of the cannabis plant. Most of the effects you feel when you ingest marijuana can be traced back to these major cannabinoids. (There are over 100 cannabinoids in weed, but THC and CBD are the most important.)
The key difference between them is that THC makes you high while CBD doesn’t. CBD is completely non-intoxicating. Therefore, if you want relief from pain, inflammation, anxiety, etc, but you’d rather not get stoned, you should go with a CBD product that contains little or no THC.
Such products are widely available. In fact, the vast majority of CBD on the market fits this description. Why? Because most CBD products are made from industrial hemp, not marijuana.
Whereas marijuana contains significant levels of THC (upwards of 20% in some strains), hemp contains, at most, 0.3%. That’s a truly minuscule amount of THC; as a result, you can take all the hemp CBD you want without experiencing a head high. Also, CBD derived from hemp is legal across the United States.
What does the science say?
Scientific research into CBD shows that it can benefit human health in a number of ways. Our understanding of these benefits is far from complete, but dozens of studies indicate that it can help alleviate:
Pain
Inflammation
Anxiety
Depression
Insomnia
Acne
Epilepsy
Arthritis
Multiple Sclerosis
Moreover, CBD is regarded as safe and well tolerated, meaning it causes only minor side effects. According to a 2017 study in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, commonly reported side effects of CBD include diarrhea, tiredness and changes in appetite.
That’s a small price to pay for big time relief.
The many forms of CBD
CBD comes in numerous forms. For localized pain and/or inflammation, many people prefer a topical ointment or cream, which can be used in conjunction with NSAIDs like ibuprofen and aspirin for maximum relief. (Recall Enzo Amore’s liberal use of CBD cream.)
Apart from topicals, CBD is commonly sold as oils, capsules, gummies, skin patches, beauty products, vape liquids, beverages and bath bombs. A lot of consumers end up experimenting with a few different forms to figure out which one suits them best.
To sum up, CBD is safe, effective and legal. These characteristics, plus the fact that it doesn’t cause intoxication, explain why it has become a fixture in WWE locker rooms.
It’s a big night for NXT as tonight the black and gold brand presents its second annual Great American Bash event on USA Network.
Three titles will be on the line and four matches have been announced for tonight’s broadcast. MSK will defend their NXT Tag Team titles against the team of Tommaso Ciampa and Timothy Thatcher, Indi Hartwell and Candice LaRae defend their NXT Women’s Tag Team titles against Io Shirai and Zoey Stark, LA Knight takes on Cameron Grimes with the Million Dollar title on the line and the stipulation that if Grimes loses, he will be Knight’s butler, and Adam Cole vs Kyle O’Reilly.
Also scheduled for the show are a Hit Row championship celebration following last week’s NXT North American title win by Isiah “Swerve” Scott, and a face off between NXT champion Karrion Kross and Johnny Gargano.
WWE Superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested yesterday night in Pensacola, Florida, and charged with driving under the influence according to TMZ.COM.
Uso was stopped by cops at around 10:35PM after running a red light and driving at 50 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. The police report stated that when he was questioned, they smelled alcohol and the former tag team champ was told to exit his vehicle.
After having difficulty exiting his Dodge Charger and admitting he drank a few beers before driving, cops administered a field sobriety test…which he failed. The two tests showed .202 and .205 when the legal limit in Florida is 0.08, more than doubling it.
Uso, who just returned after a long layoff, remains in jail and his bond is set at $500. He also was given citations for speeding and running a red light.
This is his third DUI arrest since 2019.
Jimmy has been part of the Roman Reigns storyline ever since he returned on television several weeks ago.
Terry Funk, the 77-year-old wrestling legend, has been diagnosed with dementia and is now being cared for at an assisted living facility.
The sad news was delivered by Don Muraco on the latest episode of his Magnificent Podcast.
Funk, who had legendary feuds everywhere he wrestled, be it NWA, WCW, WWE, ECW, and Japan, is highly regarded as one of the pioneers when it comes to hardcore wrestling. His wrestling career has spanned over five decades and is a beloved individual among his peers.
Former WWE champion Drew McIntyre will be part of Discovery’s mega popular Shark Week which kicks off on all Discovery properties on July 11.
