Tonight’s WWE RAW will air on a tape delay from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL with more build for SummerSlam.
* Will Asuka be out for retribution on Sasha Banks & Bayley?
* How will Drew McIntyre respond to Randy Orton’s attack?
* Apollo Crews and MVP will battle for the United States Title to kick off RAW
It looks like the superstars of WWE may be getting some new opportunities in the coming months.
WWE is reportedly planning another draft between RAW and SmackDown, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio. There were originally 5 different dates being considered for the new draft, but it has now been narrowed down to 2 possible dates in October.
Meltzer also notes that up until last week, the draft was set to take place at some point this month. He says that it may end up being moved to September, but whenever the date may be, WWE intends to hold another draft in the coming months.
There’s no word yet on if NXT stars will be included in any capacity in the upcoming draft. Last year, the Street Profits were called up to RAW as a part of the event.
The previous WWE draft took place one week after SmackDown debuted on FOX in October 2019. It continued on RAW the following week and included an opportunity to trade stars post-draft.
Notable stars that switched to the blue brand during the 2019 draft were “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Sasha Banks, and current WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman. On the red side, notable acquisitions included Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Charlotte Flair.
Stay tuned for updates on the WWE draft.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, his long-time business partner Dany Garcia, and Cardinale’s RedBird Capital have purchased the XFL. The group reportedly spit the price of $15 million dollars evenly, according to Sportico.com.
The Rock has now taken to social media to confirm the news. He also took the time to make a statement on the purchase, saying that the group will work tirelessly to bring something special to the XFL fans.
“With my trail blazing partner @DanyGarciaCo & Red Bird Capital, we have acquired the XFL,” Dwayne writes. “With gratitude & passion I’ve built a career with my own two hands and will apply these callouses to our @xfl2020 brand. Excited to create something special for the fans! #XFL #fullcircle”
As noted, the league shut down and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year as the Coronavirus pandemic grew in severity. At the time, all major employees were let go.
This new transaction is required to be approved through a bankruptcy court at a hearing this Friday, August 7. If all conditions are properly met, it is expected to close around the date of August 21.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX episode will air from the Performance Center in Orlando build toward SummerSlam.
* AJ Styles defends his Intercontinental Championship against Gran Metalik
* Bayley defends her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Nikki Cross
* Mr. Money in the Bank Otis and Mandy Rose – The Love Story continues.
AEW’s upcoming Women’s Tag Team Cup Tournament titled “The Deadly Draw” will begin next week on YouTube, and now the rules have been clarified.
During last night’s edition of Dynamite, Tony Schiavone confirmed the tournament is set to start Monday evening on the AEW YouTube channel.
The rules of the “The Deadly Draw” are as follows:
This means the competitors will not know who their partners will be until the drawing, therefore the tournament will not include established teams.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Former WWE star Zack Ryder aka Matt Cardona appeared on AEW Dynamite last night.
It all went down following Cody’s successful TNT Championship defense against Warhorse in one of his open challenge matches when members of The Dark Order came out.
John Silver and Alex Reynolds attempted to attack Cody, but Warhorse pushed him out of the way to help and got beaten down. Arn Anderson then got in the ring to fight the tag team, but Matt Cardona intervened instead.
The former WWE star took out both members, then hugged Cody on the outside.
Watch the video below.
Today marks two years since former WWE Tag Team Champion Brian Christopher Lawler passed away.
Lawler’s father, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler, remembered his son on Twitter and noted that they were headed to visit his grave.
“Today is a sad anniversary. Two years ago today we got the horrible news that my son Brian had died. I miss him every day. We are headed to his gravesite now to visit.#RIPBrianChristopher #GrandMasterSexay #ToolCool,” Jerry wrote.
Lawler passed away on July 29, 2018 at the age of 46, while incarcerated for DUI at the Hardeman County Jail in Tennessee. He was found hanging in his cell and his death was ruled a suicide. Jerry has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Hardeman County and Sheriff John Doolen, for allegedly failing to protect his son.
You can see Jerry’s full tweet below:
Tonight’s AEW Dynamite episode airs on TNT at Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, Florida.
* Hangman Page and Kenny Omega (c) vs. Evil Uno and Grayson (AEW World Tag Team Championship)
* Hikaru Shida vs. Diamante (Non-Title Match)
* Darby Allin and Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage and Ricky Starks with Taz (Tornado Tag Match)
* Best Friends, Orange Cassidy, Luchasaurus, and Jungle Boy vs. Chris Jericho, Jake Hager, Santana, Ortiz, and Sammy Guevara
* Cody (c) vs. Warhorse (AEW TNT Championship)
* MJF gives State of the Industry Address
Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will take place from the campus of Full Sail University as the road to “Takeover: XXX” continues.
* Finn Balor vs. Dexter Lumis vs. Timothy Thatcher with the winner earning a spot in the Ladder Match for the Vacant NXT North American Title at “Takeover: XXX”
* NXT Champion Keith Lee addresses Karrion Kross
* Mercedes Martinez vs. Shotzi Blackheart
* Roderick Strong vs. Johnny Gargano
