WWE NXT Preview 4/3/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* Kairi Sane and Bianca Belair fight for momentum before Fatal 4-Way

* Oney Lorcan and The Forgotten Sons’ Jaxson Ryker, collide.

* The War Raiders warm up for TakeOver: New York

WWE Announces Several WrestleMania 35 Week Events For The New York & New Jersey Area

WWE is officially kicking off WrestleMania 35 Week in the New York and New Jersey area today.

They issued the following announcement to us with details on events planned for the next 7 days, including WWE NXT “Takeover: New York”, the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony and WrestleMania 35. Stay tuned for coverage from all WrestleMania Week events here on the site.

WRESTLEMANIA® WEEK TAKES OVER NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEYSTAMFORD, Conn., April 2, 2019 – Fans from around the world will descend upon the New York and New Jersey region for a week-long lineup of festivities in celebration of WrestleMania, taking place in front of a capacity crowd at MetLife Stadium and streaming live on WWE Network at 7 pm ET/4 pm PT on Sunday, April 7. WWE® will also host more than a dozen community outreach events designed to give back to the local region. WrestleManiaWeek begins today and includes the following events:

* New York Yankees Batting Practice – Today, April 2, Yankee Stadium
WWE Superstars Braun Strowman®, Natalya® and Titus O’Neil® visit Yankee Stadium to interact with players and take part in batting practice prior to their game vs. the Detroit Tigers.

* Hackensack Children’s Hospital and Brooklyn Children’s Hospital Visits – Tomorrow, April 3
WWE Superstars EC3™, Lacey Evans™ and Ember Moon™ and NXT Superstar Johnny Gargano™ will visit the Hackensack Children’s Hospital while WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks® and Bayley®, and NXT Superstars Steve Cutler™, Wesley Blake™ and Jaxson Ryker™ will visit the Brooklyn Children’s Hospital. At each visit, Superstars will spend time with children and their families, provide gifts, participate in arts and crafts, take pictures and sign autographs.

* Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game – Tomorrow, April 3, Patterson Boys & Girls Club
WWE, an international partner of Special Olympics, is hosting a Unified Basketball Game at the Patterson Boys & Girls Club. Unified Sports joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team. Special Olympics athletes and their Unified partners will participate in the game as WWE Superstars Big Show® and Ricochet™, NXT Superstar Kacy Catanzaro™ and WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior serve as honorary coaches. WWE Announcer Renee Young™ will host the event.

WrestleMania Axxess – Thursday, April 4 through Monday, April 8, Brooklyn Pier 12
WrestleMania Axxess is the ultimate fan experience. This year’s WrestleMania Axxess will take place from Thursday, April 4 through Monday, April 8 at Brooklyn Pier 12. Fans will have unprecedented access to meet their favorite WWE Superstars and Legends through a host of interactive fan experiences, including autograph signings and live matches.

* Susan G. Komen Zumba Class – Thursday, April 4, Newport Centre Mall
WWE Superstars Carmella®, Titus O’Neil and Mojo Rawley™ and WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior will lead a Zumba class at Newport Centre Mall in Jersey City to raise awareness and funds to support Susan G. Komen’s mission of investing in breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.

* New York Jets Uniform Reveal – Thursday, April 4, Gotham Hall
WWE Superstars Nia Jax®, Braun Strowman and Dana Brooke™ will be special guests at the New York Jets uniform reveal where they will walk the green carpet and meet with players at Gotham Hall.

* Connor’s Cure Kid Superstar Reveal – Friday, April 5, Hard Rock Café
WWE will host pediatric patients from Hackensack Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital at Montefiore for a Kid Superstar reveal at the Hard Rock Cafe. Co-hosted by WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon and WWE Announcer Renee Young™, patients will unveil their WWE Superstar personas with their own ring gear and entrance music. WWE Superstars Roman Reigns®, Daniel Bryan®, Elias™ and Nia Jax, WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior and former NFL player Devon Still, will be on hand to lend support. The event will also include a special performance from O.A.R.

