WWE/Getty ImagesBleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Gable Reportedly Believed to Be Staying in WWE
With Chad Gable scheduled to challenge Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash at the Castle, it is reportedly widely believed within the industry that Gable is staying in WWE despite previous reports regarding his contract expiration.
According to Fightful Select (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News), Gable's WWE deal had been scheduled to run up on June 7, but given that he was on this week's Raw and will be wrestling at Clash at the Castle, WWE and AEW sources assume he has re-signed with WWE or intends to remain with the company.
Fightful has not yet been able to confirm that Gable inked a new deal, but it also hasn't heard anything about Gable working on a per-appearance deal following what was the presumed end date of his previous contract on June 7.
Since WrestleMania 40, Gable has been one of the biggest and most entertaining parts of Raw, and it won't be a surprise if he wins the IC title at Clash at the Castle.
He helped prepare Zayn for WrestleMania, resulting in Zayn beating Gunther and ending his 666-day IC title reign, and that prompted Zayn to given Gable a title shot.
After beating Gable on an episode of Raw in his hometown of Montreal, Zayn went to celebrate with his wife, but Gable attacked him and turned heel in the process.
Since then, Gable has verbally abused his Alpha Academy pupils, but they have reluctantly stayed by his side and helped him in his rivalry with Zayn.
Things will come to a head at Clash at the Castle, and whether Gable leaves as intercontinental champion could depend on if Otis, Akira Tozawa and Maxxine Dupri remain loyal.
Tama Tonga Reportedly Turning Heads Within WWE
Since making his WWE debut in April, Tama Tonga has reportedly made a positive impression within the company.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Carrier), Tonga has exceeded expectations with his performance as a member of the new-look Bloodline.
Meltzer noted that while many in WWE knew Tonga was good, "everyone's been surprised at how good he was."
Tonga is a longtime pro wrestling veteran at 41 years of age, but his exposure to the American audience was somewhat limited for much of his career due to his status as a New Japan Pro-Wrestling performer.
Even so, Tonga has transitioned nicely to WWE, filling his role as the enforcer of The Bloodline to perfection thus far.
With Solo Sikoa serving as the de facto Bloodline leader while Roman Reigns is away, Tonga and real-life brother Tonga Loa have added a fresh look and attitude to the group.
As the Guerrillas of Destiny, Tama and Loa were among the most successful tag teams in Japan, but Tama has shown an ability to thrive in a singles capacity as well thanks to his run to the semifinals of the King of the Ring tournament.
With the likes of Reigns and The Rock set to return at some point and more new faces potentially set to join The Bloodline in the future such as Jacob Fatu and Hikuleo, Tonga figures to continue to be in the spotlight for a long time to come.
Natalya, WWE Reportedly Deep in Contract Talks
Women's division veteran Natalya is reportedly still in talks with WWE as the expiration of her contract nears.
According to PWInsider Elite (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), WWE is in the "final stages" of its negotiations with Natalya, but the two sides have not officially come to an agreement yet.
It was previously reported by Fightful Select (h/t Ishaan Rathi of Ringside News) that Nattie's contract was coming up soon and she was "weighing her options."
The 42-year-old Natalya is a member of the famous Hart wrestling family as the daughter of Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, the niece of Bret Hart and Owen Hart, and the granddaughter of Stu Hart.
After learning from some of the best technicians in the history of the pro wrestling business, Nattie made her in-ring debut in 2000, and she signed with WWE in 2007.
Since then, Natalya has become one of the longest-tenured and most-decorated women in WWE history with one Women's Championship reign, one Divas Championship reign and one WWE Women's Tag Team Championship reign to her credit.
Recently, Nattie has been appearing regularly on both Raw and NXT, which could be a sign that WWE is pushing to keep her in house.
Over the past couple of weeks, Natalya has been seen interacting with Sonya Deville, who was also talking with Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark, perhaps setting the stage for a new stable.
Natalya's husband, T.J. Wilson is a respected producer for WWE, and Nattie is a key part of women's wrestling history in WWE, so it stands to reason that WWE may have the upper hand over some outside companies in terms of signing The Queen of Harts to a deal.
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