NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Tyler Breeze takes on Roderick Strong
* The NXT Breakout Tournament rolls on: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Cameron Grimes
* Aliyah vs. Mia Yim
* Kushida in action
* Bianca Belair in action
Author: John Bass
WWE NXT UK Preview 7/3/19
NXT UK, streaming today at 3 ET/8 GMT on WWE Network
NXT UK Tag Team Championship Match today at 3 ET/8 GMT
In a highly-anticipated rematch, The Grizzled Young Veterans will once again go to war against Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships. Last January at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, Zack Gibson & James Drake stunned the NXT UK Universe when they overcame Tyler Bate & Trent Seven in the tournament finals to crown the first-ever titleholders. Now the “Big Strong Bois” will finally get their opportunity to take the illustrious titles that they have been aiming to capture since the inception of NXT UK.
Plus, Piper Niven will finally go one-on-one against Rhea Ripley and so much more.
AEW Fight For The Fallen Price, Fyter Fest Recap Video
AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event is now available for pre-ordering on FITE.TV for fans outside of the United States. The price tag is $12.99 or £8.99 in the UK. The event will stream free on BR Live for fans in Canada and the United States.
Fight for the Fallen takes place on July 13 from Daily’s Place in Jacksonville, FL. Matches announced so far include: Allie vs. Brandi Rhodes, Cima vs. Kenny Omega, Adam Page vs. Kip Sabian, The Young Bucks vs. Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes. Chris Jericho will also appear.
AEW released this recap video for last Saturday’s Fyter Fest event from Daytona Beach, FL.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Wrestling Legend Jacques Rougeau Sr. Passes Away At 89
Canadian wrestling veteran Jacques Rougeau Sr. passed away on July 1st at the age of 89. He is succeeded by his sons Raymond, Jacques, and Armand. Leading up to his death, Rougeau had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.
Rougeau’s family had issued a statement for the public on his passing. After being translated from French, the Rougeau statement reads:
“It is with sadness and sorrow that we announced the death of Mr. Jacques Rougeau yesterday, July 1st, 2019, at the age of 89 years. He has struggled for some time with pulmonary fibrosis, but he has gone quietly, we loved him so much.
“This love is also shared with the public. In the company of his brother Jean, it is sunny in the four corners of Quebec, especially in the 60s and 70s.
“While the Quebec landscape was suspended several years and it was important to share it with those who follow, that we love, that we love in his public career. There is a name that resonates so much in this environment and these three sons, Raymond, Jacques and Armand, one of his daughters, Joanne, whom three of his grandchildren walked, he passed, every day, the middle of the fight at one time or another.
“But he was a popular wrestler, he was a husband, a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather just as much loved and esteemed. He was the quiet strength of our family and his departure is and will be very painful.
“Friends of the media and wrestlers, we thank you for the love you gave him, that you were assured that this feeling was shared.”
Jacques Rougeau Sr. began his wrestling career in 1955. His wrestling journey moved onward after his brother Johnny Rougeau began operating Montreal based wrestling promotion All-Star Wrestling. Rougeau continued his wrestling career in NWF Buffalo and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Rougeau’s son, Jacques Rogeau Jr. won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and Tag Team Championship as part of The Quebecers. Rougeau’s daughter Joanne also worked for the WWF as local promoter in the Quebec region.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Luke Gallows And Karl Anderson Re-Signing With WWE?
The belief within WWE is that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have agreed to terms on new WWE contracts, according to PWInsider, but those new deals may not have been signed yet.
Gallows and Anderson reuniting The Club with AJ Styles is seen as a good sign that the former RAW Tag Team Champions will be staying with WWE. There had been strong speculation on Gallows and Anderson leaving WWE when their current contracts expire this fall. They had reportedly turned down lucrative five-year deals and were unhappy with how they had been used in the WWE storylines.
Gallows, Anderson and Styles have tweeted on The Club and Monday night’s RAW that saw Styles turn heel turn on WWE United States Champion Ricochet. You can see their comments below:
https://twitter.com/KarlAndersonWWE/status/1145931306083246080
https://twitter.com/LukeGallowsWWE/status/1145949567487287297
https://twitter.com/AJStylesOrg/status/1145900022208311299
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE SmackDown Live Preview 7/2/19
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live takes place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas as the road to Extreme Rules continues.
* Can Kofi Kingston bounce back from Six-Man Tag Team loss to Samoa Joe?
* Is Bayley ready for Alexa Bliss?
* Will The New Day continue to chase after Bryan & Rowan’s titles?
* Will Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville continue to torment Ember Moon?