* New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Closing Bell – Friday, April 5
WWE Superstars Charlotte Flair®, Rey Mysterio® and Titus O’Neil will ring the Closing Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

* Empire State Building Lighting Ceremony – Friday, April 5, Empire State Building
WWE Superstars Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch® and Bobby Lashley™ will participate in the ceremonial lighting of the Empire State Building. Soaring 1,454 feet above Midtown Manhattan, “The World’s Most Famous Building” will be lit up in red and gold colors to celebrate WrestleMania.

* Superstars for Hope – Friday, April 5, Aspire, One World Observatory
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair® and WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, The Bella Twins®, Seth Rollins® and more will walk the red carpet at ASPIRE, One World Observatory, prior the Superstars for Hope reception. WWE’s Superstars for Hope campaign also features a global online auction at Charitybuzz.com, featuring unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

NXT TakeOver – Friday, April 5, Barclays Center
Emanating from Barclays Center, NXT TakeOver will stream live on WWE Network at 7 pm ET. In the aftermath of Tommaso Ciampa having to relinquish his NXT Championship, Johnny Gargano will take on Adam Cole™ in a 2-out-of 3 Falls Match to determine the new NXTChampion; NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler™ will face off against Kairi Sane™, lo Shirai™ and Bianca Belair™ in a Fatal 4-way Match; NXT North American Champion Velveteen Dream faces Matt Riddle; Pete Dunne defends his UK Championship against WALTER; and The War Raiders compete against Ricochet and Aleister Black for the NXT Tag Team Championship.

* Make-A-Wish Circle of Champions – Saturday, April 6, National Geographic Encounter
Make-A-Wish and WWE will host 30 Wish kids and their families at the National Geographic Encounter. WWE Superstars Finn Bálor®, Sasha Banks, Bayley and Sin Cara® will meet with the Wish kids and walk through the Ocean Odyssey interactive encounter. WWE Ring Announcer Greg Hamilton will host the event.

* Girl Up Leadership Summit – Saturday, April 6, USTA National Tennis Center
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, Co-Executive Director of Girl Up Anna Blue, along with WWE Superstars, will speak to local high school girls about the power of sports and discuss how to eliminate biases. Last October, Girl Up and WWE announced a multi-year partnership to support the creation of Sports For a Purpose, which will create a culture of sports participation for girls around the world. The program equips Girl Up leaders with tools and resources so they can help tackle the gender-based barriers girls face to playing sports, including access to safe play spaces and sports equipment.

* WWE Day at New York Mets Game – Saturday, April 6, Citi Field
WWE Superstars Curt Hawkins®, Mickie James® and Drew McIntyre®, and WWE Announcer Corey Graves will visit Citi Field for the New York Mets vs Washington Nationals game to sign autographs and meet with fans.

* WWE 2019 Hall of Fame Ceremony Red Carpet – Saturday, April 6, Barclays Center
Maria Menounos hosts the most glamorous event on the WWE calendar. WWE Superstars and Legends, and a host of celebrities, walk the red carpet live on WWE Network at 6 pm ET.

* WWE 2019 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony – Saturday, April 6, Barclays Center
DX®, Torrie Wilson™, Brutus Beefcake™, The Hart Foundation™, Harlem Heat™ and The Honky Tonk Man™ will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at Barclays Center and live on WWE Network at 7 pm ET. In addition, Sue Aitchison, a 30-year veteran of WWE’s corporate office who is widely credited with spearheading WWE’s community outreach programs, will receive the fifth annual Warrior Award. The WWE Hall of Fame recognizes the most-celebrated Superstars in WWE history, while The Warrior Award is presented each year to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of WWE Hall of Famer, The Ultimate Warrior®.

WrestleMania – Sunday, April 7, MetLife Stadium
A capacity crowd will descend upon MetLife Stadium for WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, streaming live on WWE Network at 7 pm ET and hosted by WWE Superstar Alexa Bliss. The WrestleMania Kickoff Show will stream live from 5-7 pm ET on WWE Network, WWE.com, WWE App and WWE’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages. USA Network will also air the second hour of the pre-show live from 6-7 pm ET.

