Shelton Benjamin Back on the Independents

Shelton Benjamin is not returning to the WWE in the near future and instead is back wrestling on the independents.

The former Intercontinental champion was in the process of joining the SmackDown brand in July last year and a promotional video even aired hyping his comeback. However before all the details could be finalized he suffered a torn rotator cuff injury.

Benjamin was cleared to wrestle as early as January and formally announced as such in March, but because he never actually signed a contract WWE were not obliged to follow through with their previous plans and they appear to have changed their mind.

The 42 year old recently took part in the Impact Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame Classic Tournament, losing in the first round to Shane Strickland:

Rusev Calls Eva Marie a Legend

Upon hearing that WWE had parted ways with Eva Marie, Rusev joked on Twitter that he hates to see “legends” retire.

Hate to see legends retire !

— Rusev (@RusevBUL) August 4, 2017

WWE is said to have tried hard to keep the Total Divas star under contract, but it was Eva herself who instigated the release to pursue acting and other projects.

She made the following statement on Instagram:

Today is a bittersweet day, as @WWE and I have agreed to part ways. It has been an incredible 4 years, and I am truly grateful to Vince, Paul, Stephanie and the entire WWE team. I would not be where I am today without their continued support. – There are such priceless moments from the past few years…everything from visiting our troops in Afghanistan to working alongside the Special Olympics. I couldn't even begin to share them all here, but there's no doubt – I will carry them with me into this exciting journey ahead. – Last but not least, thank YOU, my fans, for allowing me to live out a dream that I could have never imagined for myself. You are the reason I love to go to work, and that's not changing anytime soon! – And finally…the hustle won't stop! After shooting back to back films, more are coming and I can’t wait to share with you soon. #Love #AllRedEverythingForever

A post shared by Natalie Eva Marie (@natalieevamarie) on Aug 4, 2017 at 9:01am PDT

Meanwhile Eva Marie’s reality show contemporary Mandy Rose is back learning the ropes and is expected to become a full time NXT Superstar.

SmackDown Tag Match Added To SummerSlam

The Usos vs The New Day for the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships has officially been added to SummerSlam. Here’s Cathy Kelley with the announcement:

BREAKING: @WWEUsos will challenge #TheNewDay @WWEBigE @TrueKofi @XavierWoodsPHD for the #SDLive #TagTitles at #SummerSlam! @catherinekelley pic.twitter.com/etFke0nMRs

— WWE (@WWE) August 5, 2017