Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature more build for WWE Fastlane and the Road to WrestleMania 37.
WWE is are advertising that WWE Hall of Famer Edge and WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns will continue their Road to WrestleMania on tonight’s show.
John Morrison reportedly suffered a knee injury during Monday’s WWE RAW.
Morrison lost a non-title singles match to new WWE United States Champion Riddle on Monday night. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Morrison was injured during the match when he did a twisting dive at one point. He caught his leg in the ropes and landed with the knee hitting the floor.
Morrison was checked on by the referee but continued the match while limping. They finished the match, without Riddle working on the knee, and Riddle ended up winning with the Bro Derek.
Morrison could be seen limping and walking slower than usual later in the show when he had to come back out with WWE Champion The Miz.
There’s no word on the severity of the injury or if Morrison will miss any ring time.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Bailey Matthews, the son of NXT General Manager William Regal, has made his in-ring WWE debut … and he’s a chip off the old block!
It all went down on the latest edition of NXT UK where Matthews went toe-to-toe with former NXT UK Champion Tyler Bate.
Matthews lost the match, but looked impressive and suits the UK style perfectly — as you’d expect!
Bailey’s wrestling journey began in 2018 when his old man sent him to the mother land to train. He performed on a few UK indie shows, and eventually joined New Japan Pro Wrestling as a Young Lion. He officially signed with WWE last month.
“Ready to roar onto the scene and represent his hometown of Blackpool, England, Bailey Matthews is set to bring a unique style to NXT UK inspired by the likes of Johnny Saint, Billy Robinson and NXT General Manager William Regal,” WWE said when they announced Bailey’s singing.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
* Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix in a Face of the Revolution Ladder Match qualifier
* Hangman Page vs. Isiah Kassidy
* Jake Hager vs. Brandon Cutler
* The Varsity Blonds vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks
* Sting will appear and he’s coming for revenge from Brian Cage and Team Taz
* Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth
* Dr. Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose (Women’s World Title Eliminator Tournament Semis)
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be headlined by the long awaited non-title No DQ match between Karrion Kross and NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar. If Escobar no-shows, he will be stripped of the title and suspended indefinitely by NXT General Manager William Regal.
Former two-time WWE Divas Champion Paige is hoping to follow in the footsteps of WWE Hall of Famer Edge and Daniel Bryan and come out of retirement from a career-ending injury.
During a backstage segment on last Friday’s SmackDown, Edge said that Bryan returning to the ring in 2018 inspired him to do the same. Bryan then said that Edge, the winner of the 2021 Men’s Royal Rumble, should pick him as his opponent at WrestleMania 37 if Bryan is able to capture the Universal Championship at Sunday’s Elimination Chamber event.
Edge then asked Bryan if he would call that “a dream match.” Bryan said some people would call it “long overdue,” to which Edge said those people would be right.
While reacting to the segment, Paige tweeted, “one day” with a fingers crossed emoji. She was responding to a tweet from the WWE on FOX handle, which captioned “Retirement” while sharing the Edge-Bryan exchange.
Beth Phoenix, the wife of Edge, reacted to Paige.
“You deserve it,” wrote Phoenix.
Paige, 28, retired in 2018 after suffering a career-ending neck injury during a house show.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former Impact Wrestling Knockouts Taya Valkyrie has reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando to begin training under her WWE NXT contract.
Valkyrie, who is married to RAW Superstar John Morrison, officially reported for training today and is to be announced in the next WWE Performance Center Class, according to PWInsider.
Regarding the new WWE Performance Center Class that reported for training today, F4Wonline.com reports that around 30 men and women are included in the class.
WWE is expected to officially announce the new Performance Center Class any time this week, possibly tomorrow afternoon.
Below is the updated list of confirmed names that reported for training today:
* Taya Valkyrie – 37 years old, longest-reigning Impact Knockouts Champion in history, married to John Morrison
* Parker Boudreaux – 18 year old college football star, compared to a young Brock Lesnar
* Bronson Rechsteiner – 23 year old former football player, son of Rick Steiner
* Angela Arnold – known as AQA, trained by WWE Hall of Famer Booker T
* Christian Brigham – known as Christian Casanova
* Anthony Henry – 36 year old former EVOLVE star
* Christian Hubble – known as Blake Christian
* Karissa Rivera – second generation talent, daughter of Steve King. Appeared on RAW as Bobby Lashley’s “ex-wife” once
* Zoey Stark – formerly known as Lacey Ryan, recently debuted on NXT TV and worked the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* Cora Jade – formerly known as Elayna Black, recently debuted on NXT TV in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* Gigi Dolin – formerly known as Priscilla Kelly, recently debuted on NXT TV in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
Rumored names expected to be confirmed for this WWE Performance Center Class this week include LA Knight (now working NXT but not confirmed for this specific class, fka Eli Drake), Harlem Bravado, and Sareee.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Big Show is no longer with WWE.
AEW announced today that Paul Wight has joined the company, signing a long-term contract.