WrestleMania features Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey® vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch in a “Winner Takes All” Match during the first-ever women’s main event at WWE’s annual pop-culture extravaganza; WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar™ taking on 2019 Royal Rumble winner Seth Rollins; Daniel Bryan defending his WWE Championship vs. Kofi Kingston®; Triple H® putting his in-ring career on the line in a No Holds Barred Match against Batista; Shane McMahon® vs. The Miz® in a Falls Count Anywhere Match; AJ Styles® taking on Randy Orton®; Roman Reigns vs. Drew McIntyre; Intercontinental Champion Bobby Lashley vs. Finn Bálor; Sasha Banks and Bayley defending their Women’s Tag Team titles in a Fatal 4-Way Match vs. Natalya and Beth Phoenix® vs. Nia Jax and Tamina® vs. The IIconics; Samoa Joe™ defending his United States Championship against Rey Mysterio; Kurt Angle™ capping off his Hall of Fame career in a Farewell Match against Baron Corbin®; WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy™ defending his title against Tony Nese™; the Andre the Giant™ Memorial Battle Royal featuring Michael Che and Colin Jost of SNL fame; WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal Match.

* Be a STAR® Bullying Prevention Rally – Monday, April 8, Brooklyn Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club
WWE Ambassador Dana Warrior, WWE Announcer Dasha Fuentes and WWE Superstars Ali, Shelton Benjamin®, Billie Kay™ and Peyton Royce™ will be joined by This is Us star Chrissy Metz to speak about the importance of bullying prevention to members of the Brooklyn Navy Yard Boys & Girls Club. In 2016, WWE and The Boys & Girls Clubs of America launched a multi-year partnership focusing on youth development and bullying prevention efforts around Be a STAR, WWE’s bullying prevention initiative.

* Hire Heroes USA Veteran Transition Event – Monday, April 8, Men’s Wearhouse and WWE New York City Office
WWE Superstars Lacey Evans and Titus O’Neil will guide veterans on a shopping spree at Men’s Wearhouse to assure they are ready for upcoming job interviews. Following the shopping spree, the veterans will visit WWE’s New York City office to meet with Hire Heroes USA and WWE staff to receive career coaching advice, participate in mock interviews and take professional headshots.

* Monday Night Raw® – Monday, April 8, Barclays Center
Monday Night Raw emanates live from Barclays Center at 8/7C on USA Network with the fallout from WrestleMania. The night after WrestleMania has become one of the most-anticipated events of the year and has never been short on surprises.

* UNICEF Kid Power Challenge – Tuesday, April 9, P.S. 212 Jackson Heights
WWE Superstars Carmella and R-Truth® bring Kid Power to P.S. 212 in Jackson Heights, Queens. UNICEF Kid Power is a program of UNICEF USA that gives kids the power to save lives by connecting their everyday activity to real-world impact. During the event, kids will join the Superstars in hands-on-experiences that get kids physically active.

* SmackDown Live® – Tuesday, April 9, Barclays Center
WWE caps off five consecutive nights of events in the New York area as SmackDown Live emanates from the Barclays Center at 8/7C on USA Network.

Tommaso Ciampa Says He Was Told He’d Be On “Borrowed Time” If He Returns To The Ring

Tommaso Ciampa took to Twitter today and revealed that doctors told him he will be on “borrowed time” if he returns to the ring from his recent neck surgery.

Ciampa revealed the bad news when reflecting on how he will be missing the WWE NXT TakeOver: New York” event next Friday night in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center. As noted, the plan was for Ciampa to defend his title against Johnny Gargano in the TakeOver main event, but Ciampa was forced to undergo neck surgery and relinquish the title. Gargano will now face Adam Cole in a 2 of 3 Falls match for the vacant NXT Title at TakeOver.

Ciampa said the match at TakeOver meant more to him than anyone will ever understand. “The opportunity was taken away from me,” he added.

