The suit in full is here... makes for fucking grim reading, to put it mildly.
Let's talk wrasslin'
- Thread starter The Grayfox
- Start date
The suit in full is here... makes for fucking grim reading, to put it mildly.
Yeah, this whole thing is a clusterfuck. The allegations against him are brutal. Brock probably won’t suffer for this except maybe just fading away. But he’s a hermit anyway, so he probably doesn’t care. He has enough money to live out his days in the Canadian wilderness and be just fine. Still, if any of it is true, it’s pretty fucked up. People are now calling for Nick Khan, Triple H and Stephanie’s heads as well, and it’s like… dude, Vince is a grown man. He made his decisions. Those three people voted AGAINST him being let back in. They wanted him to stay gone. Stephanie resigned when he came back. How are they responsible for Vince being a complete piece of shit? He isn’t part of the day to day operations of the company, he’s in charge of nothing basically, but people are using the opportunity to say “completely kill the WWE!” because of it. That’s a lot of jobs to want to erase because one guy and a few of his goons are terrible human beings. The torches and pitchforks come out IMMEDIATELY and it’s just getting absurd. Focus the anger where it belongs. Also, is it a coincidence that Kevin Dunn, an employee of 40 years quits abruptly mere weeks before this happens? Seems like he had a heads up. And The Rock being appointed to the board? Lot of shit happening there.
The WWE Network stuff is confusing. Reports are that it’s shutting down. But I just saw a thing on Twitter where somebody asked if Netflix was replacing the network and the WWE Network Twitter account responded and said that it isn’t. It’s a weird situation. Raw will stop being broadcast on tv in September but the Netflix deal doesn’t start until January 2025, so what are they doing for those few months? Lot of unanswered questions about this whole deal.
The WWE Network stuff is confusing. Reports are that it’s shutting down. But I just saw a thing on Twitter where somebody asked if Netflix was replacing the network and the WWE Network Twitter account responded and said that it isn’t. It’s a weird situation. Raw will stop being broadcast on tv in September but the Netflix deal doesn’t start until January 2025, so what are they doing for those few months? Lot of unanswered questions about this whole deal.
At the moment it's all accusations with only certain things proven. I think at the very least it's determined that Vince had an affair with this woman, gave her a position in the company purely based on this affair and used company funds to both employ and give her gifts (which I think he's since repaid) - so even if you take the worst parts of the civil suit out of the equation there's enough to say Vince should be nowhere near the company. And this was all well-known before he returned and before this latest set of accusations came out.
Some of the stuff that's alleged seems so wild and over-the-top that it's tough for me to believe - even knowing how amoral Vince is. The stuff about the dildos and the extreme perversion. With that said this is the same guy who wanted to do an incest angle with his own children, so... yeah, it's certainly plausible. I have no doubt the victim is traumatised by what Vince did to her, but trauma can do all sorts of things to a person's psyche. I have no doubts the texts are real, as a lawyer with any sense would not submit those as evidence without being absolutely sure they're legit, but a lot depends on the context of those texts and I suppose Vince could use the excuse of it all being 'fantasy' if there isn't any evidence to support the really gross and disgusting acts that are alleged.
I don't know man, if it's all true then Vince is a truly evil and despicable human being. People have been jailed for much less. I have no doubt this woman was taken advantage of, it's just difficult to accept it could have gone to the utterly depraved depths that the full suit describes. Like, if he's going around showing her pictures and videos to random tech guys then basically everyone would have known, and can it really be true that everyone in the company - the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Triple H, The Rock, Roman Reigns, etc, just turned a blind eye to that shit? Even if they didn't have a problem with it morally, people in the company were surely not stupid enough to assume his behaviour wasn't a fucking nuclear bomb waiting to explode and catch all of them in the fallout. If everything said in the suit is true then it really does go far beyond Vince and there is a lot of blame to be apportioned.
As noted, I am sure the texts are real, but did Vince actually do the things he said in those texts, or was it just him trying to make this woman feel worthless and powerless? That's a huge question which, depending on the answer, either keeps the blame mainly on Vince and his inner circle, or basically spreads it out the almost the entire company - because there's no way, if he was as brazen about this as the suit claims, the majority of people there did not know what was happening at a basic level.
