Category: NXT

Johnny Gargano Ruled Out Of NXT TakeOver: War Games Due To Neck Injury

Johnny Gargano is unable to wrestle at NXT TakeOver: War Games due to a neck injury.

Pro Wrestling Sheet‘s Editor-in-Chief Ryan Satin first reported the news on tonight’s edition of WWE Backstage on FS1.

According to sources, WWE management was hoping to have Gargano wrestle against Finn Balor at the event taking place during Survivor Series weekend.

However, due to the neck injury, that won’t be possible.

The severity of the injury is unclear at this time.

Gargano last appeared on NXT TV in a segment involving Finn Balor landing his finisher on Johnny on the ramp to launch a heel turn.

The O.C. Appeared On Last night’s WWE NXT, Got Help From Finn Balor

The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows) appeared last night on WWE NXT.

As seen below, The Undisputed Era (NXT Champion Adam Cole, NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong, NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) was attacked by The OC outside of the NXT Arena before tonight’s episode. The beatdown aired on the USA Network at 7:50pm ET tonight during Mauro Ranallo’s weekly preview.

They then came to the ring for a promo and were ultimately interrupted by Tommaso Ciampa.

Styles pointed out how Ciampa was outnumbered which prompted Keith Lee and Matt Riddle to come out in support of their brand and to setup a 3-on-3 match later on.

In the closing moments of the match … Ciampa looked to hit his finisher on the WWE United States Champion, but Finn Balor’s music hit causing a distraction. Balor then attacked Riddle on the entrance ramp and AJ Styles threw up a Too Sweet. Finn reciprocated with his finger guns.

Unfortunately, the celebration didn’t last long. Adam Cole interfered shortly after and stopped AJ from hitting the Styles Clash, causing the match to end in no contest. He also hit hit The Last Shot on Ciampa as well for good measure.

The NXT champ and Finn Balor stared each other down to end the show.

WWE NXT Preview 11/6/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, FL as the build to “Takeover: WarGames 2019” and Survivor Series continues.

  • What will be the fallout of NXT’s Raw and SmackDown takeovers?
  • Dakota Kai looks to prove herself against Shayna Baszler
  • Pete Dunne set for rematch with Damian Priest
  • How will Tommaso Ciampa’s war continue?

WWE has not confirmed any RAW or SmackDown Superstars for tonight’s show, but it’s rumored that some will appear to continue the Survivor Series build.

Scarlett Bordeaux And Three Other WWE Signings Confirmed

Former Impact Wrestling star Scarlett Bordeaux has officially signed with WWE and is now training at the WWE Performance Center.

Bordeaux’s signing had been rumored for weeks, but was finally announced Tuesday morning.

She joins the Performance Center alongside three other new recruits:

  • Shotzi Blackheart, who was offered a contract by William Regal last month at an EVOLVE show
  • Indi Hartwell, a 22-year-old standout on the Australian scene
  • Referee Stephen Smith, who graduated from OVW and worked in EVOLVE

As you’ll recall, Scarlett was released from Impact in June. She attended a private WWE tryout months later and was locked down with a deal shortly after.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

All Three WWE Brands To Do Battle At WWE Survivor Series

WWE NXT, RAW and SmackDown will compete for the first time ever at WWE Survivor Series this year.

As seen below, a promo aired during WWE Crown Jewel that revealed the black & yellow brand will be involved with the Survivor Series this year. No other details were revealed but we will keep you updated.

The 2019 WWE Survivor Series pay-per-view takes on November 24 from the Allstate Arena near Chicago.

NXT Women’s War Games Match Set For TakeOver

The first NXT Women’s War Games match has been set!

The match was announced by William Regal on last night’s NXT following Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai’s title shot against the Kabuki Warriors.

Following a losing effort, Shayna Baszler and crew hit the ring to taunt Team Kick. Tegan fought back though and a brawl ensued. This led to Rhea Ripley making the save, but Io Shirai cut her off. Candice LeRae and Bianca Belair joined the action at that point and chaos broke out.

William Regal then appeared as they were all being separated and said, “I’ve got a very simple solution for this … WAR GAMES!”

The exact teams were not finalized – so it’s unclear how many competitors will be in the match – but the segment ended with LeRae, Ripley, Nox and Kai staring down Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, Marina Shafir, Io Shirai and Bianca Belair. Baszler & Ripley were later named as Team Captains, with more info to come from CBS Sports.

NXT TakeOver: War Games is set to take place November 23.

Watch the announcement below.

WWE NXT Preview 10/30/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL.

  • Finn Bálor to explain his actions
  • Tegan Nox & Dakota Kai challenge WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors
  • Tyler Bate goes one-on-one with Cameron Grimes
  • Candice LeRae and Io Shirai renew their rivalry
  • Keith Lee & Matt Riddle team up to battle The Undisputed ERA

There will be a special one-hour version of last week’s NXT episode that airs on the USA Network at 7pm ET, serving as the lead-in for tonight’s new episode.

Jordan Myles Says His Tweets Were Disrespectful And Unprofessional

NXT Superstar Jordan Myles has released a statement on social media apologizing for his “disrespectful” and “unprofessional” tweets yesterday.

