WWE News: More Backstage Details Surrounding Cody Rhodes" Departure From WWE

Top 10 Raw moments: WWE Top 10, May 16, 2016

Cody Rhodes did his best to take some of the spotlight away from WWEs latest pay-per-view, Extreme Rules, on Sunday. Reports and rumors swirled around Rhodes status with the company throughout the day. Cody even tweeted that everything that was being reported was 100% false and just speculation, but later issued a statement confirming that he had requested, and soon thereafter granted, his release from WWE. Cody said it was his one and only statement on the matter with no podcasts or tell-all nonsense to follow. It was his intention for this statement to be the be-all and end-all, but there is more than meets the eye.

In the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that the split is not amicable at the present time. Cody Rhodes pointed out that money was never an issue during his tenure with the WWE, but money may be an underlying issue now in the sense that Rhodes quit with time still remaining on his contract. WWE did not fire or release him, so Cody will have to wait out however much longer is on his current deal before he can work for another company. Rhodes fired a few shots on his way out, some publicly and perhaps others in private, so the WWE is making it difficult during his transition process.

The Cody Rhodes situation is similar to that of Daniel Bryan. WWE didnt want Bryan to wrestle anymore, while Daniel still believes theres a chance he could compete. Because of that riff, Bryan also resigned on his own recognizance, thus preventing him from wrestling for another promotion as WWE simply waits for his contract to expire. CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio went through similar falling-outs as well. The difference in their cases is that Punk had a misdiagnosis suit and Del Rio threatened company racism. This forced WWE to allow them out of their contracts and to fight elsewhere. Unless Cody Rhodes has something on WWE to that level, he may be stuck until the witching hour of his contractual agreement.

Cody had been teasing a character transformation on social media for weeks. He posted several pictures with half of his face painted up as his Stardust persona and the other half blank, teasing a potential return to his Cody Rhodes persona. Because there was no payoff, many thought Cody was just trolling the internet and his followers.

As it turns out, there were plenty of discussions around the idea of pulling it off. In fact, there were talks of re-debuting Cody on the Monday Night RAW the night after WrestleMania. Stardust was hastily inserted into the Intercontinental Championship Ladder match at Mania, but it was evident there were no follow-up plans for him. Cody wasnt just teasing his social media followers but pitching the change backstage to the creative team as well. Obviously, the idea eventually was turned down, prompting Cody to call out WWEs head writers in his statement.

both head writers of RAW & Smackdown (one pretending to be Brian Gewirtz and the other too busy hitting on developmental divas) continued to not return my pitches or E-mails, and in face-to-face encounters tried to big league me by pretending to be on their clearly powered-off laptops barely willing to listen to an idea I considered beneficial to more than one talent. Whats that expression? Dont take no for an answer what do you do when you dont get an answer at all?

Cody Rhodes vitriol in that stanza was directed at Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward, the head writers of RAW and SmackDown, respectively. But where Cody is slightly misguided is that it wasnt Koskey or Ward who made the decision not to turn Stardust back into Cody Rhodes. While the writers may not have given him the time of day, it was ultimately a directive from Vince McMahon and, to a lesser extent, Triple H not to give Cody the shot he longed for. Maybe its the creative teams fault for not giving him good material to work with, but the call comes from Vince whether a superstar receives a push or not.

[Image via YouTube]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/3125826/wwe-news-more-backstage-details-surrounding-cody-rhodes-departure-from-wwe/

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WWE Superstar Power Rankings for 7/20/2015: WWE Battleground 2015 Edition

WWE Battleground 2015 is in the books, and the WWE Superstar Power Rankings have seen some significant changes. One major change is the fact that there"s a new No. 1, and it may not be who you expect (or it could be obvious; who knows...).

Even setting aside Battleground, it was a big week in WWE. The Divas division got a major infusion of talent from NXT, as NXT Women"s Champion Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte all debuted on the main roster.

Also, intercontinental champion Ryback was temporarily sidelined with a staph infection. That means his match at Battleground, in which he was set to defend his championship against both The Miz and Big Show, was cancelled. In its place, a Divas Triple Threat match took place that saw Charlotte defeat Brie Bella and Sasha Banks.

Anyway, we"ll get into this past week"s action, including Battleground, in more detail throughout the following slides. But beforehand,please read how these rankings are determined.

These rankings are not a popularity contest and are not designed to determine who has the best matches or the most ability. These rankings are strictlyin-storylinepower rankings.

