Category: WWE

Seth Rollins Returns To WWE Raw, Will Challenge Damian Priest At Money In The Bank

While much of the audience in Corpus Christi and those watching along at home were likely anticipating an Uncle Howdy return, since the countdown clock that was propped up recently expired as “WWE Raw” hit the air, a different surprise kicked off the show as “Burn it down!” blared over the speakers. Seth “Freakin'” Rollins returned to WWE television for the first time since playing sacrificial lamb for Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania, quickly reminding the WWE Universe that this was still Monday Night Rollins.

After expressing his happiness to be back, Rollins quickly got down to business, stating his immediate intentions of reacquiring the WWE World Heavyweight Championship he lost to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania, and eyeballing the Money In the Bank briefcase now hanging from high above the ring as the premium live event takes the “next up” place on WWE’s calendar. But before he could get into any briefcase aspirations, the current World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest hit the ring, showing respect for Rollins before stating that “Raw” is no longer Monday Night Rollins but rather All Rise for El Campeon.

The two men jawed back and forth, with Priest reminding Rollins that he was the first to challenge for his then-newly created World Heavyweight Championship, and admitting that he lost then because Rollins was better. That, however, is not the case now, according to Priest, and ultimately, he told “The Architect” that he didn’t need to worry about ladders or briefcases and instead, challenged him to a championship match at Money In the Bank.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

They’re Here: Uncle Howdy, Firefly Funhouse Characters Make Chilling Debut On WWE Raw

The wait is over, and the stable paying homage to Bray Wyatt’s ideas and memory, which appears to be officially named “Wyatt Sick6,” arrived at the end of “WWE Raw” on Monday. The faction waited until the end of the night, though the countdown on the website which held the main clue to their debut date ended right as “Raw” began. The teases began right at the beginning of the broadcast, however, with glitches appearing during the “Then, Now, Forever, Together” opener and continued through various segments throughout the night.

Following Jey Uso’s victory over Finn Balor and Rey Mysterio in a Money in the Bank qualifier, the lights in the audience went dark, followed by the lights over the ring. Piano music began playing softly and a door appeared backlit on the stage. When the door opened, someone came slowly crawling out of it, down the dark ramp. The figure appeared to be Nikki Cross, and she crawled toward Wyatt’s signature lantern on the ramp. Cross pointed behind her, and the camera went through the door, and focused on various crew members and wrestlers laid out in the back, including Paul “Triple H” Levesque, “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce, William Regal, Shane Helms, and TJ Wilson.

The first figure seen was presumably Erick Rowan, wearing a rabbit mask and holding a mallet that said “help.” The camera continued to gorilla position, where more people lay strewn all over the floor, with lights popping and smoke filling the area. The camera focused on a person in the corner in a buzzard mask, presumably Dexter Lumis, then someone else in a pig-like gas mask, potentially Joe Gacy. Previous clues on a Twitch stream from a QR code led many fans to the identities of the faction members, which had previously been reported by Pro Wrestling Insider.

Chad Gable was also seen taken out, with blood coming from his forehead. The camera then panned toward Uncle Howdy, who walked past Gable and the other figures followed him through the door onto the stage back to Cross. Howdy grabbed the lantern and the group posed as the copyright logo came up to end the broadcast. Howdy said “We’re here” and blew out the lantern to end the show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 6/17/2024

Tonight’s WWE Raw comes to us live on the USA Network from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.

  • Fallout from Clash at the Castle
  • The expected of Uncle Howdy and his group that fans have labeled The Wyatt 6
  • Money in the Bank qualifying matches begin
  • Carlito vs. Dragon Lee
  • Karrion Kross vs. Xavier Woods

Sami Zayn’s Comedy Show To Debut On WWE Money In The Bank Weekend

WWE has announced a Sami Zayn comedy show as part of Money in the Bank weekend. WWE issued the following:

SAMI ZAYN & FRIENDS DO TORONTO COMEDY SHOW
DEBUTS IN TORONTO AS PART OF MONEY IN THE BANK WEEKEND

Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto Takes Place Thursday, July 4 at The Danforth Music Hall

Tickets On Sale Starting Wednesday, June 19 at 10 a.m. ET

STAMFORD, Conn., June 17, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that Canadian-born WWE Superstar Sami Zayn will debut his comedy show Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto on Thursday, July 4 at 8 p.m. ET from The Danforth Music Hall in Toronto as part of WWE’s massive Money In The Bank weekend.

Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto is a comedy and variety show featuring guests from the worlds of comedy, television and WWE.

Tickets for Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto go on sale Wednesday, June 19 at 10 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.ca. An exclusive presale opportunity will be available starting Tuesday, June 18 at 10 a.m. ET at https://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/100060CE78E2101D. A limited number of post-show meet-and-greet tickets with Zayn will also be available to purchase.

