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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Shirai Reportedly Wants WWE Main Roster Deal
If Io Shirai is going to re-sign with WWE, she reportedly wants to be part of the main roster moving forward.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Michael Perry of Ringside News), those close to Shirai in Japan believe she would sign a new contract with WWE if it moves her from NXT to the main roster.
Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc’s Matthew Wilkinson) previously reported that she had told people in Japan that she wanted to return home to be closer to family, and while it wasn’t official, there was belief she would go back to working for Stardom.
Shirai seemingly took a shot at those rumors this week with the following tweet:
Nicknamed “The Joshi Judas” and “The Genius of the Sky,” Shirai signed with WWE in 2017 and made her debut in 2018 after a hugely successful career in Japan.
Shirai has been featured almost exclusively on the NXT brand and has been one of the top female Superstars to ever grace NXT, holding the NXT Women’s Championship and NXT Women’s Tag Team Championships.
The 32-year-old veteran has not wrestled in a match since the NXT Stand & Deliver special in April when she faced Mandy Rose, Cora Jade and Alba Fyre. Shirai suffered an injury in the match, and Meltzer reported that she had been rehabbing and training for a return.
Meltzer also reported that Shirai’s contract is set to expire next month, and she would be free to sign anywhere if it does.
Based on the new information, however, it seems like there is a chance for WWE to retain Shirai if it is willing to move her up to the main roster.
WWE Possibly Preparing Dominik Heel Turn
WWE reportedly may be planning to turn Dominik Mysterio heel on a huge upcoming episode of Raw.
Meltzer (h/t Perry) reported that it “feels like” WWE may have Dominik turn on the July 25 episode of Raw at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which is being touted as the 20th anniversary of Rey Mysterio joining WWE.
He noted that Dominik’s turn has been “teased hard” and that WWE head of creative has a “special affinity” for MSG, which may mean there are more big moments and storyline developments on the show than usual.
Dominik is Rey’s son, and he has been under contract with WWE since 2020 at the latest, which is when he made his in-ring debut.
Rey and Dominik have been a package deal since then, becoming the first father-son duo in WWE history to win tag team titles together.
The Mysterios are currently feuding with Judgment Day members Finn Balor and Damian Priest, who have called Rey a bad father and seemingly tried to convince Dominik that Rey is holding him back.
Aligning Dominik with Judgment Day would be a huge development in his career, and it would potentially set the stage for a huge match against his own father.
It can be argued that Dominik hasn’t gotten over as quickly or effectively with the WWE Universe as hoped, but if he turns on his father on his special night, one can only assume it would garner him a ton of heel heat.
Raw Not Guaranteed to Move to TV-14
Despite a report that WWE Raw is set to move from a PG to TV-14 rating, it may not be set in stone.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast (h/t Perry) reported that the change to TV-14 would occur beginning with Monday’s episode of Raw, but Meltzer followed up with a report of his own, noting that nothing has been officially decided.
Meltzer reported that USA Network sent out an internal memo regarding the switch to TV-14, and that if it happens, it would be a USA Network decision rather than a WWE decision.
If and when the change happens, Meltzer suggested that it likely wouldn’t mean more blood or risque content for the most part, but it could allow WWE to relax rules a bit when it comes to using profanity.
WWE programming has been PG for many years, but it was at its most popular during the Attitude Era in the late 1990s and early 2000s when it was TV-14 and appealed to an older audience.
WWE has been more focused on appealing to families since then, although it has undoubtedly tested the limits of the PG rating at times.
It would likely be foolish to expect wholesale changes in the event of a move to TV-14, but fewer restraints would give WWE more freedom of creativity, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.
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