Undertaker-Themed WWE SmackDown; Cody Talks Great American Bash; Tessa Blanchard

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

The Undertaker Tribute to Air on SmackDown

WWE is advertising a tribute to The Undertaker for Friday night's episode of SmackDown on Fox.

While it isn't clear exactly what the tribute will entail, it will include the first TV airing of the Boneyard Match between The Undertaker and AJ Styles at WrestleMania 36.

The final episode of Undertaker: The Last Ride aired Sunday on WWE Network and focused largely on the Boneyard Match. At the conclusion of the docuseries, Taker said he has "no desire" to wrestle again following the success of that match.

While The Phenom did admit that he would have to consider returning if WWE Chairman Vince McMahon asks him, he seems content with his career, so he may finally be ready to ride off into the sunset at 55 years of age.

If that is the case, then a tribute on SmackDown will be a great way to allow fans to appreciate The Deadman and all he accomplished in WWE.

While the tribute is fitting given the timing, it may also be happening out of necessity. According to WrestlingInc's Marc Middleton, WWE previously advertised an Intercontinental Championship match between Styles and Drew Gulak, a segment involving Sheamus and Jeff Hardy, and universal champion Braun Strowman confronting Bray Wyatt.

Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin reported this week that multiple people within WWE have tested positive for COVID-19, which may have forced the company to change course from the original SmackDown plans.

Cody Comments on NXT Using Great American Bash

WWE announced this week that the next two weeks of NXT will be Great American Bash-themed episodes.

The Great American Bash was formerly a WCW pay-per-view conceived by late WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, and his son Cody commented Thursday on WWE using one of his father's ideas:

An executive vice president of All Elite Wrestling, Cody suggested that he didn't have much of a problem with it, although the timing is curious since the Great American Bash episodes of NXT will be going head-to-head to Fyter Fest-themed episodes of AEW Dynamite the next two Wednesdays.

Fyter Fest was an AEW pay-per-view last year, but with the coronavirus pandemic halting live shows, AEW opted to present this year's event on television instead. Fyter Fest will still have a PPV-caliber lineup, though, with every title being defended over the course of two weeks.

The second week of NXT's Great American Bash block will feature a huge match as well with NXT champion Adam Cole facing North American champion Keith Lee in a winner-take-all title match.

Dusty worked closely with NXT founder Triple H and the brand's talent until his death in 2015, and NXT has paid tribute to The American Dream many times since then.

In addition to the Great American Bash, NXT has played host to several WarGames matches, which was also a Dusty creation in NWA. NXT also has an annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament.

While such tributes would normally be viewed as positive, the fact that Dusty's son competes for a rival company creates a unique set of circumstances.

There is also a belief among some fans that the Great American Bash theme is meant to counteract Fyter Fest since they will be going head-to-head.

NXT will enter next week with a ton of momentum, as it beat Dynamite by over 150,000 viewers this week.

Blanchard Reportedly Generating Interest

Impact Wrestling released Tessa Blanchard and stripped her of the Impact Wrestling World Championship on Thursday.

Fightful (h/t Felix Upton of Ringside News) reported that there is already interest in her "elsewhere." It wasn't specified which promotions may be interested in signing Blanchard.

The 24-year-old beat Sami Callihan for the Impact Wrestling world title in January, making her the only woman to win the top title in the history of the company.

Impact shut down operations for a period of time because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Blanchard did not return when Impact resumed taping shows. Her release reportedly came about when she and Impact could not agree on her involvement.

Per Fightful (h/t Upton), Impact asked Blanchard to film and send some promos to hype her match at the July 18 Slammiversary pay-per-view. Blanchard reportedly asked for additional pay in the form of a "day rate," but they couldn't come to terms.

Blanchard's contract with Impact was reportedly set to expire Monday.

It was alleged in January that Blanchard bullied other wrestlers backstage and once called wrestler La Rose Negra the N-word and spit in her face. Those allegations reportedly didn't play a role in Blanchard's release.

AEW and WWE seem like the two best potential landing spots for Blanchard now that she is a free agent.

Blanchard's father, Tully Blanchard, is a legendary wrestler and former Four Horsemen member who currently manages Shawn Spears in AEW, which could give the upstart a leg up.

Meanwhile, WWE has the greatest collection of female wrestling talent in the world, and a rivalry with Charlotte Flair, the daughter of former Four Horsemen leader Ric Flair, would undoubtedly appeal to fans and perhaps Blanchard as well.

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