Some of the stuff that's alleged seems so wild and over-the-top that it's tough for me to believe - even knowing how amoral Vince is. The stuff about the dildos and the extreme perversion. With that said this is the same guy who wanted to do an incest angle with his own children, so... yeah, it's certainly plausible. I have no doubt the victim is traumatised by what Vince did to her, but trauma can do all sorts of things to a person's psyche. I have no doubts the texts are real, as a lawyer with any sense would not submit those as evidence without being absolutely sure they're legit, but a lot depends on the context of those texts and I suppose Vince could use the excuse of it all being 'fantasy' if there isn't any evidence to support the really gross and disgusting acts that are alleged.
I don't know man, if it's all true then Vince is a truly evil and despicable human being. People have been jailed for much less. I have no doubt this woman was taken advantage of, it's just difficult to accept it could have gone to the utterly depraved depths that the full suit describes. Like, if he's going around showing her pictures and videos to random tech guys then basically everyone would have known, and can it really be true that everyone in the company - the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Triple H, The Rock, Roman Reigns, etc, just turned a blind eye to that shit? Even if they didn't have a problem with it morally, people in the company were surely not stupid enough to assume his behaviour wasn't a fucking nuclear bomb waiting to explode and catch all of them in the fallout. If everything said in the suit is true then it really does go far beyond Vince and there is a lot of blame to be apportioned.
As noted, I am sure the texts are real, but did Vince actually do the things he said in those texts, or was it just him trying to make this woman feel worthless and powerless? That's a huge question which, depending on the answer, either keeps the blame mainly on Vince and his inner circle, or basically spreads it out the almost the entire company - because there's no way, if he was as brazen about this as the suit claims, the majority of people there did not know what was happening at a basic level.
Slim Jim, WWE's most lucrative sponsor, have "paused" their deal with WWE due to the allegations against Vince. Basically saying until Vince goes, we're out. If there's one thing rich people take notice of, it's making less money, so one imagines it's now matter of time until TKO fires Vince into the sun - and this time he ain't coming back. Perhaps the only concerning part for TKO is that some reports are saying they can't force Vince out, they can only be rid of him if he voluntarily steps down. Would Vince actually do this, or is he narcissistic and crazy enough to hold his ground whilst everything burns around him?
If so, I have little sympathy for TKO. Let's be real, they knew the first time around exactly what Vince was all about. They said as much when they literally called Vince a future liability to the brand. They entered into a deal which allowed him to come back because Vince would get them even more money in the short term, and the only reason they'll now try to get rid of him is because he'll cost them more money than he'll bring in. It's all about the dollars and so, frankly, fuck TKO as well.
If so, I have little sympathy for TKO. Let's be real, they knew the first time around exactly what Vince was all about. They said as much when they literally called Vince a future liability to the brand. They entered into a deal which allowed him to come back because Vince would get them even more money in the short term, and the only reason they'll now try to get rid of him is because he'll cost them more money than he'll bring in. It's all about the dollars and so, frankly, fuck TKO as well.
Last edited:
Dude, I actually laughed out loud when I read the part about having dildos that were named after WWE superstars. It's just so absurd that if anyone on the planet is going to do that, it's Vince McMahon. I'm having flashbacks to the Jon Schaffer insurrection shit. Just sitting here wondering 'how could you fuck up your legacy this badly?' I was so dumbfounded by it. A 30+ year career, and you threw it away just to go break into the Capitol building and try to convince people an election was stolen? Good call. With Vince, I grew up with him on my TV, as a commentator on Superstars and Raw and PPVs. He was a staple of my childhood. Look at everything he created. Look at what he accomplished in his 40+ year career. And now there's this. What a shitbag.
And yeah, supposedly he's actually done this time. He won't be able to sneak his way back onto the board this time because he doesn't have the voting power he used to. The whole situation is almost laughable. Retired amidst sexual abuse allegations. Just kidding... 6 months later, I'm coming out of retirement! He said he was only doing it to broker a sale of WWE, which may have been true, but we all damn well know he was doing that to regain power and complete control of the company again. So then he actually does it. He sells the company, merges it with UFC, one would assume he thinks he's gotten himself a victory. But then he's immediately told he will have no control over the creative side of his company, he's relegated to being "on the board" but having no real power because Ari is the majority shareholder now. All the while, the people who took over after his "retirement" (Nick Khan, Stephanie, HHH) all voted AGAINST him coming back. Now, he's retired again, this time permanently. At least from WWE. Like, how defeated must he feel right now? This shit reads like Succession.
