Kevin Owens qualified for the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match last night on Smackdown after he defeated Sami Zayn in a last man standing match.
Owens now joins Drew McIntyre, Riddle, Ricochet, John Morrison, and Big E in the match. Two more Smackdown entrants are left and they will be decided next week when the qualifying matches of Seth Rollins vs Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura vs Baron Corbin take place.
As previously noted, Zelina Vega also joined the women’s MITB ladder match after her surprise return.
An I Quit match for the Smackdown Women’s title was added to the card as well with Bianca Belair defending against Bayley.
Zelina Vega made her surprise return on Smackdown last night and was announced as one of the entrants in the women’s Money In The Bank ladder match.
Vega was fired from WWE in November for breach of contract after refusing to stop doing business with third party providers such as Twitch, etc. Vega did beat WWE to the punch though as she tweeted that she supported unionization before WWE announced her release. Her tweet caught the eye of SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing over 160,000 performers with its president reaching out to Trinidad directly. A week later, the union wrote on Twitter that they had a “powerful conversation” with the former WWE star in hopes of bringing changes to professional wrestling.
In May, Vega, real name Thea Trinidad, was spotted at the WWE Performance Center filming some material, fueling rumors that she was about to return to the company.
AEW President Tony Khan had expressed his wish to sit down and talk with Trinidad this past February to see if she’d like to come to the company.
Her husband, Aleister Black, was also recently released.
Vega wrestled on Smackdown after she was interrupted by Liv Morgan and Morgan beat her in less than two minutes. Welcome back!
The video game WWE 2K Battlegrounds will be available for free for PlayStation 4 this month.
Announced on the PlayStation blog, the game will be available to add to your library starting July 6.
The entry for WWE 2K Battlegrounds on the PS blog reads, “The world of WWE is your battleground with over-the-top, arcade action as your favorite WWE Superstars and Legends battle in interactive environments around the world. Play through a new story mode while unlocking unique characters and Battlegrounds. Compete using special abilities and power-ups in match types like Steel Cage, Royal Rumble, and more! Compete in Online Tournaments or stake your claim as King of the Battleground against players from around the world! Plus, battle it out in local multiplayer and dominate your friends.”
WWE 2K Battlegrounds was released in September 2020 for PS4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
The WWE Performance Center increased by three this week after three recruits from Asia started their training at the state-of-the-art facility in Orlando.
The three new recruits are Feicheng Wang, Sean Tan, and Jie Yin.
Wang, from China, is 6’2″ and weighs 242 pounds. He was originally trained by former WWE PC coach Hartley Jackson and Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist Alexander Otsuka.
Tan, 25 years old from Singapore, is a former Singapore Pro Wrestling Southeast Asia Champion under the name of Trexxus.
Yin, also from China, is a CrossFit athlete and indoor rower. She placed second in the CrossFit China Open and competed in the Asia CrossFit Championship.
Bea Priestley, the 25-year old British star, has signed with WWE and will be part of the NXT UK brand using the name of Blair Davenport.
Using her new name, she was unveiled during last night’s episode of NXT UK on the WWE Network in a video. The two-part video, which actually started last week, showed a woman opening a briefcase taking out an NXT UK contract. She signed the document with the name Blair Davenport but the camera never showed her face.
In last night’s video, the woman was unveiled as Priestley. “I have wrestled all around the world, I have sacrificed everything to get to where I am today,” she said. “I have given up friends, I have given up family, to master what I do. Did you really think that I wouldn’t end up a part of the greatest women’s division on earth? Blair Davenport has arrived in NXT UK.”
Prior to her NXT UK arrival, she was part of World Wonder Ring Stardom where she wrestled there for three years. She also appeared on NJPW where she was a member of Will Ospreay’s United Empire faction.
Priestley also wrestled for AEW where she was under contract but the coronavirus pandemic prevented her from traveling and she was released from the promotion last year.
Fans welcomed back Dynamite on Wednesday night in its regular time slot big time as this week’s show drew 883,000 viewers, up 234,000 viewers from last Saturday’s broadcast. The show received a 0.35 in the 18-49 demo, up considerably from last Saturday’s 0.21 as well. The last time AEW was on a Wednesday – on May 19 – it did 821,000 viewers so it even beat that number. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
Del Wilkes, better known to wrestling fans as The Patriot, passed away yesterday at the age of 59. Wilkes suffered a heart attack which was the cause of death.