WWE 205 Live Preview 7/2/19
Tonight’s WWE 205 Live takes place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Can The Singh Brothers stop The Lucha House Party?
Since their return to WWE 205 Live, Samir and Sunil Singh have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry with The Lucha House Party. The Singh Brothers lost their return match to Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik, but they quickly rebounded with a string of victories, including one against The Lucha House Party two weeks ago that also saw the demise of the Lucha trio’s beloved piñata, Penelope. With several impressive wins – and not to mention a Boscar Award win – The Singhs hope to solidify their status as WWE 205 Live’s premier tag team.
The Lucha House Party certainly won’t go down without a fight, and they’ll have the advantage when they compete in their signature contest – a Tornado Tag Team Match – against Samir and Sunil. Can The Singh Brothers continue to build on their recent success, or will The Lucha House Party’s specialty be too much for them to overcome?
Backstage Notes On Paul Heyman Influence On This Week’s RAW, Was Corey Graves’ Line Scripted?, Eric Bischoff SmackDown Note
Paul Heyman reportedly had “his fingerprints” all over last night’s WWE RAW episode, with most of the material going through him, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. However, Vince McMahon and red brand head writer Ed Koskey were the main ones discussing the show at the big production meeting for this week’s RAW, not Heyman.
Last night’s RAW was not 100% Heyman’s show, but it was a “very heavy Paul Heyman” episode, essentially his first as the new Executive Director of the red brand.
It was speculated that Corey Graves’ “Holy s–t!” line after the stage explosion with Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley may have been scripted. Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the line was scripted. We had noted earlier how WWE didn’t use the 7+ second delay to bleep the word. There was reportedly a feeling that they did the line to add to the recent efforts to make RAW seem more edgier.
Fans online seem to be under the impression that Heyman ran last night’s RAW as it came off as a better episode compared to what we’ve seen in recent weeks. There was a light “thank you Heyman!” chant in the American Airlines Center following the stage explosion angle with Strowman and Lashley last night. Regarding that explosion angle, WWE used the overhead shot backstage because they wanted to make it look like it wasn’t a part of the planned show.
Heyman did appear on RAW as Brock Lesnar’s advocate, in a backstage segment to get WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits over, but there are still no plans for him to be an authority figure on TV. Heyman has been very adamant about not working an authority figure role on WWE TV, with the feeling that the role has been played out for years. One of the changes Heyman reportedly wants to make is doing away with the authority figures.
New SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff is expected to be at tonight’s blue brand show from San Antonio. Bischoff’s “fingerprints” may end up being on tonight’s SmackDown, but word is that his first official episode will be the post-Extreme Rules show on July 16.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE Mentions AEW In Social Media Error During RAW (Photo)
It’s very possible that a member of WWE’s large social media team was reprimanded during this week’s WWE RAW episode after All Elite Wrestling was accidentally mentioned by the official WWE Instagram account.
The AEW mention came when the WWE Instagram account posted a backstage photo of WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits, who made their first main roster appearances during backstage segments on RAW.
The original caption on the photo read, “The #NXT Tag Team Champions AEW here on #Raw!”
They meant to say, “…are here on #Raw!”, but for some reason AEW was on the mind of the social media employee who made the post, or they fell victim to auto-correct.
WWE’s Executive Vice President of Digital & Social Content Jayar Donlan spoke with Sports Business Daily in May 2018 and revealed that he then had a staff of 90 employees who worked WWE’s social media department. There’s no word on if that number included interns or how big the team is today.
The error received several thousand likes and comments on Instagram before it was fixed. The corrected photo, seen below, has many comments from fans about the botch, with most people joking about someone getting fired.
You can see a screenshot of the AEW botch below:
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Maria Kanellis Pregnancy Update Following WWE RAW
Last night on RAW, WWE shot a backstage segment with Mike and Maria Kanellis approaching Becky Lynch and Seth Rollins. Maria challenged Lynch and Rollins, referring to Mike as “my bi–h” and saying that they wanted to face Becky and her “bi–h,” which led to a mixed tag team match.
During the mixed tag match, Maria announced that she was pregnant. Maria took the mic and wondered how Mike got her pregnant because he wasn’t man enough. Maria continued to berate Mike on the air before he tapped to Lynch’s “Disarmher” finisher.
According to the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Maria is actually pregnant. That would be the explanation as to why she didn’t compete inside the ring.
Prior to Monday’s RAW, Mike had been wrestling on 205 Live. Both Mike and Maria recently signed new five-year deals with the company. The deal is reportedly worth $500,000 per year.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
