CM Punk Claims That Colt Cabana Tried To "Extort" Him, Responds To Lawsuit Dismissal

As we previously reported, the legal issues between CM Punk and Colt Cabana were settled last Thursday. Punk and Cabana jointly filed for the case to be dismissed and there was reportedly no financial settlement involved.

In a series of tweets, Punk responded to the case being dismissed. When a user noted that "Colt Abides" while referencing the legal issues between the former friends, Punk responded, "Why'd he ask to settle then? I wanted it to go to trial! Play stupid games, win stupid prizes! Enjoy donating to the eventual 'woe is me' go fund me account."

Punk had filed the countersuit against Cabana this past June seeking $600,000 for general damages as well as interest and legal fees in response to Cabana's amended lawsuit filed in December of 2018. When the user suggested that Cabana settled the suit to move on with his life, Punk replied, "HE SUED ME. He wanted to end the dumb s--t HE started? I asked to speak to him, he declined. I asked to enter mediation, he declined. I offered money, IT WASNT ENOUGH! I never wanted ANY of it. He's as greedy as you are ignorant to who I am, and fooled by who he is."

Punk added that he loved Cabana and "would've done anything for him". He claims that he would have just given Cabana the money if he had asked him, however Cabana instead "tried to extort me."

"I loved the guy," Punk tweeted. "Would've done anything for him. And the irony is, if he just would've asked for the money, I'd have given it to him. Instead he tried to extort me."

Rumor Mill - CM Punk/WWE FS1 Show Tryout

CM Punk was at FOX Studios earlier this week in Los Angeles for a possible on-screen role for WWE Backstage on FS1. The show is currently going to be co-hosted by Renee Young and Booker T, premiering on Tuesday, November 5 at 11 pm ET.

Punk reportedly did some on-camera testing, with Young present at the meeting. FOX has experimented with different versions of the show and how it will be presented, ranging from 3-5 personalities hosting a panel discussion. A final decision on the format had not been agreed on as of earlier this week.

In an update on this morning's Wrestling Observer Radio, the feeling is that Punk's tryout went well and he'll probably get an offer to join the show.

FOX will be taping the series each week, not WWE. Punk would technically be working for FOX and not WWE, if he signs on to be a part of the show. Dave Meltzer speculated that WWE may not want to put up a fight if FOX is interested in Punk, and that it also keeps him away from AEW.

In regards to AEW, Meltzer said he was told by AEW that they would never work with Punk after his interview with ESPN in July. In that interview, Punk was negative about AEW when asked about his relationship with the company. He reiterated previous comments on talking with AEW, but nothing coming from those talks. He also noted that AEW loves to talk about him a lot, and that they had made him an offer over text.

Renee Young And Booker T To Host WWE Backstage On FS1

WWE is adding more programming to an already busy week of wrestling. It has been confirmed via press release that Tuesday's will feature FS1's WWE Backstage, a television only studio show devoted to all things WWE. The hour-long show will be available on FS1 every Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT starting November 5.

Renee Young will be the host of the show while Booker T will be providing analysis.

"WWE Backstage is a wrestling show for wrestling fans. From hardcore fans to people new to wrestling, w''ll give them a little bit of everything," Renee said. "It's going to be fun, it's going to be loud, we're going to give them a ton of opinions and I can't wait to help spread the word about SmackDown coming to FOX."

According to FOX Sports, there will be a special preview show on Tuesday, October 15, following the conclusion of Game 3 of the MLB's ALCS on FS1. Young and Booker T will be revealing the WWE Backstage set.

Since early June, rumors have been swirling regarding an opportunity for Young to do more than commentary. This is especially true after SmackDown was moved to Friday's on FOX starting next week on October 4. Back in April, Triple H spoke about the opportunity of a show on FS1. According to the former WWE Champion, the WWE studio show on Fox will feature discussions on the various WWE happenings, plus appearances by familiar faces from the past and present.

This will be the first major role for Booker T in quite some time. As of late, Booker T has made appearances on WWE TV on the PPV Kickoff panels.