Now you have to wonder if they're going to oust the rest of his inner circle. I'm mainly thinking of guys like Bruce Prichard and Michael Hayes. Hayes has a bit of a checkered past when it comes to allegations as it is. And then you throw Lesnar into the mix, which is a tough call. Like you said, the texts are most likely real and that will be easy enough to prove, but did Lesnar actually say the things Vince said? Was Vince using this woman to try and leverage Lesnar into signing a deal? Or is that a billionaire pervert talking out of his ass? I saw some guy say "are we really supposed to believe Vince McMahon texts like a 14 year old boy?" Yes, we are. Jesus Christ, really? He's almost 80. He puts ketchup on his burritos. Look at the storylines he's written over the years. From all accounts, he has the most juvenile sense of humor known to mankind. He IS a 14 year old boy, just stuck in an 80 year old body.
And yeah, supposedly he's actually done this time. He won't be able to sneak his way back onto the board this time because he doesn't have the voting power he used to. The whole situation is almost laughable. Retired amidst sexual abuse allegations. Just kidding... 6 months later, I'm coming out of retirement! He said he was only doing it to broker a sale of WWE, which may have been true, but we all damn well know he was doing that to regain power and complete control of the company again. So then he actually does it. He sells the company, merges it with UFC, one would assume he thinks he's gotten himself a victory. But then he's immediately told he will have no control over the creative side of his company, he's relegated to being "on the board" but having no real power because Ari is the majority shareholder now. All the while, the people who took over after his "retirement" (Nick Khan, Stephanie, HHH) all voted AGAINST him coming back. Now, he's retired again, this time permanently. At least from WWE. Like, how defeated must he feel right now? This shit reads like Succession.
Now you have to wonder if they're going to oust the rest of his inner circle. I'm mainly thinking of guys like Bruce Prichard and Michael Hayes. Hayes has a bit of a checkered past when it comes to allegations as it is. And then you throw Lesnar into the mix, which is a tough call. Like you said, the texts are most likely real and that will be easy enough to prove, but did Lesnar actually say the things Vince said? Was Vince using this woman to try and leverage Lesnar into signing a deal? Or is that a billionaire pervert talking out of his ass? I saw some guy say "are we really supposed to believe Vince McMahon texts like a 14 year old boy?" Yes, we are. Jesus Christ, really? He's almost 80. He puts ketchup on his burritos. Look at the storylines he's written over the years. From all accounts, he has the most juvenile sense of humor known to mankind. He IS a 14 year old boy, just stuck in an 80 year old body.
Lol yeah, the dildo section was so fucking out there that I was like... that's too ridiculous for it not to be true. Why would somebody make up something so utterly ridiculous to put into a lawsuit otherwise? With Schaffer you can see the bloke was just an ultra-patriotic nut who went too deep down the conspiracy rabbit hole and ended up making a huge mistake which he couldn't get himself out of. Vince meanwhile is just an absolute piece of shit to his core - moulded by a fucked up childhood, no doubt - but I'd wager for most of his adult life he's been an evil bastard who has always had enough money to get himself out of trouble. At this point he's got enough connections and cash that he no doubt has felt untouchable for a long time. Schaffer could only dream of having the kind of connections and money that Vinnie Mac has at his disposal. Whereas Schaffer only really made one major fuck up which ruined everything for him, Vince has made an uncountable number of fuck ups which should have ruined him repeatedly. Yet, he's skated free time and time again because he's an ultra-rich white man with the right connections. His ego meanwhile has inflated to ungodly proportions due to everyone being so desperate to lavish praise upon him - from TV execs to his top wrestlers to the one-time and probably soon-again President of the US. Absolutely messed up and shines a harsh light on a society that willingly allows a person like this to thrive.
There's no doubt Vince's first 'retirement' was all a ploy to let the allegations die down and eventually allow him a seat back at the table - which initially worked out for him. Of course he ended up being little more than a figurehead to trot out for big events and to broker deals with TV/streaming execs, but considering the shit he had done that was still basically a massive W for him - and if he'd kept his NDA payments going he'd probably still be going along smoothly, continuing to avoid any kind of retribution for the litany of crimes he's committed over the course of his life. It's nice to see karma finally biting him on the ass, but it doesn't really help his past victims a great deal at this point. He's lived most of his life in luxury and been able to repeatedly bully, intimidate, harrass and abuse other people practically at will. I hope he does feel fucking miserable because he deserves to feel that way every second of what remains of his life, but in reality he should feel grateful that he got away with his sickening lifestyle for so long.
