A WWE Superstar is currently being ‘punished’ by the company with the way that he is being booked.

That’s according to former WWE Head Writer Vince Russo, who believes that Dominik Mysterio is in the bad books of management following his actions after SummerSlam.

Following his loss to Danhausen on the opening night of the Premium Live Event, Dominik shared a tweet on X stating: “I’m only here so I don’t get fined.” Some saw this as a simple joke. Others, like Russo, believe this was a targeted message in response to the AAA Mega Champion’s treatment by WWE, suggesting, not all that implicitly, that he disagreed with his creative direction, but had to go along with it anyway.

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Russo, who was speaking on a recent edition of ‘The Coach & Bro Show’, argued that Dominik’s loss on this morning’s edition of Raw was no simple booking decision and was actually intended to punish Dominik due to his social media activity.

Jonathan Coachman was in agreement with Russo, believing that the creative team did not want to admit Dominik had a reasonable argument and instead chose to teach him a lesson for acting out.

Russo pointed to Monday’s match, in which Dominik and JD McDonagh lost a tag team bout against Chad Gable and Penta, claiming the result lacked any sense: “Dominik got pinned in that match, guys. You could be a three-year-old… you would have known JD McDonagh was the guy to beat.”

WWE Accused of Being “Petty” Over Superstar’s Treatment

Believing this was a somewhat petty and vindictive way to treat one of WWE’s biggest names, Russo said that the better option would have been to have a private and professional discussion with Dominik backstage rather than give him a humiliating loss on live television in the hopes this would put him in his place.

Russo said: “They beat Dom with Danhausen, then he put out that tweet, then they beat him again… This is the pettiness. ‘No, Dom, you’re not going to do that… We’re going to give you a little slap on the knuckles.’ ‘Hey, Dom… if you had a problem with that on Sunday night, you should have spoke to somebody… Putting out that little meme maybe wasn’t the right thing to do.’”

Coachman then added to the criticism of the situation, saying he could imagine WWE creatives seeing the meme and rather than acknowledge a fair point may have been raised, they simply wanted to ‘”teach him a lesson.”

The pair highlighted just how quickly Dominik’s fortunes have switched as he has gone from pinning John Cena to losing versus Danhausen, and suffering tag team defeats, in less than a year.

Why Superstar is Unhappy With His Current Position on the Card

Dominik himself is reportedly unhappy with the way WWE have treated him of late. Despite being the reigning AAA Mega Champion, his career since defeating Cena has gone slightly left-field with a bizarre storyline between him and Danhausen playing out over the last few months.

A source close to Dominik, as reported by False Finish, claims that Dirty Dom belies he deserves a more prestigious role in WWE’s creative planning, particularly given the AAA Mega Championship he holds.

The source also revealed that Dominik believes WWE and AAA are demanding slightly different portrayals of him across the two outfits, leading to inconsistencies and confusion as to how his character should be perceived.

Crystal Palace are reportedly set to beat Oliver Glasner’s Nottingham Forest to the signing of Union Saint-Gilloise winger Anan Khalaili.

The Eagles headed into this summer’s transfer window with a new manager at the helm following Glasner’s departure at the end of last season. Steve Parish and his board turned to Pierre Sage, whose stock had grown in French football after an impressive reign at Lens.

There hasn’t been much transfer activity at Selhurst Park despite the change in manager, with Oscar Mingueza and Takehiro Tomiyasu joining as free agents. They have reportedly agreed on a £11m deal to sign Real Salt Lake winger Zavier Gogo, who is set to undergo a medical.

Khalaili Set to Join Crystal Palace

Palace are starting to make moves though, and Israeli outlet ONE_CO_IL (via journalist Raz Amir) reports that Palace are set to sign Khalaili, who has had several Premier League clubs chasing his signature. The pacey winger was set to join Inter Milan earlier this summer for €28 million (£17m) but failed a medical with the Serie A giants, who pulled the plug.

With less strict rules regarding a player’s fitness and medical assessments in place in England, Khalaili looks to be headed to Selhurst Park. He has been on Forest’s radar, but Glasner appears set to miss out on the player to his former employers.

Bournemouth and Newcastle United have also been linked with the 21-year-old, who has impressed in the Belgian Pro League. He particularly caught the eye during Union Saint-Gilloise’s Champions League campaign last season and scouts talking up his pacey profile:

While there’s no mention of a fee, you’d expect a deal to cost in the same region as the money Inter had agreed to pay for the player until he failed a medical. Should a deal be finalised in the coming days, he could make his debut in Palace’s season-opening clash with Everton on August 22nd.

Palace Could Land a Third Wide Man

Palace appear keen to bolster Sage’s wide attacking options and Khalaili might not be the only winger to arrive in South London. The club are reportedly working on a swap deal with Everton which would see Dwight McNeil arrive in exchange for Brennan Johnson.

McNeil had been on the Eagles’ radar in January but missed out on a move which led to frustration. It appears Johnson’s time is already up despite only arriving at Selhurst Park in the winter transfer window for a hefty £35m.

Crystal Palace transfer targets

• Anan Khalaili – Israeli winger headed to Palace
• Zazier Gozo – £11m deal agreed
• Dwight McNeil – Swap with Brennan Johnson on
• Lamine Camara – ‘Offer made’ for Monaco midfielder

There will be question marks over where Khalaili, dubbed “explosive”, fits into Sage’s team given he’s a right-winger by trade but can be deployed as a right wing-back. He might be used rotationally and offer backup to Ismaila Sarr and Daniel Munoz on the right.

Amir suggested that Munoz might be moved into central defence or potentially head for the exit door. He noted Chelsea and Inter as clubs potentially interested in the Colombian who has been superb throughout the years.

Manchester United have given Marcus Rashford a new squad number, as Fabrizio Romano provides an update on his future.

Rashford spent last season on loan at Barcelona, while he has also spent time at fellow Premier League side Aston Villa.

The England international had fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, but he’s recently returned for pre-season, with there being no guarantees over an exit this summer.

United have a valuable asset on their hands. Although he had fallen out of favour, there is a completely new set of staff at Old Trafford since his last spell.

The Red Devils may be open to allowing him to depart, but they now appear happy to reintegrate him into the squad if a sale doesn’t occur.

Man Utd: Rashford update

Marty Jean-Louis/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect

Reporting on X, Italian journalist Romano has provided an update on the future of Rashford at Manchester United.

The reliable reporter has confirmed that United have given him a new squad number as a message to trust him and include him as part of the team.

Rashford is set to wear number 14 at United, and he could now stay at the club unless a top European club arrives with a big offer on the table.

Unless a big offer arrives from a club outside of England, we might see Rashford remaining at Old Trafford for the 26/27 season.

United could struggle to sell Rashford

via Reuters

Rashford has endured an inconsistent few years in his career, so it would be no surprise if United struggled to offload him in the summer transfer window.

It’s also well documented that Rashford is on mega-money wages at United, so finding a club that is able to afford him is going to be difficult.

Reintegrating him under a new manager would make a lot of sense, especially if they are unable to get a decent offer.

We’re yet to see if Michael Carrick can get the best out of Rashford, and there’s every chance that they could work well together heading into the new season.