"It's awesome being part of the FOX family and part of this movement of Friday Night SmackDown to FOX," Booker T said. "FOX Sports has always been the one-stop shop for sports and now it's going to be the one-stop shop for sports and entertainment. I think this is going to be a tag team that's going to last for a long time, and one that cannot lose. As I always say, now can you dig it, sucka?"

There have been rumblings regarding commentary changes when next week hits, especially with the WWE Draft looming. One of those ideas is a two-man booth. As of now, it is unknown if Renee will be continuing her commentary duties on RAW.

Additional information for FS1's WWE Backstage will be announced at a later date, according to WWE.

Happy Birthday Stephanie

Stephanie McMahon Levesque
September 24, 1976

Shawn Michaels On What Drew Him Out Of Retirement for WWE Crown Jewel

After years of being committed to his decision of not returning to the ring, Shawn Michaels finally came back for one final match at the Crown Jewel event last year.

During a recent interview with State Of Combat Podcast, the former World Champion talked about a number of things and he also revealed the most important reason he chose to do that match.

The Heart Break Kid said that the most important thing about his return was being out there with his best friend Triple H, and it’s the biggest reason he agreed to the match:

“The most important thing to me was being in there with Hunter, more than any reason at all, that is why I did it. As silly as it sounds, I am so fortunate to have the last ride with your best friend in the sunset, which is what I wanted to do with him.”

According to Michaels, he was pretty certain about this but he has always been a bit concerned about saying it out loud in fear that it was the one time he can’t.

Shawn Michaels retired from active competition after he put his career on the line against the Undertaker at WrestleMania XXVI and lost the bout.

He returned to the ring for one more match at the Crown Jewel event on November 2018. He teamed up with Triple H to face the Brothers of Destruction at the show and the duo was able to defeat Undertaker and Kane in this bout.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Triple H Reveals Vince McMahon's Reaction To NXT's USA Debut

The Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events, and Creative for WWE, "The King of Kings" Triple H, spoke on a media call after this week's debut episode of NXT live on the USA Network that Wrestling Inc. partook in. Hunter opened up about the direct line of communication that he had with Vince McMahon throughout the day leading up to 8 PM EST. Overall, Hunter believes that Vince was pleased with the different product that the NXT stars provide.


"I received a bunch of texts from [Vince McMahon] throughout the day excited, and excited to see it, and wishing us luck especially as it got close," Triple H said. "He was sending me little texts counting me down, '20 minutes!' You know? Which I thought was great because it was just fun. And then he sent me a few texts throughout the show. He watched the entire thing. I'm sure he's at the office, probably at a meeting while he was doing it, but he enjoyed it, he loved it, he thought the talent did a hell of a job, thought they knocked it out of the park.

"He was excited. He sent me a massive congratulations after it was over and was thrilled with the product," Hunter continued. "It's a funny thing because people don't give him the credit - he embraces the difference! He embraces the difference; the products should be different and he embraces that difference and is all into that difference. It's like liking different types of music, and one thing might be somebody's cup of tea and something else may be another but you appreciate all of it. And I think that's the best way of saying it, he absolutely appreciates it and thought it was great. He sent me a congrats to us, the crew, and all the talent."

WWE NXT Draws Strong Audience For USA Network Premiere

Last night's WWE NXT premiere on the USA Network drew 1.179 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

The show ranked #4 for the night in the Cable Top 150 18-49 demographic, behind American Horror Story, Basketball Wives and Black Ink Crew. NXT ranked #19 for the night in viewership.

These numbers are for the first hour that aired on the USA Network. We do not have viewership for the second hour that aired on the WWE Network. Both hours will begin airing on USA with the Wednesday, October 2 episode.

To compare, Monday's RAW drew an average of 2.272 million viewers, up from last week's 2.130 million viewers. Tuesday's SmackDown drew 2.064 million viewers, barely up from last week's 2.061 million viewers.