It'll be interesting to see how Endeavour/TKO handle things moving forward, although Ari Emanuel is hardly a bastion of morality himself, so my guess is that they use this as an excuse to get rid of people they never really wanted there to begin with - people directly connected to Vince that most of us probably haven't even heard of - suggest that Vince going has purged the company of the evil within and go on as normal. The saddest part is they'll likely get away with taking that stance, too. All of the enablers will slip away without any consequence - save for Lesnar who, as you say, is rich enough to just isolate himself in the wilderness and leave it all behind anyway. There's limited justice in a 78 year old man eventually agreeing to some kind of settlement in civil court and then proceeding to live the rest of his life in total comfort anyway. The only solace for those of us disgusted by everything but not directly affected is that it will undoubtedly wound him to know his legacy and reputation is and will forever be utterly in tatters. I'm not sure that'll mean so much to the actual victims though.
In terms of those texts... yeah, I'm sure Vince wrote them and I don't think they'd be submitted as evidence unless the lawyer was absolutely sure of their veracity. Their actual value as evidence is somewhat limited though, unless more proof can be given to substantiate the allegations. The lawyer did claim they were compiling much more evidence to provide to the judge though, so I guess we'll see. They're a solid starting point but more is going to be needed to really twist the knife. I just hope if there is more evidence that anybody directly involved in this fucked up situation - and potentially anything historic - get their comeuppance as well. I don't really care who is implicated at this point as I don't idolise any former or current wrestlers, I'd want anyone with genuine involvement in either a passive or non-passive role to be exposed just as much as Vince. Give all these toxic, lowlife scumbags a grilling and public condemnation.
Just finished the Rumble...
Women's rumble was excellent, I enjoy the women's match every year and this one was good too. I thought it was well paced with a lot of story threads interweaving throughout. I didn't know much about what's been happening as I don't really watch WWE these days, but the commentators did a good job of filling in the blanks.
The fatal four way was a good match, but Roman obviously wasn't losing the title before WM, so the outcome was very predictable. Same old shit with the Bloodline interference, can't believe they're still going to that well.
Logan Paul and Owens was decent enough. Not really much more to say about it though.
I thought the men's rumble was really lacklustre. I was bored throughout most of it, the outcome was again extremely predictable and there were absolutely no surprise entrants unless you count McAfee. So yeah, I was pretty disappointed, but maybe for someone who watches the show regularly it would have been more entertaining.
All signs point to Cody and Roman still being the plan at WM - if the Rock gets involved it seems it'll be in addition rather than instead of.
Women's rumble was excellent, I enjoy the women's match every year and this one was good too. I thought it was well paced with a lot of story threads interweaving throughout. I didn't know much about what's been happening as I don't really watch WWE these days, but the commentators did a good job of filling in the blanks.
The fatal four way was a good match, but Roman obviously wasn't losing the title before WM, so the outcome was very predictable. Same old shit with the Bloodline interference, can't believe they're still going to that well.
Logan Paul and Owens was decent enough. Not really much more to say about it though.
I thought the men's rumble was really lacklustre. I was bored throughout most of it, the outcome was again extremely predictable and there were absolutely no surprise entrants unless you count McAfee. So yeah, I was pretty disappointed, but maybe for someone who watches the show regularly it would have been more entertaining.
All signs point to Cody and Roman still being the plan at WM - if the Rock gets involved it seems it'll be in addition rather than instead of.
I actually thought the men's Rumble was good for what it was. I loved seeing Andrade back as I am personally a big fan of his. I thought for sure they were going to go with Punk as the winner but I'm ok with Cody. I am in the group of people who believe Cody should've won last year, but it's done. Nothing we can do about it now. They've obviously used this last year to build Cody to unbelievable levels. No losses, Brock passing the torch and now being in the same category as Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and Hulk as the only four guys to win back to back Rumbles. They are building him to be the next face of the company. And looking back, from a business point of view, I get it. They want him to dethrone Reigns and take his spot and they want him to be as big of a deal as possible when he does it. The Cena spot. Like I said, I would've loved to see him win last year, but from that viewpoint, I do get it.
I thought Punk looked pretty good in there. When he first got in there, I was like... "damn, he looks as good as he used to." He was moving really well. The time in AEW obviously helped him get back in good ring shape. Also thought Bron looked great out there and they're obviously building him up to be a big deal when he hits the main roster. I don't know that an NXT talent has ever had that good of a showing in a Rumble. He was tied for most eliminations in this Rumble. He fucking gorilla pressed Walter, which was damn impressive. The R-Truth shit made me laugh. He's a very entertaining guy.
