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There’s an old adage that still holds true in the world of professional wrestling: You lose on your way out. To quote Vince McMahon, it’s a time-honoured tradition—the perfect way to give back to the business. A whole host of legends have followed this mantra, including Stone Cold Steve Austin, the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair and the “Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels. But after last year’s WrestleMania shock, could the Undertaker be the latest name to be added to that star-studded list? With doubts lingering over the Deadman’s future, many see his loss to Brock Lesnar—and the resultant shattering of his 21-0 WrestleMania Streak—as ‘Taker’s ...

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ll know that NXT is one of the hottest wrestling shows around right now. That much was confirmed just over a week ago when the WWE’s developmental territory set the wrestling world alight with its hugely successful NXT Takeover: R Evolution show. The night saw the debut of Kevin Owens, the rise of Finn Balor and his awesome new body paint and an epic main event between Adrian Neville and Sami Zayn, in which Zayn found redemption by finally winning the NXT Championship. But it wasn’t just the names involved that made ...

Over the past few years, part-time performers have been an integral part of WWE programming. Typically speaking, these ageing stars have been brought into the fold—often during WrestleMania season—to play out a major angle, inject a little razzmatazz and ultimately get more eyes on the product. The past two 'Manias alone have seen no less than nine part-timers* return to the ring for their marquee moments on the Grandest Stage of Them All. Bonus points for whoever can name our troop of returning stars... But away from the spotlight of the Undertaker’s Streak and the WWE title, there’s been one part-timer who’s been ...

Get in to get out. This mantra—touted by Brock Lesnar in his 2011 book, Death Clutch—is a creed that the former UFC Champion has lived by throughout his WWE career. Lesnar first heard the phrase from the late, great Mr. Perfect, and he duly heeded the Hall of Famer’s advice. Just four years after agreeing to the most lucrative WWE developmental deal in professional wrestling history, Lesnar was getting out. An eight-year hiatus followed, before a triumphant return in April 2012 marked the start of one of the most dominant runs in WWE history. But that motto that he lived by all those years ...

Last month, in one of the biggest surprises in recent memory, the Rock made his return to the WWE. The one-off appearance came about after The Great One’s movie schedule took him to New York, which coincidentally was hosting Raw that week. Talk about perfect timing. The Brahma Bull made his presence felt in a classic exchange with Rusev. Not only was the segment thoroughly amusing, but it also acted as a clear sign that management is invested wholeheartedly in the Bulgarian Brute. As Chris Jericho will surely confirm, nothing quite elevates a relative newcomer like an interaction with The Rock. And who said ...

2014 has been a pretty great year in the WWE. Arguably the biggest WrestleMania of all time saw the legendary Streak emphatically shattered, and Daniel Bryan sealed his legacy there, winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the feel-good moment of the year. Add to that the long-awaited launch of the WWE Network, as well as the rise of the WWE Performance Center and NXT, and it’s clear to see that the company has put some fantastic work into ensuring this would be a year to remember. But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. An unfortunate pair of injuries threatened to derail the ...

John Cena was conspicuous in his absence from this week's episode of Monday Night Raw. Many had expected the No. 1 contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to feature on the show, given the fact that he has a team to assemble for this month’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. But, as reported by Bill Pritchard of WrestleZone.com, Cena’s name was actually pulled from local advertising some five days ahead of the show in Buffalo, New York. At the time of writing, there’s still no official word on why Cena wasn’t on Raw, which does seem somewhat odd—especially when you consider that he now ...

2014 has been an incredible year for Brock Lesnar. After trouncing the Big Show at the Royal Rumble, the former UFC champion marched on to WrestleMania XXX where he scored perhaps the biggest victory in pro wrestling history. Doing what no man before him had been capable of, Lesnar ended the Undertaker’s Streak at the Showcase of the Immortals. From there, it was clear that the only thing left for the Beast Incarnate was a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. But few could have foreseen the overwhelming dominance that the challenger displayed as he decimated John Cena in what was ...

Night of Champions is regularly dubbed as the one night of the year in which each one of the company’s championships is placed on the line. As a result, it’s important that the WWE effectively hypes each title match, given the theme of the gimmick pay-per-view. While other shows—such as Extreme Rules, Hell in a Cell or TLC—can rely on exciting stipulations to sell themselves, Night of Champions cannot. Instead, it’s the importance and prestige of the titles on the line that must act as the event’s main selling point. And perhaps the easiest way to do that is to book meaningful ...

When Brock Lesnar made his triumphant return to the WWE, he reportedly signed a one-year deal worth a staggering $5 million according to PWInsider (h/t MMA Mania and Cageside Seats). Many baulked at the incredible sum, but the reason the former UFC star was able to command that kind of money was that the WWE was confident it would recoup its investment. And if we look back at the numbers, you’d probably have to say that the company was right. In Lesnar’s first pay-per-view back he headlined Extreme Rules with John Cena, helping the show post a 22 percent increase in buys. ...