The South Carolina native was trained by Verne Gagne and The Fabulous Moolah and made his pro wrestling debut in 1988 with the AWA. It was in 1991 when he moved to Global Wrestling Federation that he changed his name to The Patriot, a name he would later use again in a WWE run.
Between 1992 and 1994 he wrestled for All Japan Pro Wrestling before heading to WCW for a year in 1994 where he teamed up with Marcus Bagwell to form the Stars and Stripes tag team. In 1997 he landed in WWE and used the theme song that later became famous as Kurt Angle’s theme.
Wilkes feuded with Bret Hart and the Hart Foundation, even receiving a WWE title shot at an In Your House pay-per-view. His run in WWE did not last long and in November of that year he had his final match and was released in the beginning of 1998.
Following his retirement from professional wrestling, he worked as a car salesman for Dick Smith Nissan in Columbia, South Carolina. His personal life took a downward spiral for a bit after he admitted using steroids and cocaine throughout his career, even as a football player, and in 2002 he was sentenced to prison for forging a prescription, spending nine months locked up.
During his career, Wilkes won titles in AJPW, AWA, GFW, and WCW, but never won a title in WWE.
NXT on USA this week drew just 636,000 viewers, down 29,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. This was the least-watched NXT since March 17 and the 18-49 demo number was just 0.13, down 0.04 from last week as well. The NBA game on TNT head-to-head drew over 4 million viewers and if the series goes to the 7th game, NXT will face the final Bucks vs Hawks game this Tuesday head-to-head with Great American Bash. (Ratings credit: Wrestlenomics)
All Elite Wrestling will have three consecutive shows in Hoffman Estates, Illinois for All Out week in the beginning of September.
Dynamite on September 1, Rampage on September 3, and All Out on pay-per-view on September 5 will all be held at the NOW Arena, and obviously all shows will be live.
Tickets for the shows will go on sale on Friday, July 9 at 11AM ET on AEWTix.com.
This is the third All Out at the 11,000-seater NOW Arena, formerly known as the Sears Centre, with both the 2018 and 2019 editions hosted there. The 2020 All Out was at the Daily’s Place due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fans online are giving AEW commentator Jim Ross a lot of flack for a big mistake he made towards the end of last night’s Dynamite.
As the announcers were plugging Road Rager from Miami for next week, the legendary Hall of Famer closed the show by saying, “Folks, there is nothing in your life that will top seeing a live WWE Dynamite!”
His mistake went uncorrected during the broadcast as they were literally in the credits but Ross addressed his snafu on Twitter, admitting the blunder.
“Yep I apparently made an untimely error tonight at shows end,” Ross said. “No excuses. And I’m not quitting.”
It’s not the first time that JR said WWE instead of AEW during a live broadcast. Some fans took JR’s side, but others were not as forgiving.
“It was cute at first, but it’s been three years now. I’m not saying fire the guy but he’s a liability on a live mic,” said one user. “When does ‘ur a legend’ quit being an excuse?” wondered another. “These things happen. Not worse than calling your partner by your exes name tho,” joked a different Twitter user. “I once called a girlfriend by her roommate’s name. I feel your pain,” continued another.
Other users put their graphic design to use, making WWE Dynamite and WWE Monday Night Dynamite logos for fun.
When looking to pick the best online casino, considering several factors can mean the difference between success & stress. Here’s our detailed guide.
Pick The Best Online Casino With These Professional Hacks
You’ll often hear complicated instructions on how to pick the best online casino for your needs. Unfortunately, various watchdog portals and wanna-be sites unnecessarily “invent” countless factors and aspects you need to look for in different operators. Indeed, this decision should not come lightly, and there is a fair amount of research involved to maximize your gambling session. However, there’s also no need to go to the extreme with your considerations when you can follow a straightforward recipe.
Overall, you should consider several factors as crucial for your ultimate decision. Furthermore, even if these factors paint a positive picture, your experience can ultimately be harmful. That’s why we recommend researching casino aspects we’ve listed below, but making your final decision only after exploring a casino for a while. Firsthand experience has no substitute, and such a comprehensive approach will save you from headaches down the line. So, let’s begin.
How To Pick The Best Online Casino: Straightforward & Effective Tips
Each online gambling enthusiast has different criteria that they prefer their chosen operator to have. Since there are countless punters nowadays, it is impossible to ensure each player has everything they could hope for. Regardless, the online casino industry understands (for the most part) what the majority of players prefer to have. Therefore, we’ll focus on a combination of critical factors every operator you consider should have. These criteria include:
Licensing
Customer support
Bonus incentives
Stress-free & quick withdrawals
Selection of payment options
Available games.
