• Former Intercontinental Champion Was Actually Hoping For His WWE Release
Former WWE Superstar Zack Ryder, who was released from his WWE contract in 2020 and has since become a member of the IMPACT Wrestling roster, appeared as a guest on Renee Young’s weekly Oral Sessions podcast, where he revealed that he hoped WWE would release him and was actually worried they wouldn’t do it.
Here’s what the former Intercontinental Champion had to say:
“I knew the releases were coming that day and my biggest fear was that they weren’t going to release me, because my contract was up in August. I had not re-signed, I didn’t know if I wanted to stay and go. So I was like ‘oh my god, I hope they release me or I just rot until August.’ So once I saw people going I was like ‘oh please. Please fire me!’ I already had my Pro Wrestling Tees store set up.
Listen, losing your dream job sucks. The paycheck coming in every week and then not coming in sucks. But it was time to go. And ultimately the decision was made for me, because I was living with anxiety for over a year negotiating this new deal. And then when the decision was made for me it was like ‘okay. It’s made’.
This is going to sound horrible to say, but I loved the pandemic. On paper it was a horrible year for me. I got fired from WWE, lost my dream job, this global pandemic, we had to cancel our wedding. But I loved it because I was home every single day.
I never got a vacation, I never got time off, and I had months just off. And there was nothing to do. I couldn’t really go anywhere because we were in the middle of this pandemic, so I just sat pool side every day. We built a little gym in the backyard. I absolutely loved it. And we took the Major Wrestling Podcast and were able to build on that.”
WATCH: Chelsea Green’s (Zack Ryder’s Fiancee) Buns Accidentally Exposed:
• ON THIS DAY IN WWF HISTORY (July 27, 1998) – WWF RAW IS WAR
On this day in 1998, the World Wrestling Federation aired another LIVE episode of their weekly TV show ‘WWF RAW IS WAR’.
It was broadcasted from the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and featured matches, interviews & storyline segments on the road to the ‘WWF SummerSlam 1998’ PPV.
Here’s the match-card:
1. Vader vs. D’Lo Brown
2. Brawl 4 All: Bart Gunn vs. Steve Williams
3. Owen Hart vs. Dan Severn
4. D.O.A. vs. Faarooq & 2 Cold Scorpio
5. WWF Intercontinental Title – Triple Threat Match: Triple H vs. X-Pac vs. The Rock
6. Brakkus vs. Jesus Castillo
7. Val Venis vs. Brian Christopher
8. The Nation vs. LOD 2000
9. WWF World Tag Titles: Stone Cold Steve Austin & The Undertaker vs. The New Age Outlaws
