​Renee Young will be stepping in for Jonathan Coachman on the Raw announce team as a guest commentator this Monday night, ESPN.com reports. Coachman, meanwhile, will be fulfilling another obligation. 

Young will work alongside Michael Cole and Corey Graves for all three hours of the broadcast, making this the first time a woman has called an entire episode of Raw.
Don’t miss Renee Young’s historic Raw announce team debut live this Monday at 8/7 C on USA Network.

Kofi Kingston shared the following statement on-line about the reinstatement of Hulk Hogan into the WWE. The statement was also retweeted by Big E and Xavier Woods (transcription credit should go to Dominic DeAngelo of WrestleZone.com):

To the WWE Universe and whoever else it may concern:

This will be the only statement we will make regarding Hogan’s reinstatement into WWE’s Hall of Fame. We do not wish to spend the energy debating the point, because between our kids, our external ventures, and this job, our energy is spread thin already, lol.

We are only writing this simply to provide an answer to the many who have bombarded us with questions on where we stand on the issue.

We preface this statement by emphasizing that this is our own opinion and may not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone else affected.

How do we feel? Indifferent. We are not happy, or sad, angry or resentful. Who WWE puts in the HOF is totally and completely up to the company and from a career standpoint, there is no argument on whether or not Hogan should have his place. We have no problem with his re-induction in the slightest degree. It is impossible to even begin to mention the history and evolution of the business without mentioning his name and accolades.

On a personal level, when someone makes racist and hateful comments about any race or group of people, especially to the degree that Hogan made about our people, we find it difficult to simply forget, regardless of how long ago it was, or the situation in which those comments were made. But we also do not respond with more feelings of hate. Instead, we just do not associate with the people who convey or have conveyed this negative and hurtful mindset. This instance will be no different. Perhaps if we see him make a genuine effort to change, then maybe our opinion will change with him. Time will tell.

Through the course of our lives, people have used racist comments towards us and it doesn’t feel good. But if we stopped moving forward everytime were met with prejudicial hatred, then we would have never achieved our current accomplishments.

We know we are worth it, we know our kids our worth it, and most importantly, we know that people that look like us are worth it and always haven been. There isn’t a person on this planet who will ever be able to say anything to make us think otherwise because we believe in ourselves as a people and don’t need anyone’s approval on that, regardless of who they are.

Having said that, his reinstatement won’t change anything for us. It will have zero effect on our ability to perform or the level of effort will will put in doing what we love to do, and that is: To deliver an entertaining product each week for our fan base.

Sincerely,
– The New Day
​
“Never trade your authenticity for approval.”

Last night (July 7) in Las Vegas, Daniel Cormier was hot as hot can be. He walked into the arena with the UFC Light heavyweight Championship, and he left the arena also carrying the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Cormier became only the second fighter in history to hold both of those titles, the first being Connor McGregor. 

Cormier win over former champ Stipe Miocic may not have been the biggest story to come out of the event, despite the impressive first round knockout. While celebrating his win, Cormier used the opportunity to call out his possible next opponent, current WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar.

After seeing Lesnar in the crowd, Cormier took to the mic to get his rivals attention. 

“Listen to DC! Listen to DC!” he said, referring to himself by his nickname. “There is a guy I’ve known a long time: A wrestler, an All-American, a former UFC heavyweight champion. Brock Lesnar, get your ass in here!”

That's all it took to get Lesnar to enter the octagon. During the jaw-jacking, Lesnar referred to Miocic as a piece of crap and then said to Cormier, “I’m coming for you mother [expletive]!”

As for a potential match-up, several sources are saying that Lesnar, who hasn't competed in the UFC since July 2016, is already in the USADA testing pool and may be ready to fight for the UFC as early as November 2018. That would set up  massive PPV match-up at the UFC event planned for Madison Square Garden. 

As we inch closer to the huge All In event this September in Chicago, we finally have a second confirmed match. 

​"The Villain" Marty Scurll versus "The Rainmaker" Kazuchika Okada has been made official. The previous match-up that was announced feature "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes against NWA World Champion Nick Aldis, and it is for the NWA Title. 