I did think it was weird that the women's Rumble was loaded with surprise entrants and the men's had Andrade and that was basically it if you don't count NXT, which I don't. And McAfee which was just sort of stupid. I'm actually a fan of his but thought that was a wasted slot. I like his commentary, but it's clear he doesn't keep up with the product when he isn't there on a weekly basis. So either bring him back or find other jobs for him when he comes in because it doesn't work when the guy has no idea what's going on story-wise. It wasn't Art Donovan at King of the Ring '94 levels of bad or anything, but just seemed very unnecessary.
I had my money on Jade Cargill to win it before she even came out but I'm happy to see Bayley get her due. The Damage CTRL shit is past it's prime and it's probably time for her to get a big babyface run again, especially with her having a lot more confidence now. I think she'll have a great run as champion when she no doubt beats Iyo at WM. I thought this story was basically being done for Sasha's return at one point but clearly that isn't happening. Jade looked strong in her debut for sure. I liked Piper Niven's new look as the Scottish Awesome Kong
.
Mania is going to be interesting. I had Gunther/Brock as a lock this year, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Jey vs. Gunther would be a good way to establish Jey as a serious singles contender, dethroning the longest reigning IC champion of all time. But I'm also thinking that might be their way to establish Bron Breakker, plus it also seems like they're going to go with Jey vs. Jimmy anyway. I knew the second Jey was entrant number 1 in the Rumble that Jimmy was coming out next. I also had Logan Paul vs. LA Knight penciled in, but now I'm thinking Logan Paul vs. John Cena and LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. Elimination Chamber is in a few weeks, so I guess we'll have a better idea the direction they're going for Mania after that.
I thought Punk looked pretty good in there. When he first got in there, I was like... "damn, he looks as good as he used to." He was moving really well. The time in AEW obviously helped him get back in good ring shape. Also thought Bron looked great out there and they're obviously building him up to be a big deal when he hits the main roster. I don't know that an NXT talent has ever had that good of a showing in a Rumble. He was tied for most eliminations in this Rumble. He fucking gorilla pressed Walter, which was damn impressive. The R-Truth shit made me laugh. He's a very entertaining guy.
I did think it was weird that the women's Rumble was loaded with surprise entrants and the men's had Andrade and that was basically it if you don't count NXT, which I don't. And McAfee which was just sort of stupid. I'm actually a fan of his but thought that was a wasted slot. I like his commentary, but it's clear he doesn't keep up with the product when he isn't there on a weekly basis. So either bring him back or find other jobs for him when he comes in because it doesn't work when the guy has no idea what's going on story-wise. It wasn't Art Donovan at King of the Ring '94 levels of bad or anything, but just seemed very unnecessary.
I had my money on Jade Cargill to win it before she even came out but I'm happy to see Bayley get her due. The Damage CTRL shit is past it's prime and it's probably time for her to get a big babyface run again, especially with her having a lot more confidence now. I think she'll have a great run as champion when she no doubt beats Iyo at WM. I thought this story was basically being done for Sasha's return at one point but clearly that isn't happening. Jade looked strong in her debut for sure. I liked Piper Niven's new look as the Scottish Awesome Kong
.Mania is going to be interesting. I had Gunther/Brock as a lock this year, but I don't think that's gonna happen. Jey vs. Gunther would be a good way to establish Jey as a serious singles contender, dethroning the longest reigning IC champion of all time. But I'm also thinking that might be their way to establish Bron Breakker, plus it also seems like they're going to go with Jey vs. Jimmy anyway. I knew the second Jey was entrant number 1 in the Rumble that Jimmy was coming out next. I also had Logan Paul vs. LA Knight penciled in, but now I'm thinking Logan Paul vs. John Cena and LA Knight vs. AJ Styles. Elimination Chamber is in a few weeks, so I guess we'll have a better idea the direction they're going for Mania after that.
Reports that Punk tore his triceps at the Rumble. If true, you have to think at some point he might just have to accept his body isn't up to wrestling anymore. That's a lot of serious injuries in a short timeframe.
Hopefully not as serious as speculated.
Hopefully not as serious as speculated.
Punk confirmed the triceps injury and says WM40 is off the table. If that's legit and they aren't working something here, which isn't likely, I think that's a serious bummer. The build for Rollins/Punk would've been really good due to their history and I was genuinely excited to see those two guys finally main event Wrestlemania. That's really a shame. I don't really know what you do now with Rollins. I assume it's going to be either Drew or Gunther. I would rather it be Gunther if I'm being honest and just have him forfeit the IC title after Mania, similar to what they did with Warrior after 6. If I could pick ANYBODY, I'd pick Sami vs. Rollins and give Sami a big moment, but I don't think that would main event Mania either.
