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Becky Lynch Has Seth Rollins on Mt. Rushmore; WWE Rumors on CM Punk, Stephanie Vaquer

Mike Chiari@@mikechiariX.com LogoFeatured Columnist IVAugust 14, 2024

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - MAY 04: (L-R) Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch attend the Kentucky Derby 150 at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Churchill Downs)
Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Churchill Downs

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.


Lynch Names Her Pro Wrestling Mt. Rushmore

Becky Lynch made it a family affair when asked this week to name her Mt. Rushmore of professional wrestling.

During an appearance on Games With Names, hosted by former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman, Lynch was asked to name her wrestling Mt. Rushmore, and she included both herself and her husband, Seth Rollins, on her list (beginning at the 1:22:00 mark):

The Man also chose John Cena for her Mt. Rushmore, but she did not give a definitive answer for her fourth and final spot.

Lynch named both The Rock and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, though, and there is little doubt that both Attitude Era megastars are deserving of the distinction.

As of now, Lynch is a free agent, and she has not been on WWE programming since losing a steel cage match for the Women's World Championship to Liv Morgan on the May 27 episode of Raw.

Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News) reported that her WWE contract expired a few days later, meaning she is technically free to sign with any company.

As of now, it appears Lynch is taking time off and enjoying it with her family, which consists of Rollins and their daughter.

It is difficult to envision Lynch going elsewhere since Rollins is entrenched in WWE, so most fans seem to anticipate her returning to WWE at some point in the future.

However, even if Lynch decides to never wrestle again, she has left an indelible mark on the business and established herself as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, which is why she deserves to be part of the Mt. Rushmore debate.


Rumors on Punk's Travel Issue Storyline

CM Punk reportedly didn't actually experience any travel issues prior to appearing on Monday night's episode of Raw.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), the mention on Raw of Punk having some problems making it to the building was for storyline purposes only and did not actually occur.

At one point during the show, Raw general manager Adam Pearce told Drew McIntyre that Punk wasn't present due to some travel hiccups, but Punk ended up surprising McIntyre at one point by attacking him.

Later in the show, Cathy Kelley interviewed Punk backstage and noted that she knew his travel was fine since they were on the same flight. Punk acknowledged as much and admitted to making it up so he could get the jump on McIntyre.

Fightful added that the storyline was rooted in truth to some degree since travel issues have been commonplace in pro wrestling recently, including some Superstars having their flights canceled last week prior to Raw due to the impact of Tropical Storm Debby.

In retaliation for McIntyre taking the bracelet baring the name of his wife and dog, Punk whipped McIntyre with his own belt, which seemingly set the stage for a rematch.

If Punk vs. McIntyre happens at Bash in Berlin later this month, it seems as though their bout could include a stipulation in the form of a strap match.


Details on Vaquer's NXT Debut

After she signed with the company last month, WWE is reportedly giving Stephanie Vaquer some time to get things sorted out before debuting her on television.

According to Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), Vaquer is still in the process of relocating to the United States on a full-time basis, and WWE is ensuring she has the time and resources she needs to make that happen before introducing her.

The former CMLL world women's champion and NJPW Strong women's champion is originally from Chile, but she primarily made a name for herself in the pro wrestling world in Mexico.

Shortly after her decision to sign with WWE became official, Vaquer made a couple of appearances at untelevised live events in Mexico, giving fans their first taste of Vaquer in WWE:

WWE @WWE

Real recognize real. 🤝 <a href="https://t.co/sAv1oIOR0I">pic.twitter.com/sAv1oIOR0I</a>

Just a couple of weeks before signing with WWE, Vaquer had her biggest match to date, as she faced Mercedes Moné in a champion vs. champion match at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door.

Mercedes won the match and won the NJPW Strong women's title from Vaquer in the process. Given the spotlight she was given, it was widely expected that Vaquer would sign with AEW at some point, but WWE apparently made an offer she couldn't resist.

It is anticipated that Vaquer will start out in NXT rather than on WWE's main roster, which makes sense in terms of making the transition to the U.S. as smooth and easy as possible for her.

NXT is based in Orlando, Florida, and being part of the NXT roster will allow her to spend the vast majority of her time in Orlando and to train at the WWE Performance Center.

With the debut of Vaquer, Japanese wrestling star Giulia and Australia's Delta on the horizon, the NXT women's division is about to receive a massive shot in the arm.


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