All activeSuperstars and Divas on the WWE roster are considered, excluding talents who primarily or exclusively perform in NXT.Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, but any NXT Superstar deemed eligible for these rankings will remain on the Watch List until officially named as a part of the WWE main roster.

Holding a championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding a Money in the Bank briefcase counts for much of a wrestler"s ranking, andthese honors are therefore the most heavily weighed components in the rankings.

If a wrestler is deemed to be tied with another, holding a title will be the primary tiebreaker. However, holdinga championship, being a No. 1 contender or holding the Money in the Bank briefcase in no way guarantees a spot in the top 10.

Wins and losses account for the bulk of the week-to-week movementand, after championships, are the most important components of the rankings.The quality and rank of a wrestler"s opponents are considered in the week-to-week movement.

Getting the better of someonesuch as beating someone downalso counts, though not nearly as much as wins and losses.Being over with the fans(i.e., getting a strong reaction) is not heavily weighted in the ranking decisions; it is effectively the last tiebreaker.Pay-per-view wins and losses take on added importance.

Only the top 10 wrestlers are ranked. Wrestlers on the Watch List were considered for top-10 status but were ultimately nixed. They are unranked, and their listing is in no particular order.

Generally speaking,these rankingsdo not break kayfabe.However, any major non-storyline informationserious injury, WWE Wellness Policy violations, suspensions, legitimate hirings, firings, contract information and "sabbaticals"may be taken into consideration, but generally only if WWE confirms or addresses it publicly.

WWE"s non-televised domestic and internationallive events arenot includedin these rankingsunless WWE incorporates them into television storylines or acknowledges them on WWE television. Also, nothing that could be explicitly considered a spoiler is included unless WWE acknowledges it as well.

In short, all WWE main-roster showstelevised or digitally distributed, as well as anything from WWE.com, the WWE App, the WWE Network and any WWE or Superstar accounts on social media that don"t break kayfabemay be taken into consideration.

These may include but are not limited toWWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE Main Event, WWE Superstars, NXT, WWE pay-per-views and any storyline-driven content from the WWE Network.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2526526-wwe-superstar-power-rankings-for-7202015-wwe-battleground-2015-edition

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WWE News: Backstage Update On Brock Lesnar And Paul Heyman's Return To ...

Last night, during the Extreme Rules pay-per-view, WWE decision-makers booked an excellent show. Despite Daniel Bryans injury, Neville and Bad News Barrett put on one of the greatest pre-show matches in WWE history. It truly was Nevilles breakthrough match in WWE. Throughout the night, the Big Show and Roman Reigns impressed everybody.

Seth Rollins and Randy Ortons match started out slow, but the WWE champion impressed with an RKO for the victory inside a steel cage. He escaped the cage even though Kane interfered. There was one thing that was blatantly missing, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman.

In an earlier report by the Inquisitr, Brock Lesnar indeed signed a big contract, to which Vince McMahon catered. The business decision made perfect sense because Lesnar and Heyman are WWEs biggest attractions. Due to the popularity of the former-WWE champion and his main man, they will have to be back on WWE television soon.

According to Daily Wrestling News, the dynamic duo of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman will be back on WWE programming momentarily.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter notes that the plan is for Paul Heyman to be off WWE TV until July, likely when Brock Lesnar will also return. We noted before that there were rumors after WrestleMania 31 of Lesnar returning to feud with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

There are two pay-per-views that come between Extreme Rules and SummerSlam. They are Payback and Money in the Bank in succession. At Payback, it is rumored that Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins will take part in a triple threat match for the WWE World Heavyweight championship. It was leaked in a video that spread across the Internet a few days ago.

After the three of them fight for the prestigious belt, Rollins will be victorious and it will then set forth another challenger for Brock Lesnar who returns to the WWE in July. Thats also the same month as the Money in the Bank ladder match. Will Lesnar win WWEs briefcase?

Him winning it is one option, but its also very unlikely. For starters, that would waste another WWE Money in the Bank opportunity on a veteran that doesnt need it. Two, Dean Ambrose is rumored to win the briefcase this year.

Three, Brock Lesnar has a rematch clause that hes waiting to use upon his return. The WWE is in a win-win situation with their WWE championship at the moment. Lesnar will demand a rematch when he comes back and Dean Ambrose might win the case. That way, Seth Rollins, Brock Lesnar and Dean Ambrose will fight for the WWE title. Now, thats best for business.

[Image via betweentheropes.com]

Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/2046512/wwe-news-backstage-update-on-brock-lesnar-and-paul-heymans-return-to-wwe-tv/

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