There’s still no official word on when Ciampa will return to the ring but it was noted in the recent NXT TV video package, seen above, that it takes most people up to a full year to recover from the operation he had.

You can read Ciampa’s full statement below:

“In May of 2017 they told me that no one has ever had 3 major surgeries in a 12 week span and returned at a competitive level.I returned to the most successful run of my career.

This week I should be preparing to walk into the main event of TakeOver New York on Wrestlemania weekend as the NXT Champion. This match meant more to me than anyone will ever understand.

The opportunity was taken away from me.

In March of 2019 they told me that if I return then I will be on borrowed time.

To be continued…”

https://twitter.com/ProjectCiampa/status/1112716777392431104

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Four Big WWE Network Specials And More Tapings For WrestleMania 35 Axxess

Triple H has announced that WrestleMania 35 Axxess will feature another Worlds Collide theme with male and female Superstars from WWE NXT, NXT UK, RAW, SmackDown and 205 Live doing battle at each session. The matches will air over four WWE Network specials. There will also be three NXT UK TV episodes taped at Axxess.

Themes for the WWE Network specials are NXT vs. NXT Alumni, Cruiserweights Collide, Brands Battle and Women Collide.

Below is the full announcement on the tapings with matches confirmed, plus Triple H’s tweet:

NXT Superstars vs. NXT Alumni, Cruiserweights Collide and more at WrestleManiaAxxess’ Worlds Collide eventsWrestleMania Axxess, WWE’s biggest fan gathering of the year in sports-entertainment, just got even bigger with the addition of new Worlds Collide events!

This year’s Axxess — which runs Thursday, April 4, through Monday, April 8, at Brooklyn Pier 12 in Brooklyn, N.Y. — will feature unique, never-before-seen Worlds Collide matchups involving Superstars from NXT, NXT UK, 205 Live, Raw and SmackDown LIVE. Axxess will be your only chance to see these matches before they air on WWE Network. In addition, three sets of NXT UK tapings will take place at Axxess.

Check out the schedule of events below and be sure to secure your Axxess ticket today by going to Ticketmaster.com.

NXT vs. NXT Alumni
Thursday, April 4 (6-10 p.m.)
The past meets the present as former NXT Superstars battle current Superstars from the black-and-gold brand. The matches will include Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Breeze, Dominik Dijkaovic vs. Harper, SAnitY vs. Undisputed ERA, and Kassius Ohno vs. Aiden English.

Cruiserweights Collide
Friday, April 5 – Sessions 1 and 2 
Cruiserweights from 205 Live, NXT UK and NXT will soar to new heights in inter-brand bouts on Friday’s Axxess sessions. Featured matches will include Tyler Bate vs. The Brian Kendrick, Akira Tozawa vs. Jordan Devlin, Flash Morgan Webster & Mark Andrews vs. Ariya Daivari & Mike Kanellis, and Albert Hardie Jr. vs. Gran Metalik. Session 1 runs 1-5 p.m., and Session 2 runs 6-10 p.m.

NXT UK Tapings
Saturday, April 6 – Sessions 1, 2 and 3
Each of Saturday’s three Axxess sessions will feature an NXT UK TV taping for future airing on the award-winning WWE Network. Don’t miss the rare opportunity to watch the United Kingdom’s best and brightest Superstars competing stateside. Session 1 runs 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Session 2 runs 1-5 p.m. and Session 3 runs 6-10 p.m.

Brands Battle
Sunday, April 7 (8 a.m. to 12 p.m.)
Two 20-Superstar Battle Royals — one for male Superstars and one for female Superstars — will take place the morning of WrestleMania. Both Battle Royals will feature Superstars from NXT and NXT UK, and the Men’s Battle Royal will additionally feature Superstars from 205 Live.

Women Collide
Monday, April 8 (12-4 p.m.)
One day after female Superstars main-event WrestleMania for the first time in history, the WWE Women’s Evolution continues to take center stage at Axxess. Watch top female Superstars from NXT, NXT UK, Raw and SmackDown LIVE collide, with matches including Io Shirai vs. Sonya Deville, Toni Storm vs. Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair, Piper Niven vs. Zelina Vega, Candice LeRae vs. Kay Lee Ray and more!