Wight will serve as a commentator for AEW’s newest show on YouTube, AEW Dark: Elevation. Elevation will air on Mondays at 7pm ET, complimenting the weekly AEW Dark show that airs on Tuesdays at 7pm ET. Elevation will showcase AEW’s established and rising talent, as well as top indie talents.https://14833a136a38a5723e97b3b6ff6cff7f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-37/html/container.html
Wight said it’s been amazing to watch what AEW has done in a few years since launching.
“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” Wight said in a press release. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
AEW CEO, General Manager and Head of Creative Tony Khan also commented on why Wight wanted to come to AEW.
“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”
“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
AEW is promising more details on Wight’s signing during tonight’s Dynamite show on TNT.
Big Show’s last WWE match came on the July 20, 2020 RAW episode, a loss to Randy Orton. He had only worked a handful of matches last year, and spent all of 2019 on the shelf with an injury. He did appear for The Undertaker’s “Final Farewell” segment at the Survivor Series in 2020, and appeared at RAW Legends Night back on January 4 of this year. Show first signed with WWE back in February 1999. He leaves the company as a Grand Slam Champion – a two-time WWE Champion, a one-time ECW Champion, a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, a three-time WWE Hardcore Champion, a one-time WWE United States Champion, a one-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, and a eight-time Tag Team Champion.
Stay tuned for more. Below is the full announcement issued to us today by AEW:
Wrestling Legend Paul Wight Signs Long-Term Deal with AEW
— Wight Joins Commentary for New YouTube Extension, AEW Dark: Elevation —
February 24, 2021 – As 2021 shapes up to be the year for AEW’s biggest shows yet, today the promotion announced that wrestling legend Paul Wight signed a long-term deal, adding yet another universally regarded name to AEW’s roster of stars, legends, and upcoming talent. Wight will have an extensive role within AEW, and on top of his return to the ring, he will serve as a commentator on AEW’s newest show, AEW Dark: Elevation.
Complementing AEW Dark on Tuesdays, AEW Dark: Elevation will air on Mondays at 7 p.m. ET on AEW’s YouTube channel, and will showcase AEW’s established and rising stars, as well as the top independent wrestlers within the industry, competing against each other in the ring in pursuit of wins. AEW Dark: Elevation will also maintain continuity with AEW DYNAMITE, AEW Dark, AEW pay-per-view shows and streaming events, with wins and losses factoring into each wrestler’s ranking in the company.
With new wrestling programming now available three nights per week, AEW continues to solidify its position as the fastest growing and hottest promotion in professional wrestling.
“It’s been amazing to watch what AEW has built in just a couple of years,” said Paul Wight. “AEW Dark is an incredible platform to hone the skills of up-and-coming wrestlers, but I also love that established AEW talent can build out their personalities and showcase themselves in new ways on Dark. It’s no exaggeration when they say that AEW is boundless.”
“Paul Wight is one of the most recognizable and impressive professional athletes in the world,” said Tony Khan, CEO, GM and Head of Creative of AEW. “He wanted to come to AEW because he believes that we’re the best promotion in wrestling, and we believe that he has a lot to offer us, both in the ring as a wrestler, and also outside the ring as a commentator, host and ambassador for AEW.”
“Paul is one of the most experienced stars in all of wrestling, and he’s eager to work with our diverse roster,” added Khan. “He can benefit and guide our young talent with his mentorship, and his expert commentary on AEW Dark: Elevation will educate and entertain our fans, and also educate the younger wrestlers on the roster. Furthermore, Paul enters AEW as a licensed wrestler, and he’s very much looking forward to studying our talent firsthand from the commentary desk in preparation for his return to the ring!”
Already a monumental day for AEW, be sure to tune in to AEW DYNAMITE tonight on TNT at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for additional announcements surrounding Wight’s signing, the new AEW Dark: Elevation show, and the identity of Wight’s commentary partner.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Rhea Ripley is headed to the WWE RAW brand.
There had been speculation on Ripley possibly going to RAW or SmackDown after her official call-up from WWE NXT was considered to be at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in late January. Now WWE has confirmed that the former NXT Women’s Champion is headed to Monday nights.
As seen below, a “coming soon” vignette for Ripley aired during last night’s post-Elimination Chamber edition of RAW.
Ripley was the #14 entrant in the 30-Woman Rumble Match last month, and was the last elimination, tossed out by winner Bianca Belair. She lasted 39:06 and eliminated Toni Storm, Santana Garrett, Dana Brooke, Dakota Kai, Mandy Rose, Alexa Bliss, and Charlotte Flair, with Belair’s help. Ripley’s last NXT TV match came on January 6 at the New Year’s Evil special, when she lost to Raquel Gonzalez in the Last Woman Standing match.
There is no word yet on when Ripley will make her official RAW debut.
IMPACT! tonight at 8/7c
* Fallah Bahh vs. Johnny Swinger on BFI at 7/6c on AXS TV
* Tables Match: Jake Something vs. Deaner
* Knockouts Tag Team #1 Contenders Match: Kimber Lee and Susan vs. Jordynne Grace and Jazz
* Trey Miguel, Willie Mack and Josh Alexander vs. Ace Austin, Chris Bey and Black Taurus (Winning team competes next week in a X-Division #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match)
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