Of course people are speculating that this could be an elaborate work because of what happened on Raw tonight. But I think those people don't realize that once something is torn, it's torn. It wasn't likely that the spot with Drew and Punk on Raw did any further damage if he was already injured.
Of course people are speculating that this could be an elaborate work because of what happened on Raw tonight. But I think those people don't realize that once something is torn, it's torn. It wasn't likely that the spot with Drew and Punk on Raw did any further damage if he was already injured.
Punk's injuries are an increasing concern - in AEW they consistently derailed his momentum, even more so than the backstage nonsense. WWE must be looking at this - yet another serious injury in his first real match back - and be wondering how much they can rely on him in any kind of medium or long-term program. Sucks for Punk but I do think his body is telling him 'this doesn't work for me, brother'. I'm sure he'll come back and try again, but man, it's not been a good couple of years for him from an in-ring perspective. If this was a work I would have expected it to have been incorporated into the RR finish to give him an out for being eliminated tbh.
I saw Seth's promo on Monday and man, he did a great job of selling a match between him and Cody. So much so that it made me think I'd actually prefer to see that over Reigns/Cody, as he made a string of extremely valid points and the match would be far more interesting than a rematch with Roman imo. With Cody/Roman, either Cody wins and it's a predicatble finish, or Cody loses and it's more Bloodline BS and 'finishing the story' becomes a joke. Seth and Cody would be awesome, although I expect they'll stay the course with Cody/Roman in the end.
I saw Seth's promo on Monday and man, he did a great job of selling a match between him and Cody. So much so that it made me think I'd actually prefer to see that over Reigns/Cody, as he made a string of extremely valid points and the match would be far more interesting than a rematch with Roman imo. With Cody/Roman, either Cody wins and it's a predicatble finish, or Cody loses and it's more Bloodline BS and 'finishing the story' becomes a joke. Seth and Cody would be awesome, although I expect they'll stay the course with Cody/Roman in the end.
A lot of people said Seth’s promo “begging” Cody to wrestle him was really weird and “cringe.” His reasoning is sound, but I think Cody needs to go after the big title, not the title that is less than a year old. I mean, the story is essentially winning the title Dusty never did, which is the WWE Championship. Plus, I’m just over Roman holding that title hostage. I don’t even care who wins it, but it should be represented on way more shows than it currently is. I would like to see Cody/Roman and Gunther/Seth personally. Even if the former is predictable, and I agree with you, it will be predictable, I also know it’s going to be a big deal and the pop when Roman loses is going to be massive.
I watched the clip of Punk coming backstage and embracing Cody on Raw and it was just sad. I feel for the guy because I think WWE is a different company than when he left -- it's closer to what he wanted back then, now. Not saying the bullshit doesn't still exist, just not as much. And to see his big return and him very excited about everything and for it to get taken away sucks. It's also following this pattern where guys come back and get injured almost right away. It happened to Edge in 2020, it happened to Cody in 2022 and now Punk in 2024. Big surprise return, couple months in, injured. Meltzer claims Punk will be ready to come back in September, so he will likely miss Summerslam as well. That could change though, because although on the early side, you can come back in 4ish months from a torn triceps. Granted, Punk is older and when he tore his left one in 2022, he was out nine months. Also, the initial reports I saw said that Drew injured him and it was out of Punk's control. It supposedly happened on the Future Shock Drew delivered. I don't know if that was an error or if they don't want that narrative out there or what. But if that is the case and it was out of Punk's control, it makes it even worse imo.
If Punk can make Summerslam, I would say Drew/Seth at Mania, Drew goes over, Drew/Punk at Summerslam, Punk goes over and then we can still get Punk/Rollins next year at Mania. I know a lot of people probably care much less about that match than I do, but it's been a dream match of mine for a long time.
