Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is the premiere episode live on the USA Network, from the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington.
Another potential update has surfaced regarding WWE’s plans for an upcoming special on NBC this December.
As noted, WWE has filed to trademark Saturday Night’s Main Event to bring back the iconic show from the company’s past live specials on NBC.
The original WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event specials aired on NBC from 1985 to 1991, replacing Saturday Night Live. In 1992, WWE presented the special on FOX before it was discontinued.
In another update, on the latest Straight Talk with The Boss w/ Magnum TA and Greg Gagne podcast, Gagne noted that the reason WWE recently signed Jesse Ventura to a contract is to have him return to his old-school role as color-commentator for the WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC special.
“I mean, with what they’re paying those guys to come in, I think Jesse’s going to do the — they’re doing some NBC Saturday night shows, about four of them, they’re gonna use Jesse for that,” Gagne said.
This resurgence of Saturday Night’s Main Event is part of WWE’s broader media plan, and as part of it, they have inked a new agreement with NBCUniversal to bring Friday Night SmackDown back to the USA Network. The deal includes four prime-time specials on NBC each year, making the return of Saturday Night’s Main Event a fitting inclusion.
Sources: eWn and Wrestling Headlines
TNA Victory Road – Friday, September 13, 2024 – Boeing Center at Tech Point – San Antonio, TX
CARD
TNA World Heavyweight Championship:
Nic Nemeth (c) vs. Moose
TNA Knockouts Championship:
Jordynne Grace (c) vs. Wendy Choo
TNA X-Division Championship:
Zachary Wentz (c) vs. Mike Bailey
TNA Tag Team Championships:
ABC (c) vs. The System (Brian Myers & Eddie Edwards)
TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship Do Or Die Match:
Alisha Edwards & Masha Slamovich (c) vs. Spitfire
If Spitfire lose, they have to break up.
Joe Hendry vs. Josh Alexander
The Hardys vs. First Class
PCO & Rhino vs. Matt Cardona & Steph De Lander
Countdown Show:
Steve Maclin & Eric Young vs. Jake Something & Alex Hammerstone
KUSHIDA vs. Leon Slater
Ring of Honor will present a new episode of ROH TV on Honorclub tonight.
TNA Wrestling will present a new episode of Impact tonight on AXS TV, which is the last stop before tomorrow’s Victory Road PPV.
Josh Alexander was a recent guest on the “WrestleManiac UK” podcast to discuss a variety of topics, including his TNA Wrestling contract being extended for a year in February of this year and whether he may pursue free agency when his current deal expires. He said,
“I can’t say I want to leave TNA. It’s just, I have never hit free agency. I have never been the belle of the ball. I’ve never seen what offers are out there from other companies. I signed my first contract with iMPACT Wrestling nearly six years ago. I re-signed three years ago. Now, that one is coming up. I think I’d be doing myself and my family a disservice by not seeing what’s out there.”
He continued, “If there is something out there that gets me really excited, it’s all about what makes me happy at the end of the day. Everything in my wrestling career for these 19 years have been following my heart. There are many times when I was let down, or I broke my neck, or all this other stuff happened that would deter somebody from following their dream. For me, this makes me happy. I want to do it. I get excited doing it still after 19 years and 1500-plus matches. I’m going to keep following my heart with it and we’ll see where that leads.”
Source: eWn
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev are calling it quits.
On Wednesday, the former Nikki Bella in WWE filed to divorce Chigvintsev just weeks after he was arrested for domestic violence.
The divorce filing comes nearly two weeks after Artem was arrested for felony corporal injury to spouse or cohabitant for allegedly attacking Nikki. He bailed out later that day.
Garcia is using Evan Craig Itzkowitz as her divorce lawyer.
Nikki Garcia and Artem Chigvintsev share a 4-year-old child named Matteo. Nikki and Matteo are currently staying at the family home in Napa Valley, while Artem has been staying with a friend.
Source: eWn
A new television deal between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery is considered finalized, although not officially announced.
The discussions between AEW and Warner Bros. Discovery have been ongoing for months, as the current deal expires at the end of the year.
The new deal being considered is worth at least double the value of AEW’s current deal, which is approximately $70 million annually.
It’s important to note that the new deal won’t be exclusive. There are rumors that AEW is negotiating with FOX for a potential deal involving a one-hour show called “Shockwave,” a name they have filed a trademark for, which would potentially air on FS1.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed AEW’s new media rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. The plan is to incorporate pay-per-view events on MAX in some capacity.
Meltzer said, “The WBD deal is a done deal, and there are going to be changes. From what I gather, there is going to be a pay-per-view component in this deal. Exactly what it is, I don’t know…I don’t know exactly if it’s going to be how UFC does it. It’s going to be how WWE does it, but you know, there is going to be a deal with MAX with the pay-per-views in some form is what it looks like. But the deal’s done.”
Source: eWn
AEW Dynamite will air live tonight on TBS from Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky.
The Butcher and the Blade have been members of the AEW roster since the company’s early days, and though they’ve never risen to the top of the card, the duo had found a niche that saw them featured occasionally on TV. That hasn’t been the case in 2024, as the Blade (real name Jesse Guilmette) has been sidelined with an injury. The wrestler took to Instagram recently to reveal that he recently underwent successful back fusion surgery.
In addition to a short video of himself walking down the hospital hallway, Guilmette posted a photo of a hospital meal, complete with various plastic containers and what looks to be extra Jell-O. The comments for the post feature several fellow AEW stars, including the long-absent Miro, wishing Guilmette well.
The last time the Butcher and the Blade performed on AEW TV was in January, teaming up with Kip Sabian on the January 5 episode of “AEW Rampage” in a losing effort against Mark Briscoe and the Hardy brothers. One week later, the Butcher and the Blade lost a match against Top Flight during a Ring of Honor taping.
According to Guilmette on Instagram several weeks ago, the problems with his back began after a nasty fall in 2020. Things got worse over time, forcing Guilmette to step away from the ring and eventually decide to have surgery. The wrestler thanked Tony Khan in his post for the level of care AEW has provided, stating that he was grateful to have been signed there deep into his career.
Meanwhile, the Butcher has stayed active on AEW programming in his partner’s absence. His most recent match took place last month, when he teamed with The Outrunners to face Orange Cassidy, Mark Briscoe, and Tomohiro Ishii on “Rampage.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
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