Licensing
This factor is a no-brainer for the essential criteria necessary to pick the best online casino. If an online operator does not provide its licensing information anywhere on its site, this operator is one you should avoid. The reason why online casinos need to have reputable regulatory bodies backing them up has to do with legitimacy, integrity, and reliability.
Think of this factor in the following manner: if a high-roller walks into a famous Monaco land-based casino, they count on a stellar treatment. In the old days, reputation was one of the brick-and-mortar casinos’ most potent weapons that single-handedly attracted thousands of players. However, these operators had to earn such reputations over time, which was not an easy process.
Nowadays, online gambling focuses on speed and ease of access, which often clashes with legality. Therefore, you should only ever consider playing at online casinos that operate under reputable gaming licenses. Examples include the UKGC, MGA, Alderney Gaming Commission, and the like.
Customer Support
Many consider this factor less critical than various other indicators of an online casino experience. However, the same individuals often forget that when problems arise – and they will – having someone to address them quickly and effectively is vital. This consideration is among the most crucial when looking to pick the best online casino.
How an online casino handles players’ concerns, questions, and general inquiries can help retain existing players. Additionally, since word online travels fast, an excellent customer service department can also help attract more players.
In other words, online casinos operate as businesses first and foremost. Clients can make or break any business, brick-and-mortar or online. Therefore, online casino operators are the same and must always adhere to the highest customer service standards.
Therefore, incorporating a customer-centric business model means that clients always receive clear, polite, and prompt responses to questions. However, unless an online operator features excellent customer support reviews, it might not be the best choice.
Bonus Incentives
One of the best parts of the online part of casino gambling is the variety of promotional offers. When looking to get a head-start in online gambling, claiming different reload, welcome, and no deposit casino offers can be particularly effective. Gambling operators have realized the importance of such promo offers as marketing tools. Consequently, online casinos use their bonus offerings to maintain existing punters’ interest and attract new players.
On the other hand, players can claim various perks that make their gambling sessions more exciting. For example, you can use bonus cash or free spins to explore different casino games but beware. Most casino offers and incentives feature terms and conditions that often dampen the benefits as quickly as players receive them. Among these terms and conditions, the wagering requirements are among the most notorious.
Therefore, we recommend researching both the promotional offerings and their respective T&Cs when looking to pick the best online casino. Additionally, when looking to use a casino offer for new players, remember to note whether the conditions are available in an unambiguous and precise manner.
Stress-Free & Quick Withdrawals
One of the most persistent issues within the online gambling industry is that various operators deny players their withdrawals. Unfortunately, the listed reasons are typically obscure, making this aspect critical in choosing the right operator.
Most of the time, additional verification procedures are the number one reason for withdrawal delays. Since online casinos have hundreds or thousands of players at any one time, verifying the playthrough requirements for each one takes time. Additionally, these procedures also help prevent money laundering and fraud, but they still cost players their time.
Therefore, the average withdrawal time should be a crucial consideration regarding how to pick the best online casino. If you encounter lousy reviews on an online casino regarding its payout processing times, it may not be the best choice. After all, what good is winning a life-changing jackpot if it takes months to get it to your bank account?
Selection Of Payment Options
When discussing the quintessential criteria for any online casino gambling experience, available payment options are as crucial as the licensing. The reason for their importance is straightforward.
No matter how excellent a casino may be, you won’t be able to use it unless it supports your available payment option. Therefore, you should always check the casino’s payments page to get a better idea of the available methods.
We recommend looking to see if your intended deposit option is also available for withdrawals when doing this step. Simultaneously, check to see if your intended payment solution is available at all. If you don’t find it on the list, you can double-check with customer support to confirm.
This aspect is also where customer support can be helpful by recommending the available options for players from your region. Looking to pick the best online casino should include all of the previous criteria, but the available payment options should be at the top of the list. Good luck!
WWE today officially announced its return to Madison Square Garden for the Smackdown on September 10 on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The live broadcast on FOX will be the first MSG show since the Boxing Day non-televised live event in December 2019 and the first televised show from the world’s most famous arena since September 2019.
High costs associated with running MSG has driven WWE away from their “home” and instead they now consider the Barclays Center in Brooklyn as their preferred New York location.
Tickets for the event will be available starting next Friday, July 9 at 10AM ET at Ticketmaster.com.