Myles took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to vent in a lengthy caption which reads:

My tweets yesterday were completely disrespectful and were unprofessional.‬

‪I have offend a ton of people and used anger to fuel me. ‬ ‪With that being said.. ‬ ‪I’d like to take this time to state an apologize for not giving a shit about what others think of me. ‪The anger I have inside of me has been built up for years now. Call me what you want, but you’ll never EVER be able to call me fake.‬ ‪ I’ve been lied too, used, and often mistreated by others who I viewed as associates.‬ ‪I’ve tipped toe around, kept quiet, even took some Ls when necessary. Emotionally charged up due to the shirt which triggered past emotions. I’m never going to be sorry for being me nor will I take back my words.‬ ‪I’m the damn professional wrestler in the WORLD & universe today.‬ ‪My ribs are touching and I’m tired of waiting. Time to snatch plates from those that have been eating far too long and always gets seconds while guys like myself have to eat crumbs from the floor like an unwanted child.‬ ‪For 4 years .. I gave my all to a promotion only to find out that you could only reach so high just as long as you didn’t surpass certain “people”.. I never begged for anything, I never kissed no ass, nor did rub elbows with the right ppl to get ahead. I HUSTLED, WORKED HARD. ‪I didn’t call Hunter everyday to get booked in New Japan (s/o to NJPW) I earned it.‬ ‪I’ve always wanted to be “The Guy” and of no one will allow me to be in that spot.. I shall blaze my own trail to that spot rather it be by the approval of others or not.‬ ‪Today i shall continue to go the distance. Today I shall Lee moving forward. Today I shall rise up from my past ashes like a Dark Phoenix and promote change in this industry.‬ ‪Remember these words ‪I AM THE BEST IN THE WORLD! AND NO MAN OR WOMAN WILL STOP ME FROM BEING HONEST.‬ ‪GO THE DISTANCE.

In case you missed it, Myles expressed his frustration with WWE over a shirt design they made for him which featured a combination of red lips and white teeth on a black background which looked similar to offensive blackface and “Sambo” imagery.

WWE later responded with a statement in which they claimed Myles had approved the design after collaborating with their team on it. Myles confirmed this, but said the design was shown to him on a black background.

Jordan’s post can be found below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4M0wPeJxlh/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Statement On Jordan Myles T-Shirt Controversy, Jordan Myles Responds To WWE Statement “WWE Doesn’t Care About Black People”

WWE has released a statement on Jordan Myles saying he’s unhappy about the shirt they designed for him, claiming the wrestler collaborated with them on the design and gave them approval to sell it.

Myles tweeted a photo of the shirt on Sunday saying, “I will keep posting this till my voice is heard. I’m not sorry for anything I say or do. Representation is important. If this is [Vince McMahon] & [Triple H]’s “vision” of me then this is a slap in the face to EVERY African American performer, fan, and supporter.”

The NXT wrestler’s frustration is due to the combination of a black shirt, red lips and white teeth looking similar to racist blackface and “Sambo” imagery used to put down African Americans.

WWE released the following statement on the matter:

“Albert Hardie Jr. (aka Jordan Myles) approved this t-shirt for sale. As always, we work collaboratively with all of our performers to develop logos and merchandise designs and get their input and approval before proceeding. This was the same process with Albert, and we responded swiftly once he later requested that the logo/t-shirt be redesigned. No t-shirts were sold.”

The new shirt currently for sale on WWE’s custom site now resembles the Space Jam logo.

Jordan Myles has responded to WWE’s statement about his controversial t-shirt, claiming he was uncomfortable with it from the beginning but was told Triple H wanted the design.

“When I originally saw the design I was uncomfortable,” Myles tweeted. “Rather than addressing the issue I decided to counter offer with another. Baker Landon lied to my face! He said HHH wanted this design so my hands were tied. I spoke with [Triple H] in person and his impression was I approved.”

The 31-year-old wrestler tweeted a screen shot of an email correspondence on the matter with Landon, who is Creative Services Talent Coordinator at NXT, seen below.

Hey Albert,

Triple H attended a meeting and had a revision for your logo, but loved it for your character. He wanted to the letter to be more “teethy” and what I have attached is what he liked.

Also have basic t-shirts on there that he approved as well. Road Dogg preferred the gray, but let us know what you think!

Thanks, Baker

Myles also shared a video of himself saying, “WWE doesn’t care about black people” while throwing up a middle finger at the camera.

In addition, he wrote the following: “THE WHOLE WWE SYSTEM IS FRAUD! THEY CREATED THIS SYSTEM WHERE YOU CANT TRUST ANYONE, YOU GROW COLD, AND YOU GROW APART FROM WHAT YOU LOVE THE MOST! The fact that [Hulk Hogan] is still employed after giving the locker room an apology for being caught says enough. #ForTheCulture.”

UPDATE: Myles deleted the video, seen below, not long after posting it on Twitter. He also says the initial design showed to him was on a white background, not black.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage Updates On WWE NXT TV Possibly Airing From Arenas Outside Of Florida

There has been talk of taking the weekly WWE NXT TV show out of Full Sail Live in early 2020. Now it looks like NXT will continue to run Full Sail Live at times, just not every week.

The current talk going around is that NXT will continue to run Full Sail Live in 2020, just not weekly, with the idea of doing the other shows in arenas outside of Florida, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Full Sail is a lot more cost-effective for the show, but the location and the look is believed to be part of the reason for the drop in viewership, especially with head-to-head competition with AEW Dynamite, according to the Observer.

WWE officials have reportedly had discussions with arenas for NXT TV starting in January 2020. The Observer adds that the main reason for doing the weekly USA Network NXT TV show from Full Sail Live was because they rushed to get the show on the air so they could get the jump on AEW, and didn’t have time to book arenas.

Source: Wrestling Inc.