USA aired a special NXT episode back on Wednesday, December 13, 2017 and that show drew 841,000 viewers, and ranked #22 on the Cable Top 150.

Paramount Animation & WWE Studios Partner For Upcoming Feature ‘Rumble

Paramount Animation is teaming with WWE Studios on the upcoming summer 2020 release Rumble, which is set in a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes.

The pic will headline the voice cast of Will Arnett, Terry Crews, Geraldine Viswanathan plus WWE Superstars Becky Lynch (The Marine 6: Close Quarters) and Roman Reigns (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). In addition, Tony Danza, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz and Michael Buffer will also be part of the voiceover cast.

Directed by Hamish Grieve, Rumble follows Winnie who seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a loveable underdog monster into a wrestling champion.

Pic is produced by Mark Bakshi and Brad Booker. Susan Levison and Richard Lowell will serve as EPs for WWE Studios. Reel FX and Walden Media are also producers on Rumble.

WWE Studios recently produced the Dwayne Johnson feature film Fighting with My Familywith the actor’s Seven Bucks and MGM. WWE is currently in production on the Netflix feature The Main Event, The Big Show Show for the streamer and Fight Like a Girl, an unscripted series for Quibi. Recent projects also include Andre the Giant, an Emmy-nominated documentary in partnership with HBO, as well as hit shows Total Divas and Total Bellas on E! and Miz & Mrs. on USA.

Said Mireille Soria, President of Paramount Animation, “Rumble is steeped in the world of wrestling, and what better partners to help bring this world to life than WWE. They bring a pedigree and institutional excellence that is unmatched, and we couldn’t be happier to collaborate with them on this special film. We are thrilled to have a seasoned and dynamic cast in place to breathe life into this exciting story, and can’t wait to bring it to audiences.”

We Are Not Your Kind #FTMF

FOX Announces WWE SmackDown Moving Truck Tour

FOX has announced a 'moving truck' tour to promote SmackDown moving to the network on October 4.

WrestlingNews.co is reporting that the moving truck will be going to the following cities:

September 15 – Charlotte, NC
September 17 – Washington, DC
September 18 – Detroit, MI
September 19-20 – Chicago, IL
September 21 – Madison, WI
September 22-23 – Minneapolis, MN
September 25 – Kansas City, MO
September 27 – Dallas, TX
September 29 – Houston, TX
September 30 – Austin, TX
October 2 – Phoenix, AZ
October 3 – San Diego, CA
October 4 – Los Angeles, CA

WWE Draft Official Announcement, Celebrities From Fox And NBCUniversal To Announce Picks

As noted earlier, the 2019 WWE Draft has been confirmed to begin on the October 11 SmackDown episode, then wrap on the October 14 RAW episode.

WWE has announced that Superstars will be appearing on RAW and SmackDown along with personalities from Fox and NBCUniversal programming, who will announce the picks.

WWE issued the following press release to us this afternoon to confirm the Draft:

WWE® DRAFT SET FOR FOX AND USA NETWORK ON OCTOBER 11 AND 14
STAMFORD, Conn. – September 15, 2019 – The destiny of WWE's Superstars will be determined during a two-night draft taking place live on Friday Night SmackDown® on October 11 at 8 pm ET on the FOX broadcast network and Monday Night Raw® on October 14 at 8 pm ET on USA Network.

On both nights of the draft, Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will appear along with personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal programming who will announce select picks from each brand. The draft will determine the Superstars that compete for Raw and SmackDown, which feature distinct casts, unique storylines and dedicated writing teams.

Friday Night SmackDown on October 11 will emanate from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas while Monday Night Raw on October 14 will take place at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

Raw and SmackDown are the #1 and #2 longest-running weekly episodic television shows in U.S. primetime history. The programs have aired more original episodes than The Simpsons, Gunsmoke, Lassie and Monday Night Football.

Raw will continue airing on USA Network while SmackDown moves to FOX beginning Friday, October 4.

