WWE Rumors on Vince McMahon's Changes; Rollins Talks Fans Singing; Logan Paul on MITB
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
McMahon Reportedly Changed Rollins Open Challenge
A scheduled WWE World Heavyweight Championship defense did not take place on Raw, and WWE chairman Vince McMahon reportedly made the call.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), it was McMahon's decision to call off Rollins' open challenge and instead have Finn Balor attack him in the opening segment of Raw.
Rollins will defend his title against Balor at Money in the Bank in London on July 1, and McMahon reportedly "wanted something big" with regard to Rollins and Balor in an attempt to get some heat on Balor as a heel.
Meltzer also reported that some people in WWE told him the opening 30 minutes of the show that aired were better than what was originally planned.
Rollins has made a habit of laying down open challenges since becoming champion, and he accepted a challenge from Bron Breakker to defend the title on Tuesday night's episode of NXT.
It is unclear who WWE planned to have Rollins face on Raw before the changes, although The Miz cut a promo after the Balor attack that he was going to accept the challenge.
Tommaso Ciampa then returned from injury and defeated The Miz in an impromptu match in Miz's hometown of Cleveland.
As for Rollins, he cut a promo saying he still intends to go through with his title defense on NXT, and he also gave a word of warning to Balor ahead of their Money in the Bank match, which arguably now has more intrigue surrounding it after what happened Monday.
Rollins Loves Fans Singing His Theme Song
Rollins has long been one of the most beloved Superstars in WWE, but his popularity has reached a fever pitch over the past several months.
The biggest telltale sign is the fact that packed arenas sing along with Rollins' theme song with regularity, often leading to the biggest and loudest reactions of the night.
Last week, Balor had to overcome the fans singing the song in order to cut a promo, leading Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post to ask Rollins if he ever feels the need to step in and stop the singing in those types of moments.
Rollins shot down the notion and encouraged fans to sing as much as they want due to how much it adds to his character:
"Why would I want to stop it? They're doing my thing for me. Why would I want to stop them? What good is that? That's silly. They 'What' people when they're bored with them. They're singing my song to my opponent to aggravate him, to piss him off. They know that it annoys him so they keep doing it. That's as good as it gets. If he was a heel out there standing by himself and they were booing him out of the building a la Dominik Mysterio and he couldn't get a word in, everyone would be thinking that's the greatest thing ever.
"The fact that there is a babyface who has something like that to utilize to antagonize the bad guy, it doesn't get any better than that. Why would I ever want to stop them? I say party all night long. Mind you, I didn't tell them to party all night long. All I did was stand there and when I talk, they listen. So, what does that tell you? I do have some control of them. I hope it's like that every single time my opponent picks up a microphone to say something bad to me. Please, bring it on. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the fire baby."
While it took some mettle on Balor's part, he did eventually find a way to get his point across and cut a strong promo amid the singing.
Then, on this week's Raw, Balor attacked Rollins before a scheduled match and hit him with the Coup de Grace multiple times, silencing The Visionary's adoring fans.
There is no question that the fans enhance and Rollins and his presentation, but heels like Balor can help their own stock by figuring out creative ways to combat the raucous crowd.
Logan Paul Says He's "Nervous" for MITB Ladder Match
Logan Paul made his return to WWE programming Monday night on Raw in his hometown of Cleveland, and it didn't take him long to shake up the WWE landscape again.
Paul announced that he had been added to the men's Money in the Bank ladder match, making it a seven-person affair along with Ricochet, Shinsuke Nakamura, LA Knight, Butch, Damian Priest and Santos Escobar.
Speaking to backstage interviewer Byron Saxton after his announcement, Paul admitted to being nervous:
"Hell yeah!" Paul said. "I'm nervous. It's been a while since I was back, you know? But I'm the maverick, dog. I like to fly. I like to perch high, and I like to jump. And I did it."
Paul had not been seen on WWE programming since WrestleMania 39 in April when he lost to Rollins in a highly entertaining match.
Now, Paul is just one win away from having a guaranteed title shot at a time and place of his choosing, which may not sit well with some fans.
While Paul is a part-time performer who hasn't necessarily had to earn his stripes like many of WWE's top stars, there is no denying the fact that he is a natural within the wrestling business and a hugely impressive athlete.
Paul has had only a handful of matches and all of them have been entertaining, so his addition to the MITB ladder match makes plenty of sense.
Also, Paul is arguably the favorite to win the match, and fans cheering against him to do so should add a fun dynamic to the contest.
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