WWE NXT Superstar Joaquin Wilde is set to undergo surgery for a broken eye socket soon, according to Pro Wrestling Sheet.
Wilde, formerly known as DJZ in Impact Wrestling, reportedly suffered the injury back in July in what was described as a “freak accident” during training.
Doctors held off on the surgery for a few weeks to see if the injury would heal itself, but now they’ve decided that surgery is the best option.
Wilde is expected to miss a few more weeks of action after the surgery.
The former DJZ made his NXT TV debut during the recent NXT Breakout Tournament, losing to Angel Garza in the first round. He then lost a NXT TV match to Shane Thorne in early August.
WWE SmackDown will continue to air live for the Eastern and Central time zones when it moves to FOX Friday nights on October 4, beginning at 8pm ET and 7pm CT, and will continue to air on a tape-delay for the West Coast, beginning at 8pm PT. The Wrap adds that FOX officials believe that this is a “cleaner way” to air the show.
The change in how the show airs will come for the Mountain time zone. SmackDown will begin airing at 7pm MT on October 4, which is 6pm PT or 8pm CT and 9pm ET. In other words, fans in the Mountain time zone will soon have access to SmackDown two full hours before the West Coast does, and just a one-hour tape-delay overall.
Previously, Mountain time viewers received a different feed depending on their cable provider. Some fans would see the show at 6pm MT, local time, and others would see the show at 9pm MT, local time, unless they were a DirecTV subscriber as DirecTV picked up USA Network’s East Coast feed for the whole country. Any West Coast fan watching via DirecTV received the show at 5pm PT. That is about to change as DirecTV customers will no longer be able to watch SmackDown live. SmackDown on Fox will begin at 8pm PT for the West Coast, even for satellite TV subscribers.
For cord-cutting fans, FOX will offer live streaming of SmackDown via FoxSports.com and the FOX Sports App. The website and the app will air SmackDown live across the country, at 8pm ET, 7pm CT, 6pm MT, and 5pm PT. Episodes will also be available on-demand for 30 days on the FOX Sports App.
SmackDown will premiere on FOX live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Friday, October 4. This show will also be the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special. Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Champion Kofi Kingston has been announced as the main event.
AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodesspoke with IGN about All Elite Wrestling’s upcoming debut on TNT. The show will premiere on Wednesday, October 2 from 8-10 pm ET.
During the interview, Rhodes revealed that a third hour of content could be filmed each week that won’t air on TNT, but rather B/R Live. Since the company plans on rotating talent on and off TNT each week, they want to make sure they are still keeping the wrestlers engaged with their audience.
“It will probably live for people to stream on B/R Live,” Rhodes said. “We have a lot of resources and we want to make sure that people can plug into the wrestlers who we signed who they’re fans of. We’re going to try and keep everybody busy.”
Yesterday, NXT began its run on the USA Network, transforming into a live two-hour, weekly show to go head-to-head with AEW. This week—in select markets—AEW ran commercials during both SmackDown and last night’s NXT.
As noted earlier this week, per the Xfinity TV guide, AEW’s weekly show will be called “All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite.”
Below is the updated line-up for the AEW on TNT premiere from Washington D.C. on October 2:
* Jon Moxley appears live
* Cody Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara
* The Young Bucks and Kenny Omega vs. AEW World Champion Chris Jericho and two mystery partners
* Nyla Rose vs. Riho to crown the first-ever AEW Women’s World Champion
* MJF vs. Brandon Cutler
Sheamus has been cleared to return to WWE action and is currently waiting for the company to bring him back, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
It was noted that WWE will bring him back to the storylines once they have something for him creatively.
The Celtic Warrior has been out of action since the post-WrestleMania 35 edition of SmackDown after reportedly suffering a concussion. He also has spinal stenosis. Sheamus started making appearances for WWE again back in July, but there’s been no word yet on a ring return. It’s possible he will be used in the upcoming WWE Draft.
Sheamus appeared on The Edge & Christian podcast several weeks ago and claimed that he remains in the dark about his return, but he continues to work out and stay in shape while he waits for that call.
“I don’t really know what the crack is. I’m still waiting,” Sheamus said, while discussing his YouTube show. “I’m just, again, enjoying my time. Like, it’s very hard for me to sit at home all the time, but that’s why the channel has been a saving grace as well. It’s kind of my passion away from the ring and I’ve really enjoyed doing all these workouts and, again, everybody has been so generous, WWE Superstars, men and women, have also been so generous with their time on the channel. But I don’t really know what the story is as of right now. I’m still kind of in the dark about it, but I’m just training away like I’m trying to stay in the best shape I possibly can. A) because the channel is there and I’m working out all the time, but also because it is very important just to stay ready just no matter what happens.”
A WWE fan was arrested at Monday’s RAW after filming a Snapchat video of a police officer and other individuals urinating in the bathroom, according to WKYT in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Tyler Bollinger was accused of recording video inside the bathroom of the Thompson-Boling Arena. An arrest report notes that other individuals were in the video, and that a man and his son flagged an officer down to report what had happened. Police questioned Bollinger and found the video in question. Bollinger admitted to having six adult beverages. Bollinger first denied the accusation but agreed to show police his phone. He later admitted to taking video of the officer and at least one other man while they were urinating.
