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Randy Orton Trolls Roman Reigns; Karrion Kross Injured; Renee Young Thanks WWE
August 24, 2020
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Randy Orton Welcomes Back Roman Reigns
The biggest story coming out of SummerSlam was the long-awaited return of Roman Reigns. Last seen on WWE television before WrestleMania, the Big Dog attacked "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and Braun Strowman after their falls count anywhere match for the WWE universal championship.
Randy Orton was so happy to see Reigns back he sent out a welcome message on Instagram:
While Orton isn't known for being a laugh riot on television, he's proved quite adept at comedy on social media. The Legend Killer used TikTok and WWE action figures to show how he planned to beat Drew McIntyre for the WWE championship at SummerSlam.
Things ultimately didn't work out for Orton on Sunday night, as he was pinned clean by McIntyre, but at least he was able to maintain his sense of humor after the defeat.
As for Reigns, it appears as if he will be first in line to challenge Wyatt for the title. The Fiend pinned Strowman after hitting two Sister Abigails to win the universal championship.
Reigns was originally scheduled to challenge Goldberg for the championship at WrestleMania, but he took time off to protect his newborn twins. Strowman took his spot in the match and defeated Goldberg.
Karrion Kross Injury Update
NXT Takeover XXX was the coronation of Karrion Kross as the brand's top star. He pinned Keith Lee after a top rope Doomsday Saito to win the NXT championship.
The match wasn't all smooth sailing for Kross, though. WWE announced he suffered a separated shoulder in the match and will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the injury.
Speaking to ESPN's Marc Raimondi about his shoulder, Kross did say that he doesn't expect to be out for long, but he will wait for "the professional, educated opinion on what the severity of it is."
Kross did note it might not be a long-term thing:
"[Due to] how I feel and what I've heard, I don't know. I'm very intuitive with my body. And the range of emotion that I have right now, while it's not what I would like it to be, for me personally, it would indicate to me that I'm going to get be able to get through this without any sort of extreme measures, so to speak. In my opinion, today."
An extended absence by Kross would be devastating for him and NXT. He's in the midst of the biggest push of his career and just won the title in his highest-profile match to date.
NXT has clearly been building around Kross and Scarlett since they debuted in May. There's plenty of talent on the roster that it will be OK for the time being if his shoulder is seriously injured, but it would be a huge blow based on how impressive he has been in just three months.
Renee Young Says Goodbye
After rumors of her departure picked up steam last week, Renee Young announced on the SummerSlam kickoff show that Sunday was going to be her final night with WWE.
Young wrote a goodbye message to WWE and the WWE Universe on Instagram:
"This November would mark 8 years in WWE. 8 years!! An opportunity of a lifetime with a global company to learn, grow, make history and do things beyond my wildest dreams before I left Toronto for this adventure. I made friends, family—literally family—I met my husband here (what a f--king dreamboat) and people that will be a part of my life forever. I did things I couldn't have even imagined or dreamt up. From backstage interviews, a reality show, Talking Smack, being the first woman to be a part of a WWE broadcast in Saudi Arabia, to being the first woman to sit at the commentary desk full time on Monday Night Raw, calling Wrestlemania, anchoring a brand new show with Fox Sports (which you guys will still be able to catch me on!) I've been so lucky. But it's also been a lot of my hard work, drive and passion that's landed me in these amazing spots. I've had such an incredible run with WWE. It's changed my life. But that all leads me to now. What's next? Do I stay satisfied with what I've done? Or do I go in pursuit of new barriers and goals in mind? I always choose the latter. I have no idea what that means or looks like, but it's time for me to go. Time to roll the dice again and shake things up. Time to light that fire again and forge on. Time to say bye to Renee Young and reconnect with Renee Paquette and remember why I started this journey to begin with. And as the ride slows down—as the world slows down, I see it as my opportunity to make a move. So I just wanted to say thanks to WWE and to the all the fans that have been so damn cool to me over the years. And send a crap ton of love to all of my people. I'm excited for the future! Thanks for everything."
Young joined WWE in 2012 as a co-host on the pre-show for the Survivor Series. She gradually evolved into a role as a backstage interviewer and was involved in a series of shows on WWE's social media channels.
After initially filling in as a play-by-play commentator on Raw in August 2018, Young joined the broadcast crew on a full-time basis the following month. She became the first female commentator in WWE history.
In addition to her duties on Raw, Young served as host of WWE Backstage on FS1 from November 2019 through June 2020 when production on the show was suspended.
Young was a Swiss Army Knife for WWE with her ability to easily transition from interviewer to commentator to host and anything else she was asked to do.
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