Sonjay Dutt, who just left WWE from his producer position last week, has now signed with All Elite Wrestling and is working the same role for the rival promotion according to PWInsider.com.
Dutt was backstage at last night’s Dynamite in Jacksonville, Florida, and was already working as a producer.
The former Impact Wrestling star handed over his notice a few weeks ago and decided to pack his bags and leave WWE on his own. He had been with the promotion as producer and coach at the WWE Performance Center since 2019.
Impact Wrestling announced that tickets for the upcoming Impact television tapings after Slammiversary go on sale today, July 1 at ImpactWrestling.com.
Only a limited number of tickets will be available for the two days of tapings on July 18 and July 19. Each day will have two sessions.
Session 1 will run on July 18 between 3PM and 6PM CT and session two will run between 7PM and 10PM CT. Day two will have session three between 3PM and 6PM CT and session four between 7PM and 10PM CT.
All sessions will be held at Skyway Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Impact has not had fans since the pandemic started in March 2020.
NXT announced that the Breakout Tournament will return starting on the July 13 episode on USA Network. The tournament will consist of eight wrestlers with the winner getting an NXT title shot of his choosing.
This is the second time that the Breakout Tournament will be held following the first one in 2019. The participants in that tournament included Angel Garza, Dexter Lumis, Joaquin Wilde, Boa, Isiah “Swerve” Scott, Jordan Myles, Bronson Reed, and Cameron Grimes.
Jordan Myles, better known by his indie name of ACH, won that tournament but his success was short lived and quit the company after he accused them of racism.
No participants have been announced for this year’s tournament yet with qualifying matches to enter the tournament expected to air on 205 Live.
This Cyprus-based company Tutkia gave birth to this leading online betting company in 2012. Pelican Entertainment limited operated this online betting company. This site offers 200 live events and 1000 matches to the players for placing a bet. This site allowed the players who attained the age of 18. The players are permitted to use one account for betting. If Melbet suspects any unscrupulous activity of the players, it suspends that player immediately.
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After a month of being pre-empted on Wednesday nights due to the NBA Playoffs, AEW Dynamite is back in its regular time slot starting tonight at 8PM ET on TNT.
Five bouts have been announced, including two title matches which will see both the AEW Tag Team and TNT titles defended. The Young Bucks will be defending their gold against the team of Eddie Kingston and Penta El Zero M while TNT champion Miro will take on Brian Pillman Jr.
The other matches include MJF vs Sammy Guevara, Britt Baker and Rebel vs Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero, and Jungle Boy vs Jack Evans.
In a post on Instagram, former NXT referee Drake Wuertz confirmed that he was fired from WWE for refusing to abide by the COVID-19 rules.
In the post, the former head of NXT referees said that any company that is discriminating against employees who refuse to participate in an experimental medical procedure in order to come to work in a normal capacity is violating their basic human rights.
“I questioned, pushed back, and then defied this tyrannical overreach of control. That didn’t fit their narrative and I was punished,” Wuertz wrote.
He said he has no regrets of losing his six-figure job for taking a stand on multiple fronts and it was an easy decision for him.
“I’d rather flip burgers for the glory of God than sell my soul being part of a cabal that’s pushing a deceptive lie that you must mask up or take the jab in order to participate in normal everyday life,” he continued. “A company I thought was patriotic has now bowed to the communist mob agenda.”
Wuertz was fired after multiple incidents and his far right mentality didn’t help.
The NXT Great American Bash card continued to take shape yesterday on USA Network with two more matches announced.
Apart from Cole vs O’Reilly and MSK vs Ciampa and Thatcher for the NXT Tag Team titles, the NXT Women’s Tag Team titles and the Million Dollar title will also be up for grabs next week.
Candice LaRae and Indi Hartwell will be defending their gold against the team of Io Shirai and Zoey Stark while LA Knight will defend the Million Dollar title against Cameron Grimes with the stipulation being that if Grimes loses, he will have to become LA Knight’s butler.
WWE Superstars Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch have finally got married, over a year after they originally were supposed to. Their wedding was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Rollins posted a story on his Instagram yesterday writing, “Seems like a fine day to (finally) get married.” This is the first marriage for both of them.
The duo got engaged in August 2019 and welcomed their first child, a baby daughter named Roux, in December of last year.
Lynch, who has not showed up on WWE TV since May of last year, is now training at the WWE Performance Center ahead of her return to the company.