Money In The Bank will feature WWE’s biggest Superstars as they battle to earn a briefcase containing a contract for a championship match at a time and place of their choosing anytime within the next year.

Money In The Bank will stream live exclusively on Peacock in the U.S. and will be available in Canada on WWE Network through Sportsnet+.

Source: eWn

Madusa Commends Fellow WWE Hall Of Famer Goldberg For Admitting He Was Wrong

Goldberg is a crucial part of the second episode of VICE TV’s “Who Killed WCW,” where both his meteoric rise and his lack of formal training are touched upon. Bret Hart pulls no punches about Goldberg’s hazardous ring style due to the way an errant kick ended his career, but others are more forgiving. Former WCW women’s wrestler Madusa spoke on “Busted Open Radio” about why she thinks Goldberg is actually portrayed favorably in the documentary. 
 
“Is it his fault?” Madusa asked. “Who pushed him like a motherf***? No, it’s not.”

A scene from the second episode shows a match between Goldberg and Scott Hall where the former blows a spot and immediately becomes confused. Hall asks Goldberg what he’s doing, and the latter responds that he doesn’t know. According to Madusa, that demonstrated a great deal of nerve.

“For a man to be humbled and to fin’ bring it out and say, ‘I don’t know.’ He didn’t know! You know what, I applaud him… And then I hear all these comments about… how he’s fin’ this and that. And I’m like, you know what? He’s a bigger man than you to admit he’s wrong, because I don’t know too many men that can f***in’ admit that they’re wrong or be humbled or accept something. He went on national TV and said that… I commend him.”

Scott Hall is one of several wrestlers that were rumored to have heat with Goldberg during the course of their career. But Madusa thinks he made the best with what he was given, and likened the situation to another WWE Superstar fans have seen more recently.  “Look what happened to Ronda Rousey for Christ’s sake. They took her, they did the whole Brock [Lesnar] thing with her, and I feel that she did the best she could in what she had.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Busted Open Radio

Last QR Code Before WWE Raw Offers Final Wyatt 6 Clues At Clash At The Castle – Backstage Details On Wyatt Tribute Stable Expected To Debut Monday On Raw

As Sami Zayn made his entrance, the screen flickered, and the words “massacre” were accompanied by flashing Pluto signs. With just two days to go until the speculated debut date for the long-awaited Uncle Howdy stable, another QR code graced the screens of fans tuned into Clash at the Castle.

The QR code led to a few new clues left in the extensive Uncle Howdy crumb trail. One of the images was of a messy table, with reading materials and crude drawings strewn all over it. “Remember who you are” is scrawled in red on a sheet of loose leaf paper. Behind that, there is a drawing with a circle divided by a forward slash near the top, and phrases such as “when the circle was broken, they were let loose” are written in print surrounding it. In the back, there is a partially obscured book titled “Mis(diagnosis)”. There is a book open in the center shot, where somebody despairingly wondered if “he is me, or if that’s what he wants me to think”.

A second set of images were also found via the QR code. There are images of what fans are speculating to be Uncle Howdy, Nikki Cross, and Joe Gacy, the latter two being speculated members of the Uncle Howdy stable. The pictures are highly edited with glitch effects, and so definitive identification of their subjects is not possible.

These portrait shots are accompanied by broken text on a photo of a green and blue aura. When pieced together, the fragmented letters read “massacre 6 17 24”.

June 17 is the date of next week’s edition of “WWE Raw”, where Uncle Howdy’s faction are rumored to debut. As of writing, the current members of Uncle Howdy’s stable are rumored to include Cross, Gacy, Dexter Lumis, Erick Rowan, and Bo Dallas as Uncle Howdy. May fans also believe that Alexa Bliss is slated to join the faction; this would be her first appearance on WWE programming after giving birth to her daughter in November 2023.

Backstage Details

Clash at the Castle is over, the last QR code tease has aired, and the wrestling world now awaits Monday night and the June 17 edition of “WWE Raw,” which is expected to see the debut of the long-teased Bray Wyatt tribute stable referred to by many fans as “Wyatt 6.” As the day approaches when at least some of the mysteries surrounding this shadowy group should be revealed, a new report from Fightful Select could provide a few of those answers ahead of time.

For one thing, Fightful confirms the expected stable membership of Taylor Rotunda (fka Bo Dallas), long-absent stars Nikki Cross and Dexter Lumis, and the recently re-hired Erick Rowan. Interestingly, there was no mention of either “WWE NXT” star Joe Gacy, who had previously been reported as being involved with the group, or Alexa Bliss, who fans have speculated could return from maternity leave as part of the act — though Fightful says there are “additional pieces that we haven’t quite confirmed.” Fightful says they were most recently told that Rotunda is set to reprise the “Uncle Howdy” character he portrayed during Wyatt’s final run with WWE, and there had been discussions of theming other performers around Firefly Funhouse characters Mercy the Buzzard, Huskus the Pig Boy, and the White Rabbit. The details of the specific characters and their visual appearance, however, aren’t widely known, though Fightful says the stable’s costumes have been a labor-intensive project.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Star AJ Styles To Face Japanese Legend At Upcoming Pro Wrestling NOAH Event

Pro Wrestling NOAH teased a major announcement throughout last week, and the details have finally come to light. “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles will return to Japan this summer to face Naomichi Marufuji at the company’s Destination event on July 13. The news was revealed via a video announcement from this weekend’s NOAH Grand Ship event.