I watched the clip of Punk coming backstage and embracing Cody on Raw and it was just sad. I feel for the guy because I think WWE is a different company than when he left -- it's closer to what he wanted back then, now. Not saying the bullshit doesn't still exist, just not as much. And to see his big return and him very excited about everything and for it to get taken away sucks. It's also following this pattern where guys come back and get injured almost right away. It happened to Edge in 2020, it happened to Cody in 2022 and now Punk in 2024. Big surprise return, couple months in, injured. Meltzer claims Punk will be ready to come back in September, so he will likely miss Summerslam as well. That could change though, because although on the early side, you can come back in 4ish months from a torn triceps. Granted, Punk is older and when he tore his left one in 2022, he was out nine months. Also, the initial reports I saw said that Drew injured him and it was out of Punk's control. It supposedly happened on the Future Shock Drew delivered. I don't know if that was an error or if they don't want that narrative out there or what. But if that is the case and it was out of Punk's control, it makes it even worse imo.
If Punk can make Summerslam, I would say Drew/Seth at Mania, Drew goes over, Drew/Punk at Summerslam, Punk goes over and then we can still get Punk/Rollins next year at Mania. I know a lot of people probably care much less about that match than I do, but it's been a dream match of mine for a long time.
Also, I've gotta say, love him or hate him, the amount of people on the AEW subreddit and r/sc celebrating Punk getting injured is disgusting. You don't want to see him on TV, change the channel. Don't be happy somebody got hurt. It's fucking vile.
Seth's promo makes total sense in kayfabe. He's positioned as a fighting champion and he'll also want the biggest match on the WM card - so why wouldn't he petition Cody to choose him? He'll want to avenge the losses he suffered before Cody got injured (I think he lost to Cody 3 times in a row?) and the biggest spot on the card is traditionally the rumble winner versus the champion. Not sure why anyone would consider it weird or cringe for Rollins to make his case, as logically it makes more sense than not making a case. Just wrestling fans being dumb I guess. Not exactly unheard of.
As far as Edge and Punk's injuries, both in similar positions of being old, previously out of wrestling for a long time (Punk's body has never really adapted to being back as he keeps being forced to have time off) and wrestling at a high level leading to increased expectations. Cody you can put down to just being an unfortunate accident. He should have been stopped from wrestling the HIAC match though.
As for fans gloating about Punk's injury... yeah, again, a lot of idiotic fans out there. Well, more accurately a lot of idiotic, desperately miserable humans out there who have learned to derive meagre amounts of pleasure from enjoying the pain of others. Hopeless causes but there seems to be a lot of them around these days. Tribalism in all respects - whether it be fandoms or politics - is as bad as I can ever remember it. To the point where a massive portion of Americans are in favour of re-electing a disgusting, perverse lunatic like Trump as President.
Not that the UK is any better, considering the braintrust here not only voted for Brexit but for the morally bankrupt Tories multiple times.
As far as Edge and Punk's injuries, both in similar positions of being old, previously out of wrestling for a long time (Punk's body has never really adapted to being back as he keeps being forced to have time off) and wrestling at a high level leading to increased expectations. Cody you can put down to just being an unfortunate accident. He should have been stopped from wrestling the HIAC match though.
As for fans gloating about Punk's injury... yeah, again, a lot of idiotic fans out there. Well, more accurately a lot of idiotic, desperately miserable humans out there who have learned to derive meagre amounts of pleasure from enjoying the pain of others. Hopeless causes but there seems to be a lot of them around these days. Tribalism in all respects - whether it be fandoms or politics - is as bad as I can ever remember it. To the point where a massive portion of Americans are in favour of re-electing a disgusting, perverse lunatic like Trump as President.
Not that the UK is any better, considering the braintrust here not only voted for Brexit but for the morally bankrupt Tories multiple times.
I have a feeling they're doing this Rollins/Cody thing in the event that they can make Roman/Rock happen last minute, they have something to fall back on with Cody. Just a guess but that's what it feels like to me. Problem is, most people are going to shit on it because he's been making such a huge deal that the title Rollins holds isn't the one he needs to win to "finish the story." I think Cody and Rollins have excellent matches together, so I have no problem with it in that regard. I just want this 'finish the story' business and the Roman being undefeated bullshit to end.
Sometimes I think the internet was a mistake. For all the good it can be used for, it's also an open forum for douche bags to make sure their awful takes and opinions are heard. Like you said, the tribalism is at an all-time high. I used to follow local news sources and such on social media but I had to stop because every single post turns into a political debate, even if that wasn't the original intention. You can't have a belief or view and discuss it with civility anymore. It turns into mud slinging immediately and I'm pretty tired of it. Besides the fact that the rest of the world thinks Americans are complete fucking idiots for allowing Donald Trump to be president once, not learning their lesson and most likely voting him in again... well, I guess I'd have to agree Americans are complete fucking idiots. We all get put in the same boat with the Trumpers because they're so loud about it. As ridiculous as it may seem in foreign press or on TV, when you're out and about and see some redneck asshole in his Trump t-shirt or an American flag (or 6) waving off the back of his truck, you really get a deeper appreciation of the kind of human beings that are made here in the US of A.