The officer said he was working the WWE event and had went to use the restroom. He stated that when he left the restroom, he was stopped by a man and his young son, who told him that they saw a man recording people in the bathroom while urinating. The man pointed out Bollinger and that’s when police confronted him.
Bollinger was charged with disseminating unlawful photographs and public intoxication. He was due in court earlier this week.
Twitter was lit up with fans complaining about login issues during NXT’s first live episode on WWE Network and Triple H addressed the issue during a post-show conference call.
For those who were unaffected … many users were unable to log in as the show was beginning. This lasted up to fourty minutes for some until ultimately being resolved near the end of the show.
Paul Levesque spoke with the media Wednesday night and said he heard about the issues from his team. Levesque explained that the issue doesn’t appear to have been as wide-spread as it seemed on social media, but said it’s being looked into for the future.
He also noted that anyone who missed anything can now watch that hour of the show on demand.
“You may have experienced a technical issue with WWE Network earlier this evening. The matter has been resolved, and you can now access the Network and watch tonight’s episode of NXT on demand,” WWE Network wrote in an email to users after the show. “We apologize for any inconvenience.”
FOX has announced two special preview shows to celebrate the arrival of WWE on FOX, and to build to the SmackDown premiere on Friday, October 4.
FOX will air a SmackDown’s Greatest Hits special on Friday, September 27 from 8pm-9pm ET. The special will be hosted by Charlotte Flair and The Miz. FOX will then air WrestleMania’s Legendary Moments on Sunday, September 29. The one-hour show will air at different times around NFL coverage in local markets. That special will be narrated by John Cena.
FOX will also air a thirty-minute Blue Carpet special on Friday, October 4 at 7:30pm ET, which will be the the lead-in to the premiere at 8pm ET. The special will feature Superstars and celebrities arriving to the Staples Center for the big SmackDown 20th Anniversary show that night.
It was also confirmed that SmackDown will air on the FOX Sports App. FOX Sports is also launching new social media accounts – @WWEonFOX on Twitter, @WWEonFOX on Instagram, and WWE on FOX on Facebook.
Below is the full announcement issued by FOX today:
FOX Sports Announces WWE Programming Ahead of FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN DebutSpecial “Blue Carpet” Preview Show to Celebrate Arrival of WWE on FOX
FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN Air Time Details Announced
Los Angeles – Leading up to the network debut of FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN on FOX on Friday, Oct. 4, FOX Sports presents a slate of special programming, pre-event coverage and cross-platform integrations in anticipation of the marquee event.
A pair of hour-long WWE specials lead the charge, beginning with WWE SMACKDOWN’S GREATEST HITS, on Friday, Sept. 27, on FOX (8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT/7:00 PM MT/8:00 PM PT). Hosted by WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair and The Miz, the show highlights the most memorable moments from the storied franchise. On Sunday, Sept. 29, John Cena narrates WWE WRESTLEMANIA’S LEGENDARY MOMENTS, offering viewers a chance to relive the most spectacular WrestleMania moments from the past 35 years. Check local listings for air times surrounding Sunday’s NFL on FOX singleheader action.
Less than a week later, FOX Sports rolls out the “blue carpet” at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN KICKOFF SHOW on Friday, Oct. 4 (7:30 PM ET/6:30 PM CT/6:30 PM MT/7:30 PM PT). This star-studded show features “blue carpet” arrivals and backstage access to celebrities and athletes, as well as past and present WWE Superstars to kick off the new era of WWE on FOX.
In front of a star-studded crowd in Los Angeles, FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN airs live at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT on FOX. For viewers in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, SmackDown airs at 7:00 PM MT/8:00 PM PT on FOX. For all authenticated viewers nationwide, SmackDown will be available to stream live at 8:00 PM ET/7:00 PM CT/6:00 PM MT/5:00 PM PT on the FOX Sports App.
Today, FOX Sports also launches its WWE on FOX social handles, which will provide insight, analysis and entertainment across social platforms. For more information, explore @WWEonFOX on Twitter, @WWEonFOX on Instagram and WWE on FOX on Facebook.
Additional details on FOX Sports’ WWE programming will be announced at a later date.
Last night at a Ohio Valley Wrestling event in Louisville, KY, Corey Storm defeated Rhyno to become the youngest ever OVW TV Champion.
YOUNGEST EVER!
We did it guys. Tonight, WE made history!
After months of trial & tribulation, tonight, I walked out as @ovwrestling Television Champion! First LIVE episode of OVW TV ended with me squaring off with @Rhyno313, and walking away victorious! ✈️🌩🖐🏻 pic.twitter.com/M8QxEIypgM
For those not familiar with Corey Storm – He is an upcoming 18 year old sensational wrestler on the rise. Storm recently made it onto the PWI annual top 500 list at number 500.
I have been following his career since I first seen him compete at a World Wrestling Alliance (independent promotion based in Kentucky) in Evansville, In and was very impressed with his in ring talent.
I am honored to be featured in the latest edition of Pro Wrestling Illustrated! I bought these magazines growing up, looking at all of the wrestlers, dreaming of becoming a wrestler and being featured in the magazine. Today, that dream came true! Thank you @OfficialPWIpic.twitter.com/WhnNbwPNlp