McIntyre will host Shark Rumble, an original mid-form episode on Discovery+ and a TikTok livestream. The WWE Superstar teams up with Shark Week host and marine biologist, Luke Tipple and audiences will see what happens when the former champ has his first close encounter with sharks in one of the world’s largest single aquatic exhibits at the Georgia Aquarium.
A subscription is required to view the show on Discovery+ and those start at $4.99 with commercials.
Events are held by the UFC pretty much on a weekly basis. However, ‘Fight Nights’ don’t come much bigger than when Conor McGregor is headlining, and fans of MMA will already be counting down the days to UFC 264 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 10th, where we will see the world-renowned Irishman go up against Dustin Poirier for a third time.
With a victory each, there is little to separate the two fighters in the betting on Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier, where the bookmakers value both of their chances of winning at 9/10. That’s proof, as if it is needed, that this is going to be an incredibly close bout to predict, and it’s very hard to call a winner at this stage.
That said, let’s take a look at what we think can be expected from this blockbuster fight. Read on to find out more!
More leg kicks from Poirier
Those who watched McGregor vs Poirier go toe-to-toe for their second bout on Fight Island back in January will remember that ‘The Diamond’ relentlessly targeted the Dubliner’s legs with powerful kicks throughout the first round. By the second, it was no surprise that McGregor was hardly able to move, and that practically made him Poirier’s punchbag. It wasn’t long before ‘Mystic Mac’ could no longer withstand the American’s barrage of punches and the bout was ended about half-way through the second round.
A change of stance from McGregor
There’s absolutely no doubt that McGregor wasn’t ready for his calves to be utterly destroyed by Poirier in their second fight. Whether that was down to the Irishman not preparing properly, or a lack of competing in recent years, is up for debate. However, it wouldn’t surprise us if he enters the Octagon with a different stance on July 10th, one that will perhaps make his legs less accessible for those deadly strikes from Poirier.
McGregor will be out for revenge
This one goes without saying really. McGregor is a wounded animal and there’s no doubt that he will be out for revenge at Sin City’s T-Mobile Arena. There are suggestions that, after winning rather easily eight years ago, McGregor underestimated Poirier. Those views are even shared by the Irishman’s close friend and teammate Artem Lobov, who claimed that McGregor didn’t give Poirier ‘the respect he deserved.’ He will have been working extremely hard over the last couple of months or so to ensure that he isn’t left red-faced by the American again, especially with a huge crowd cheering him on from the stands.
McGregor must be prepared to go beyond the first round
This is another factor that McGregor perhaps wasn’t prepared for earlier this year. He ended the 2014 fight in around two minutes. However, Poirier is a much more well-rounded fighter now, with 13 more bouts under his belt (10 of which ended in victory). He was able to deal with McGregor’s big blows much better in January, and the Irishman certainly wasn’t ready for a slog. If he isn’t equipped for a gruelling encounter again this time, then he may just be left with egg on his face again. Some, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, are even arguing that if McGregor can’t end the fight in the first round, then it will Poirier’s night!
WWE has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit against investors who accused the company of misleading them when it comes to their business with Saudi Arabia and WWE will be paying $39 million to end it.
The $39 million figure is 18.2% of the damages investors were originally seeking. The lawsuit stems from WWE’s television deal in Saudi Arabia, or in this case, lack thereof. A final approval for the settlement in federal court in New York was approved by Judge Jed S. Rakoff according to Bloomberg Law.
Anyone who purchased WWE stock from February 7, 2019 through February 5, 2020 and lost money will be receiving some sort of a compensation. Those who either work with or have close ties to WWE will not get anything.
The biggest winner will the the law firm who spearheaded the case as they will get $7 million in attorney fees and an additional half a million in expenses.
Tegan Nox, who has been out of action for nearly 11 months, returned last night for her first match prior to Monday Night Raw.
PWInsider.com is reporting that Nox participated in a dark match against Toni Storm, adding her to the list of NXT names who have been doing dark matches lately. NXT champion Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Toni Storm, Shotzi Blackheart, and Bronson Reed have all wrestled dark matches and in the case of Kross and Reed, they were also on Main Event.
Nox has been out due to her third ACL tear in four years, an incredible stat that led Nox missing out the majority of those four years so far.
