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Love what you guys do, you're awesome. Question, why do some people get to keep their established ring name (Samoa Joe, James Storm while he was there, and now Austin Aries) while Balor, Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn had to change theirs?
For a long time, there was a mindset of changing the names so that WWE could maintain the trademarks if and when those talents left. Samoa Joe broke the mold when he was hired to NXT and maintained his name, look and persona. His success (and the fact that the NXT audience was well versed in who he was and what he could do) allowed others to have the same chance.
Who do you think should be Sasha Banks' mystery partner?
If it's up to me, I'd pick Bayley! They have a long history from NXT and Sasha can say that she didn't have anyone here she could trust so she went outside of the main roster. It gives Bayley the perfect introduction and puts her in a big match and eventually, they can build to Sasha and Bayley recreating the magic they had in NXT by renewing that rivalry down the line. Another idea could be that, if she is cleared, they use the angle to return Nikki Bella to storylines.
Is AJ Lee still under contract with WWE? All I can recall is her "retiring from in-ring competition," but no news of her contract expiring, being terminated, her her being released. If she is still under contract, why not just release her?
There's been no announcement that she is no longer under a WWE contract and what her status is remains unknown. As far as why WWE wouldn't just release her, it's this simple - she signed a contract and if she retired and they released her, she would be free to go to Japan, TNA, etc. WWE isn't going to allow that. She has completed a book and given that it isn't going to be released until the Spring of 2017, my guess is that's around the area she's free and clear to do whatever she wants.
While she seems to enjoy being Mrs. CM Punk, animal advocate and writer for now- depending on your answer to the first part of my question- could you see AJ Lee ever returning to the ring in the future-WWE or otherwise?
You do realize they sent termination papers to her husband on HER wedding day, correct? You never want to say never - after all Ultimate Warrior and Bruno Sammartino reconciled with WWE, but on this one, the safe bet is no. There's a MASSIVE bridge that needs to be rebuilt between those two sides.
Questions about Lesnar: I see a lot of fans and wrestling writers alike say that there are few dream matches for Brock Lesnar left (thanks to WWE's booking of their current stars). Certainly the Summerslam clash with RKO is something to look forward to. However, I think there is most definitely a "dream match" (at least for me) that may be considered a long-shot: Lesnar vs. Bobby Lashley. I know they are in two different promotions (both in MMA and in pro wrestling) and Bobby is not on Brock's wavelength as far as being a box office draw, but they both have so much in common, are close in age and weight class, and both bring the utmost credibility to a potential match, be it a sanctioned MMA fight or a staged pro wrestling match. What do you think of a potential real-life clash of these titans? Do you think we could ever see it in our lifetime or should I just keep dreaming?
It's possible it could happen one day, but I don't think the average fan sees that match as much of a dream match, at least on the scale you are describing it. WWE has had opportunities to sign Lashley again and has never grabbed onto those chances. He just signed a new TNA deal, so my guess is you won't be seeing him in WWE anytime in the near future. MMA is possible, but only if they are both fighting for the same MMA company and that doesn't appear to be the case anytime soon, either.
Questions about Daniel Bryan: a)Is Daniel Bryan still contracted as a performer (wrestler) or does it automatically roll over into a non-performer (commentator, ambassador or whatever he is to be classified as now) type of contract? How much longer does he have in his contract considering he can no longer wrestle as part of the original agreement? b) And once Bryan is free contractually from WWE, could you see him going against doctor's orders and returning to the ring (seeing as how he was cleared by outside doctors, but not WWE's doctor'
The belief is that he is signed to the company, although what that deal is and how long it is, I can't say. Bryan obviously wanted to return to the ring, but it was clear to him that WWE was never going to allow it. It's possible one day he does return to the ring somewhere, but my gut is it likely won't happen. The long term downside is too great vs. the short term upside of Bryan getting to do something he loves again, especially when he knows it's not something he can continue to do physically.
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