But hey, we literally had a WWE Hall of Famer as president, so... there's that.
Sometimes I think the internet was a mistake. For all the good it can be used for, it's also an open forum for douche bags to make sure their awful takes and opinions are heard. Like you said, the tribalism is at an all-time high. I used to follow local news sources and such on social media but I had to stop because every single post turns into a political debate, even if that wasn't the original intention. You can't have a belief or view and discuss it with civility anymore. It turns into mud slinging immediately and I'm pretty tired of it. Besides the fact that the rest of the world thinks Americans are complete fucking idiots for allowing Donald Trump to be president once, not learning their lesson and most likely voting him in again... well, I guess I'd have to agree Americans are complete fucking idiots. We all get put in the same boat with the Trumpers because they're so loud about it. As ridiculous as it may seem in foreign press or on TV, when you're out and about and see some redneck asshole in his Trump t-shirt or an American flag (or 6) waving off the back of his truck, you really get a deeper appreciation of the kind of human beings that are made here in the US of A.
But hey, we literally had a WWE Hall of Famer as president, so... there's that.
I see Johnny Ace is now claiming he was also a "victim" of Vince McMahon in comments released through his lawyer. Some brass neck on that lad. Nonetheless it seems clear from his lawyer's statement that Johnny isn't going to mount a joint-defence with Vince and is instead going to boot his old boss right under the bus to try and save himself.
Honestly, he probably doesn't have that many options and this one is probably better than standing alongside Vince. What it does suggest is that there's some significant truth to the original allegations, which isn't going to help Vince.
It would seem this is all in preparation for a potential criminal case, as it's being reported the feds are now actively investigating the trafficking allegations. These bois have wanted Vinnie Mac for a long time - I think he genuinely could end up in jail.
Honestly, he probably doesn't have that many options and this one is probably better than standing alongside Vince. What it does suggest is that there's some significant truth to the original allegations, which isn't going to help Vince.
It would seem this is all in preparation for a potential criminal case, as it's being reported the feds are now actively investigating the trafficking allegations. These bois have wanted Vinnie Mac for a long time - I think he genuinely could end up in jail.
Even after a few hours of letting this settle, I can't make excuses for it. This is such a joke. They basically cut Cody's balls off on TV. It looks so bad. You build this motherfucker for TWO YEARS. He's lost ONE MATCH in TWO YEARS. He won back to back Rumbles, stood on the turnbuckle pointing at Roman Reigns. He has to finish his story. It has to be Roman. It has to be the WWE championship. It has to be the title Dusty never won. Nothing will stop me from finishing the story...
...except The Rock apparently.
After all that, he goes on TV and just hands his opportunity to do EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS BEEN SAYING HE WANTS TO DO to somebody else? What the fucking shit? This is bad booking to the extreme. You can do Roman/Rock at any other point. It does not have to be right now. Talk about dropping the ball.
We don't even need to discuss how bad Roman made Seth Rollins and the world heavyweight title look in his promo tonight either. He all but called it a second rate title and now what? Cody is just going to go wrestle for that title like it means something? Jesus Christ.
...except The Rock apparently.
After all that, he goes on TV and just hands his opportunity to do EXACTLY WHAT HE HAS BEEN SAYING HE WANTS TO DO to somebody else? What the fucking shit? This is bad booking to the extreme. You can do Roman/Rock at any other point. It does not have to be right now. Talk about dropping the ball.
We don't even need to discuss how bad Roman made Seth Rollins and the world heavyweight title look in his promo tonight either. He all but called it a second rate title and now what? Cody is just going to go wrestle for that title like it means something? Jesus Christ.
Can't really say I'm surprised, at the very least it'll put a sock in people who continue to insist Cody losing last year was "the right move" because "long term booking". This is why it wasn't the right move - WWE don't have the capability. I mean, from my pov Cody losing last year was the wrong move for many more reasons than that, but anyway.
As much as Rollins sold me on a match with Cody, can't help but feel like their feud and match is going to be majorly in the shadow of Rock and Roman now.
As much as Rollins sold me on a match with Cody, can't help but feel like their feud and match is going to be majorly in the shadow of Rock and Roman now.
Similar threads
