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WWE Stomping Grounds Changes, Lars Sullivan Injury, Matt Riddle in Roundup
June 17, 2019
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
WWE Reportedly Considering Changes for Stomping Grounds
Wrestling Inc's Marc Middleton wrote June 12 that ticket sales for Sunday's Stomping Grounds on Sunday appeared to be slow based on the number of seats available through Ticketmaster.
According to the Twitter account WrestleVotes, WWE officials have engaged in "talks of shaking up the card" for Stomping Grounds but that it's unclear whether the promotion will alter the show.
Stomping Grounds is headlined by a pair of world title matches. Seth Rollins will defend the Universal Championship against Baron Corbin and Kofi Kingston will put the WWE Championship on the line against Dolph Ziggler. SmackDown Live women's champion Bayley and Raw women's champion Becky Lynch will have title defenses as well.
Considering Stomping Grounds is less than a week away, Raw on Monday night will be a surefire indicator as to whether WWE intends to drum up more interest in the pay-per-view with a change or two to the match lineup.
Lars Sullivan Potentially to Miss More Time Than Expected
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's Dave Meltzer reported last Friday that Lars Sullivan was dealing with a knee injury that was "worse than originally believed."
Meltzer followed up Monday to say WWE had planned for Sullivan to return to action this week (h/t Cageside Seats' Randall Ortman). The fact he likely won't appear on Raw or SmackDown Live could indicate he'll be out "much longer."
Sullivan last wrestled in a three-on-one tag team elimination match, defeating Lucha House Party on the June 10 edition of Raw.
His injury represents another setback after he experienced anxiety issues that delayed his main-roster debut.
Matt Riddle Addresses Criticism of Goldberg
As Goldberg wrestled The Undertaker in the main event of Super ShowDown on June 7, Matt Riddle didn't hold back his criticism of the former world champion.
Riddle initially mocked Goldberg's attempted kneebar on The Deadman. In another video that was quickly deleted, he also called Goldberg "the worst wrestler in the business."
The NXT star elaborated on the sentiment, telling talkSPORT's Alex McCarthy he thought Goldberg had put his fellow wrestlers at risk in the ring:
The Pro Wrestling Show @ProWrestleShow"He's terrible, he's hurting people. I don't care how much money he makes, I'm glad people are entertained, but stick to your wheelhouse bro!" @SuperKingofBros shoots on @Goldberg's work after #WWESSD ------ @WWEUK @DownloadFest @WWENXT @talkSPORT https://t.co/4HKiZwYCGB
Goldberg's match with The Undertaker was widely panned. The 52-year-old addressed the bout on Twitter and included what appeared to be a reference to Riddle's analysis: "Knocked myself out and thought I could finish.... love my fans.....but let u down. Everyone else that found 'pleasure' ..... hope ur happy."