“This is WWE Superstar, the Phenomenal AJ Styles, and I am here to announce that I will be coming to Japan to face Japanese legend Marufuji at the Budokon for the NOAH event on July 13,” Styles said in the announcement.

Styles revealed that he’s familiar with his opponent’s work and understands how talented he is as a performer. However, the WWE Superstar fully intends to pick up the victory, though he hopes it’s in a show-stealing match. “You’ve been doing this a long time, and your resume speaks for itself, but I’m not coming to Japan to lose. Let’s tear the house down on July 13.”

This isn’t the first time both companies have worked together. WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Keiji Mutoh at a NOAH event in 2023, marking the beginning of their working relationship. Elsewhere, WWE has entered into an agreement with Marigold that will see former Women’s Champion IYO SKY visit Japan to face Utami Hayashishita at Rossy Ogawa’s promotion’s Summer Destiny event, which also takes place on July 13. This also comes after WWE’s recent collaborations with TNA Wrestling, suggesting that the sports entertainment giant is open to more cross-promotional opportunities.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Clash At The Castle 6/15/2024 (Results)

  • I Quit Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship: Cody Rhodes (c) defeated AJ Styles to retain his title by threatening to slam the steel steps on The Phenomenal One’s head, only to go ahead and do it after the bell rang anyway. Notably, The Bloodline attacked Rhodes after the match until Kevin Owens and Randy Orton made the save.
  • Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: The Unholy Union (Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn) def. Shayna Baszler & Zoey Stark and Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill (c) — Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn won the titles with Dawn pinning Baszler!
  • Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (c) defeated Chad Gable by pinfall to retain his title. Noteworthy is that Maxxine Dupri was “injured” here and Otis chose to take care of her, walking out on Gable.
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) defeated Piper Niven by pinfall to retain her title.
  • World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (c) defeated Drew McIntyre by pinfall to retain his title after interference from CM Punk.

Chad Gable Confirms He Re-Signed With WWE

Chad Gable has decided to remain with WWE, as he received a favorable offer from the company after his contract expired last week.

It was widely believed that Gable was close to reaching an agreement with WWE, and it has now been confirmed that he will be staying with the company.

When asked about his contract status in an interview with The Gorilla Position, Gable confirmed he re-signed with the company.

Chad Gable is competing against Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship today at Clash at the Castle.

One Last WWE SmackDown QR Code Spells Out Wyatt Stable Debut Date, Hints At Characters

Potentially one of the final QR codes surrounding the new Wyatt 6 faction honoring the late Bray Wyatt was revealed on “WWE SmackDown” on Friday, and scanning it led fans to even more than the still running countdown clock ending during the upcoming episode of “WWE Raw.” When fans click the top raven symbol on the page featuring the countdown, they’re directed to the previously revealed “kintsugi” page featuring Uncle Howdy’s old journal entries, but with a new addition.

When fans scroll down to the bottom of the page, a recycling bin now appears. When clicked on, a pop-up appears asking for a password. The hint included on the pop-up says, “You’re welcome.” When “thank you” is typed in the box, six image files are revealed, titled “U,” “E,” “D,” “N,” “J,” and “5.” The file names seemingly reference the rumored members of the stable, Uncle Howdy, Erick Rowan, Dexter Lumis, Nikki Cross, and Joe Gacy, with the five alluding to the five members mentioned. When each file is clicked, it directs a user to a photo. One the letter files, drawings are seen, seemingly depicting figures in masks, potentially what each character may be wearing when the faction debuts on “Raw.” 

When the “5” file is clicked, an image is revealed showing the date “6.17.24” written on a piece of paper, the same date as when the countdown ends. The phrase “You will behold what we have become” is also written. Fans on social media also noted that one of the earlier QR codes had a link titled “uednj51a,” and many believe the “1a” alludes to Alexa Bliss being the final member of the Wyatt 6. Bliss has not been seen on WWE programming since revealing she was pregnant.

There were also several hand-drawn messages left on a desk, including some stick figures. Additionally, there were several drawings of a mysterious face and a framed image of a white rabbit.

The debut date for the Wyatt 6 was initially revealed in Monday’s QR code during “Raw,” which first led to the countdown. The biggest clues as to the date and just who may be involved were revealed during a Twitch stream on May 23, where Uncle Howdy seemingly wrote letters to his stablemates.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and eWn