During an appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast, CJ Perry, better known to fans as Lana, talked about receiving the call that informed her she was getting cut from WWE.
Perry said she had just rented a house in St. Petersburg for a month to be close to the ThunderDome and closer to training facilities and two weeks in, John Laurinaitis called her with the news.
Initially she thought it was about something else, a television show she was pitched to do, but Laurinaitis was the bearer of bad news this time.
“I’m calling you about your 90 days. You’re getting released,” Perry explained what Johnny Ace told her. “And I was literally standing right next to a pool…my heart dropped.”
She said she felt relieved afterwards, a weird feeling that she did not expect but felt like a big weight was lifted off her shoulder. Laurinaitis told her that the reason was due to budget cuts.
Perry also told Jericho that she did receive a text message from Vince McMahon and was emotional for her because it was like a goodbye.
“He thanked me for my incredible work ethic, and for my unrelentingly desire to be the best that I could be and all the contributions I gave to WWE,” she said. “So that really meant a lot to me, and I thanked him for everything that he’s taught me because I learned so much.”
Perry revealed that Mandy Rose was the first one to know about because they were texting when Laurinaitis called and then Natalya was the second one who found out.
Players choose to play at an online casino for two reasons: To win money or not to win money. First, of course, there is a sense of excitement that comes with the thrill of playing at online casinos when you are gambling away your money. Second, while having fun is critical when playing at online casinos, it is also critical that players have a goal in mind and enter the game with reasonable expectations. Even if you believe you are the best player, the house advantage impacts all players. An online gambling strategy understands that there is a house edge, that you have a set bankroll, and that you are aware of the many issues a player may face. As a gambler, you want to have the most satisfactory possible gaming experience, so keep reading to learn about the advantages of having a casino strategy.
Gambling Games and Gambling Techniques
Because internet casinos, such as Daftar Slot online and several others employ a Random-Number-Generator, there is a guarantee of unpredictability, ensuring that each hand has the same odds as the previous ones. Wagering systems are divided into two categories. Negative Progression states that if you lose a hand, you need to double your wager. On the other side, positive Progressions argues that you must raise your stake following a series of wins.
House of Edge and Casino Strategy
The house edge powers casinos. Even if you are on a winning streak, the casino’s house edge will ultimately appear, ensuring that the casino profits from your play. The house advantage fluctuates according to the game. However, some games have a house edge of less than 1%. You’ll need to pick the perfect casino game to take advantage of a low house edge. Now, if your primary goal is to have fun regardless of the house edge, you can proceed to the next phase.
However, for the best gaming experience, knowing how high or low the house edge is on a certain casino game is critical. Once you’ve decided on a game to play, you’ll need to devise a strategy for doing so. You ought to be able to maintain the house edge as low as possible once you’ve refined your game approach.
Bankroll Management and Gambling Strategy
To have a positive gaming experience, you must be able to manage your own money. To successfully manage your money, you’ll need some self-control. Calculate how much you’d like to spend when it’s a good idea to walk away and how much you’re willing to give up. This should give you a good notion of how much cash you’ll need and how you’ll manage it. If you don’t regulate your budget, you’re putting yourself up for disappointment, so set a winning restriction, a losing limit, and a timeframe. In this manner, if you lose the money you predicted to lose, you won’t regret it.
Conclusion
It is critical that you develop a gambling strategy. In online casinos such as Daftar Slot online and others, having a sound casino strategy in place will add to your fun and keep you more in control, in addition to safeguarding and extending out your bankroll as much as possible.
WWE will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the nWo starting tomorrow, July 5.
It was back on July 7, 1996, when Hulk Hogan was unveiled as the third man at the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view, aligning himself with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash and destroying Sting and Macho Man Randy Savage in the process. That night, the nWo was born and as they say, the rest is history.
To commemorate the nWo’s 25-year anniversary, WWE will be featuring several nWo-related material on their website, social media, and WWE Network. The Best of The nWo airs on Tuesday, X-Pac joins WWE’s The Bump on Wednesday, and Kevin Nash joins Steve Austin on a new episode of Broken Skull Sessions on Sunday, all of which will air on the Network.