According to his twitter account, former WCW Heavyweight Champion Big Van Vader, who's real name was Leon White, has passed away at the age of 63. This comes after a lengthy battle with severe pneumonia. 

White became famous performing in World Championship Wrestling, where he won the top title, and later in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment. He also played professional football with the Los Angeles Rams, playing in Super Bowl XIV against the Pittsburgh Steelers being one of his career highlights. 

Along with performing with many smaller wrestling promotions over the years, Vader has also worked with New Japan Pro Wrestling, Total Nonstop Action, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Noah.

The world of music and the world of professional wrestling are no strangers. Whether it's the Rock N' Wrestling days of the 80's, the heavy metal of the Attitude Era, or Hip Hop's current obsession with the squared circle, pro wrestling and music go together like Money in the Bank. So when the Undertaker showed up to a Post Malone concert in Austin, Texas, it was no big surprise, but what we were treated to may have been. 

In what seemed like a prerecorded back stage segment, Post Malone ran into the Deadman only to be greeted with one of his signature moves. As the Undertaker turned around, he grabs Post Malone by the throat and chokeslams him to hell as the cameras go out. You can check the video out below. 

Later in the night, the Deadman returned to hit the stage with fellow guest, rapper 21 Savage. Together they teamed up with Malone to smash some guitars on stage.

It looks like WWE 2K19 is on track to be truly "Phenomenal." 

According to reports from Pro Wrestling Sheet, 2KSports and the WWE have chose current WWE Champion AJ Styles to grace the cover of WWE 2K19. In addition to the cover star being named, the pre-order DLC is said to be none other than Rowdy Ronda Rousey. 

Apparently, both Styles and Rousey were part of a cover reveal commercial shoot this past week in Memphis. You may recall that the WWE did the same thing last year with cover star Seth Rollins and DLC superstar Kurt Angle. 

In addition to those names being revealed, it was also reported that WCW/WWE legend Rey Mysterio was also present for the shoot. Mysterio most recently has wrestled for New Japan, but he did take part in both the Royal Rumble and the Greatest Royal Rumble this year.

An official announcement with more game details is expected this coming Monday (June 18).

​With WWE’s Money In The Bank (MiTB) PPV just under five weeks away, the card is just starting to take shape. We already know four of the eight participants in the men’s MITB match, and two of the eight women. Now we are starting to get an idea of the rest of the card.

While the WWE is touring Europe, two major title matches have been announced. The first one was a no-brainer as SmackDown Live commissioner announce a rematch between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura for the WWE Championship. While no stipulations have been announced yet, I am sure one will be added to ensure a clear winner.
​
The second match added may come as a bit of a shocker as Nia Jax will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey. The match came about after Jax issued a challenge to Rousey because she wants to prove herself against the best.

Patrick and Kevin talk with Australian wrestling star and former Heart of Shimmer Champion, Shazza McKenzie following her tumultuous Shimmer weekend. On her 10th trip to America, Shazza is sticking around for an extended period to get extra matches in, which are all covered during this chat, along with talks about what's NXT... I mean next for her in the future.

Independent wrestling star Ricochet has officially joined the WWE. The 29 year-old high-flyer reported to the WWE Performance Center for the first time today (Jan. 16).  He brings with him all the experience one would expect from a 14-year veteran of the business. 

Ricochet is no stranger to winning as he has a healthy resume that includes being a two-time winner of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla’s annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament, the second American in history to win New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament (Eddie Guerrero was the first), PWG World Champion, Lucha Underground Champion, World Series Wrestling heavyweight champion and more.

Standing 5-foot-9 and weighing 188 pounds, Ricochet brings an astonishing assortment of aerial moves to the ring. He first earned notoriety in Japan for an eye-popping double-moonsault, and his 630° senton remains one of the most potent weapons in his arsenal.

His inclusion in the WWE Universe should be one that fans of all kinds will enjoy for years to come.