WWE's Most Controversial and Shocking Stories for the Week of July 7

WWE just can't catch a break. Everyone from Donald Trump to LaVar Ball has implicated the worldwide leader in some type of scandal, and with news of a massive data leak, WWE continues to endure intense national scrutiny. 

But cheer up, squared circle: John Cena is back. 

John Cena Returns, Leads Charge Against Evil Foreigners

John Cena made his anticipated return to SmackDown Live, and while viewership declined 11 percent from last week's 10-week high of 2.603 million, per ShowBuzz Daily (h/t Wrestling Inc), this can be considered an impressive number for the heavily promoted July 4 broadcast, given Raw's usual mass exodus of viewership for a July 4 broadcast, per James Caldwell of PWTorch. 

Cena's homecoming was spoiled by a previously dormant Rusev, who will reprise his rivalry in a Flag Match at WWE Battleground on July 23 with the 16-time world champion, whom he faced at WrestleMania 31. 

Cena and Rusev's current feud is a strange microcosm of the narrative on SmackDown Live, which is pitting "evil" foreigners against Americans. 

The United States Championship will be defended in another us-versus-them showcase pitting the Canadian Kevin Owens against good ol' Southerner A.J. Styles. Meanwhile, the main event will feature Indo-Canadian WWE champion Jinder Mahal against Randy Orton in a Punjabi Prison match. 

It's beginning to look more and more like the only way one can truly enjoy WWE Battleground is as a patriot.

Massive Data Leak Exposes Addresses, Ethnicities of 3 Million Fans as WWE Remains in National Spotlight

According to a report by Thomas Fox-Brewster of Forbes, the addresses and ethnicities of three million WWE fans were exposed in a massive data leak, per Bob Dyachenko of security firm Kromtech.  

Dyachenko noted the data was sitting on an Amazon S3 server without username or password protection. 

WWE responded to the leak with the following statement (h/t Wresting Inc):  

"Although no credit card or password information was included, and therefore not at risk, WWE is investigating a vulnerability of a database housed on Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has now been secured. WWE utilizes leading cybersecurity firms Smartronix and Praetorian to manage data infrastructure and cybersecurity and to conduct regular security audits on AWS. We are currently working with Amazon Web Services, Smartronix and Praetorian to ensure the ongoing security of our customer information."

WWE has spent late June and early July embroiled in national controversies, from LaMelo Ball using the n-word on Raw, to Donald Trump tweeting out doctored WWE footage of him beating up a CNN logo. With news that the security of three million WWE fans may be at risk, this is hardly the type of public relations distraction WWE was hoping for. 

Impact Wrestling: New Name, Same Drama

The embattled national wrestling promotion formerly known as TNA, Impact Wrestling has once again rebranded itself, as it will move forward as Global Force Wrestling. GFW returned to pay-per-view this past Sunday, crowning former WWE champion Alberto El Patron as its unified heavyweight champion. 

Patron continues to take public shots at WWE and was reportedly blocked by GFW from making further comments, per a live report of the incident (h/t Wrestling Inc). 

Never one to miss a controversial moment, WWE Superstar Paige, who is still under contract with the company, reportedly watched El Patron from ringside while wearing a mask as pictures surfaced on Twitter, per Wrestling Inc. 

As GFW and Anthem Sports & Entertainment continue its series of uphill climbs and legal battles in hopes of becoming relevant, hopefully its in-ring product can be half as interesting as the drama that seems to plague this promotion. 

Apollo Crews and Braun Strowman Star in 'Kick of Doom' 

While Braun Strowman's main event match against Apollo Crews has garnered just under 600,000 views on YouTube as of this writing, his insane kick of a midair Crews has gone viral. Twitter has responded to the impressive spot with GIFs and entertaining fan conjecture, while WWE's Cathy Kelley featured the move in her latest video on WWE's YouTube channel. 

Though it looked dangerous and could never be replicated again, the spot was a well-timed—or at least timed well enough to avoid serious injury—and figures to be shown in countdown videos and Braun Strowman highlight reels moving forward. 

Much like the Air-KO or Shawn Michaels' memorable Superkick to a flying Shelton Benjamin, this is the type of exciting clip that is perfectly equipped for today's social media generation. 

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report and Forbes. Like him on Facebook.