The celebration continues on WWE social channels, with nWo-themed episodes of your favorite YouTube series, like WWE Top 10 and WWE Playlist, plus Instagram Stories, TikToks, classic videos, photos and more.
The planned Lex Luger Icons original documentary by WWE Network which was supposed to debut today has been pulled from the schedule.
There’s no news as to why the company decided to pull the plug on today’s release date but it looks like other original documentaries have also been put on hold. This was supposed to be the fourth Icons documentary following the ones on Yokozuna, Beth Phoenix, and Rob Van Dam. The Luger doc was set to coincide with the 28th year anniversary of when Luger bodyslammed Yokozuna on the USS Intrepid in New York on the 4th of July in 1993.
WWE went full speed ahead with promoting the documentary on their social media throughout the week but the documentary was missing from this week’s schedule of what’s streaming on the Network.
Former WWE Raw and Smackdown Women’s champion Becky Lynch is serving as the voice of the UFC 264 commercial for BT Sport in the United Kingdom.
UFC 264, airing next Saturday, will feature the third fight between Dustin Poirier and fellow Irish Superstar Conor McGregor, with the series tied at 1-1. Glimpses of Lynch are also inserted in the video as BT Sport hypes the epic climax of this trilogy.
BT Sport has become famous for their incredible videos both for WWE and UFC especially for their big events. You can check out the UFC 264 commercial below.
This week’s Smackdown on the eve of the 4th of July holiday drew its lowest overnight number so far on FOX, with only an average of 1,740,000 viewers tuning in. That was down 119,000 viewers from last week’s overnight. Last week’s show eventually drew 1,948,000 viewers when the final number came in.
The first hour started with 1,699,000 viewers and then it grew to 1,782,000 viewers in the second hour. The show did 0.4 in the 18-49, coming second to the Stanley Cup Final on NBC. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
While her visit to the WWE Performance Center back in May was leaked, few thought that Thea Trinidad, the artist known as Zelina Vega, would return to WWE especially after her husband Aleister Black was unceremoniously released a week after he made his return on WWE television following a six-month layoff.
But Vega returned last night on Friday Night Smackdown on FOX and was immediately added to the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match. She also lost her first match in a quickie to Liv Morgan last night.
In her first public comments since her return, Vega said, “What to take from tonight: I’m back. I’m going to be in the MITB ladder match…and I will win. Period. Everything else is irrelevant.”
Vega, who was released last November, posted a now famous tweet which read “I support unionization,” just minutes before WWE announced that she was fired for breach of contract. That November 13 tweet from Vega has now been deleted and is no longer visible.
The tweet even garnered the support of labor union SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris who reached out to Vega, thanking her for standing strong for labor solidarity and told her that she supports her, even giving her e-mail address to talk to her.
During an interview with PopCulture.com, NBA legend and huge wrestling fan Shaquille O’Neal brought up Paul Wight and the history between the two and suggested that we might eventually see the match that has been in the works between the two since their WWE days.
“I hear Paul Wight’s still talking trash, so I’m going to work out really hard this summer, and maybe we could do something very, very soon,” Shaq said.
Shaq and Big Show were supposed to wrestle in a WWE ring but the stars never aligned for that one although both had a confrontation at WrestleMania 32 during the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
With Wight under an AEW deal and Shaq working for TNT and already making appearances for the promotion, including wrestling in a tag team match, things should be easier to get it done.
“Shouldn’t be any problems for us getting together now,” Shaq continued. “Last time it was lot of bureaucracy and red tape and now there is no red tape.”
Shaq said that he’s still “kind of sore” from the table spot on Dynamite back in March but he’s going to pump his muscles this Summer in preparation.
“I’ll be waiting for you, Mr. Paul,” Shaq said.
Responding to the video interview, Wight wrote that he’s not hard to find.
This week’s Monday Night Raw drew an average of 1,570,000 viewers, which is down 149,000 viewers from the previous week and the second least-watched Raw broadcast in the history of the show.
Raw drew 1,646,000 in the first hour, followed by 1,606,000 in the second hour, and down significantly to 1,460,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
In the 18-49 demo, the show drew a record low of 0.41, off 0.44, 0.43, and 0.37 hours. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV.com)