Triple H Reveals Future Plans For WWE 205 Live, Talks Possible WWE NXT Lifers

Triple H recently spoke with Newsweek and said it was very important that WWE NXT stay at Full Sail Live for the big move to the USA Network this month. He also credited the NXTfanbase in Florida with helping to create the brand.

"For me it was very important," he said. "For one, with our partnership with Full Sail. We do so much there than just put on shows. If you're a student at Full Sail, they are working on our shows with us shadowing and it's a learning process for them as well. To continue that process, I wanted to keep it there. They are one of our biggest and best partners. The other thing to me, that fan base in Florida, they built this. They were there on the ground floor and their energy and excitement allowed [NXT] to become what it has become and what it is becoming, and I want them to be on that ride with us and to continue to grow it. When we say 'we are NXT' they are every bit a part of that as the talent are in some ways. I want them to continue to show the world when we go live on USA. I want them to stand up and say 'we are NXT' because they are."

Triple H also confirmed that the second hours of the September 18 and September 25 NXTUSA episodes are airing on the WWE Network due to the final two episodes of "Suits" airing at 9pm ET. As noted, the first hour from 8-9pm ET will air on USA while the second hour will air on the WWE Network. Both hours will begin airing on USA with the October 2 episode. He was asked if this created any last-minute issues, and he hyped up both shows and said they will be epic.

"I don't look at is as them preempting us [laughs]. They have their season finales there and [Suits] is a great show for our partners at USA," he said. "I'm excited for the first two weeks to give people a taste, but leaving them wanting more. If that makes people jump over to the Network to watch the second hour, we are going to put some spectacular stuff on the first hour on USA and some on the second hour as well.

"That first week alone, on the 18th, you're going to see Velveteen Dream and Roderick Strong for the North American title, you're going to see a Triple Threat between Bianca Belair, Io Shirai and Mia Yim to see who will face Shayna Baszler. There's also a Street Fight between Killian Dane and Matt Riddlethat will continue their story. So there's a lot of stuff that is going to take place. Both shows are going to be epic following one right after the other. The taste is there. If you're a new fan watching on USA you're going to get that taste for a couple of weeks, and then on October 2 we're going to give you the whole thing. For two hours you're really going to see what NXTis all about."

Triple H also revealed that WWE 205 Live will begin to operate under the NXT umbrella soon, along with NXT UK and the main NXT brand. He mentioned 205 Live helping to "breathe" some life into NXT soon, and was then asked if we will see 205 sit under the NXT umbrella.

"You'll start to see 205 begin to," Triple Hrevealed. "I think it always existed as an island onto itself, a little bit, and it's become lost in this limbo. You'll begin to see it move more towards the NXT banner and the talent there. We have a lot of talent. For them to begin to compete either open against anyone or in the cruiserweight division, but have that title sit under the NXT brand is more meaningful. It creates more opportunities for more people. As for RAW and SmackDown, it's an open division for them. When you're on both shows, everybody is competing against everybody."

It's been reported that NXT call-ups to the main roster will continue, despite NXTbecoming a third major brand with the move to USA. Triple H was asked if those "come ups" will continue and if talents could be NXT-lifers now, something Johnny Gargano has said he would love to be.

"I think it can," he responded. "No different than somebody becomes the face of RAW and spends the majority of their career there. It's the same with SmackDown and the same with NXT. I also think the opportunity for someone to leave for a period of time,take a breather and come back a little later refreshed is important. This gives them an opportunity to do other things.

As NXT becomes bigger and more of a global brand, like you see what we've done in the UK, you will see talent has the opportunity to take a breather from RAW or SmackDown and go someplace else. And still it be very meaningful for them and not seen as "I'm going down to the minors" or anything else.

"It's going to be a shift over to a different brand with a different feel and a different vibe where they can go and refresh and become something different so when they do go back - or maybe they don't - they can rebrand themselves. The most successful talent in this business, from a long term standpoint, has the ability to reinvent themselves over time. And that gives them the chance to reinvent yourself at all times."