Don’t wait to secure your seat at these events. Tickets for WrestleMania Axxess are available now at Ticketmaster.com!

*Talent listed and depicted above are subject to change.

WWE NXT Preview 3/27/19

NXT  streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* Aleister Black & Ricochet meet The Forgotten Sons in Dusty Classic finale

* What will happen when Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano meet face-to-face?

* Kacy Catanzaro & Lacey Lane take on Aliyah & Vanessa Borne

*  Matt Riddle will take on Kona Reeves

WWE NXT Star Keith Lee Reportedly Out Of Action With Injury

It looks like the “limitless” Keith Lee may have very well found his limit, as F4WOnline is reporting that he is currently sidelined with an undisclosed injury.

Lee hasn’t had a match with the promotion since his victory over Luke Menzies at an NXT live event March 8 in Largo, FL. Prior to the injury, he had a prominent role in the Matt Riddle/Kassius Ohno feud that played out on NXT TV at the beginning of the year.

Outside of WWE, Lee is well known for his agility and technical offense despite typically being one of the larger men competing in matches. He is a former PWG World Champion and Pro Wrestling Illustrated ranked Lee #59 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in 2018.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 3/20/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* What’s going to happen to the NXT Championship?

As first revealed by Cathy Kelley last week, WWE COO Triple H will come to NXT this week to address the matter on the minds of all Superstars and fans: What’s the status of the NXT Title following the neck injury suffered by champion Tommaso Ciampa?

The Game’s return to Full Sail Live couldn’t be better timed, with only three weeks to go until WrestleMania Week and TakeOver: New York

WWE Reportedly Signs Former Impact X Division Champion DJZ

WWE has reportedly signed former Impact Wrestling X Division Champion DJZ, according to PWInsider.

DJZ will be coming in to work the WWE NXT brand. WWE reportedly made their offer to him during the last week of February.

DJZ revealed back on December 31 that he was a free agent after parting ways with Impact. His contract had expired there. He debuted for Impact in 2011 and worked there off & on, becoming a two-time X Division Champion and a one-time Tag Team Champion with Andrew Everett.

There’s no word yet on when the 32 year old will report to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, but it’s believed he will work a few more dates on the indies to finish up there.

As noted, WWE recently signed DJZ’s former “BroMans” partner Robbie E (Robert Strauss) to a deal as well. He’s currently at the Performance Center training.

DJZ was praised for Friday’s match with Sammy Guevara at the Warrior Wrestling IV indie event in Chicago. Below are a few shots from that match, and a few shots from DJZ’s weekend debut for the International Wrestling Cartel (IWC) promotion in Elizabeth, PA:

https://twitter.com/sammyguevara/status/1106790393398607873

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Chelsea Green Suffers Injury During NXT TV Taping

Former Impact Wrestling star Chelsea Green wrestled at Full Sail University last night for the first time during the NXT TV tapings and suffered an injury in her match.

Green announced the injury via social media and wrote:

Today I had the opportunity to wrestle for the first time at Full Sail for WWE NXT, after years of dreaming of it! Wow, it was everything I had imagined it would be!!! Of course, with this job comes occupational hazards. Unfortunately, I broke my wrist mid-match & will require surgery first thing tomorrow morning. It sucks. I’m upset, I’m angry, I’m sore… but I’ll be back soon. This is just a tiny bump in the road to many goals I have set for 2019! Oh yeah…I won the match.

Chelsea Green signed with WWE in October 2018.

Image result for Chelsea Green Suffers Injury During NXT TV Taping

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE NXT Preview 3/13/19

NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

The Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-Finals

* Aleister Black & Ricochet vs. #DIY

* Moustache Mountain vs. The Forgotten Sons

* Io Shirai and Bianca Belair vie for NXT Women’s Title opportunity