Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live on FOX from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.
A bombshell was dropped on the wrestling world Thursday afternoon, after a lawsuit filed by Janel Grant, alleging that Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis engaged in sex trafficking made headlines. Among the allegations in the suit were that McMahon sexually abused and exploited Grant, trafficked her to other WWE employees, including Laurinaitis, and attempted to do so with “a former UFC Heavyweight Champion the company was actively trying to re-sign” in 2020.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the former UFC Heavyweight Champion in question is none other than long-time WWE star Brock Lesnar. According to the suit, Grant was instructed by McMahon to create “personalized sexual content” for Lesnar, referred to only as a “UFC and WWE star” in the lawsuit, in an attempt to sway Lesnar towards re-signing with WWE. Grant alleges Lesnar told McMahon that he enjoyed the content and that McMahon later told Grant that Lesnar re-signed with WWE, in part, so he could have sexual relations with Grant.
The suit further claims that McMahon gave Lesnar Grant’s phone number in December, leading to Lesnar requesting that she send him more explicit content. Grant then alleges Lesnar told her he would like to set up a “play date” between the two of them, though the encounter would ultimately not take place due to a snowstorm “disrupting his [Lesnar’s] travel plans.” Grant alleges McMahon would attempt to traffic her to Lesnar one final time in March 2022, with McMahon once again telling her to send explicit photos to Lesnar. Ultimately, the suit alleges that a physical meeting between Lesnar and Grant never took place.
Lesnar has not commented on the matter at this time.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
After nearly three years with the company, “WWE SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick has officially been released, according to PWInsider. Multiple sources only recently reported that Patrick would be removed from “SmackDown,” with the reasoning that it “just wasn’t working out.” Despite this, it originally seemed there could have been a future for him in the promotion after some restructuring, especially since he was liked backstage.
A replacement for Patrick has not yet been announced.
It was also reported that Michael Cole was initially brought back to “SmackDown” to help Patrick gain his footing, but that Cole was removed from the team to determine whether Patrick could hold his own, with some believing he was not “the right person for the role”. Additionally, PWInsider says that Patrick was set to travel to attend “SmackDown” in Florida this Friday, making his release seem like a last-minute decision. Before his stint with WWE, Patrick worked as a broadcaster for Sirius XM, beIN SPORTS, CNN International, and multiple other companies. During this time, he even interviewed Liv Morgan, who he praised for her conduct during their chat.
Less than a year ago, Patrick recalled his journey to WWE during an appearance on the “Out Of Character” podcast. According to him, he received his audition call while he was shaving in preparation for an appearance on CNN International, since WWE was headhunting for broadcasters at the time. During the same interview, Patrick notably claimed that he had been trying to learn from as many industry veterans as possible.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Following the recent success of A24’s “The Iron Claw,” many have wondered what other wrestling stories could be made into blockbuster pictures, and it seems that WWE star Natalya might be playing a part in bringing her family story to the silver screen. On January 14, Natalya posted an image on her Instagram account where she was pictured with Rory Culkin, the star of movies like “Signs” and “Scream 4.” Culkin wasn’t the only person of note in the picture, which also included Jordan Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Productions, the company that has produced movies like “The Kill Room,” “Seven Faces of Jane,” and “Becky.”
Natalya’s caption noted that she was working on something near and dear to her heart, and according to a recent report by Fightful Select, that something involves possibly making a movie based on the Hart family, an idea that has been in the pipeline for some time. Levine and Beckerman have reportedly had interest in the idea for a while, to the point where some casting ideas have already been pitched. This could be where Culkin comes in, as the actor is a long-time wrestling fan and the brother of Kieran and Macaulay Culkin, the latter of whom has history with WWE after making a cameo on an episode of “WWE Raw” in 2009.
“The Iron Claw” has (perhaps ironically) turned into something of a feel-good story at the box office; as of this writing, it’s grossed more than $32 million domestically, which is uncommon for a R-rated film. That success may have spurred renewed interest in movies about wrestling families, and the Harts are better known than “The Iron Claw’s” subjects, the Von Erichs. Natalya is the granddaughter of family patriarch and Stampede Wrestling founder Stu Hart and the niece of former WWE stars Bret and Owen Hart.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Cora Jade has gone under the knife to surgically repair a torn ACL.
During the main event of a WWE NXT live event earlier this month, Jade’s match against Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Title had to be stopped due to an injury.
Jade posted the following on Twitter, confirming the news:
“WWE NXT” has a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ava Raine.
Tuesday’s episode of “NXT” marked an important meeting for 22-year-old Ava Raine, as she was seen standing outside the office of Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels. A returning William Regal then emerged from the office, sharing the news that Raine had been named as the new General Manager of “NXT,” making her the youngest general manager in WWE history.
As Raine thanked Regal for sitting in on their meeting, Regal noted that while this role is often a thankless job paired with long hours, he is confident that Raine can keep up with its demands. Regal also reminded her that he is always a phone call away if she needs advice along the way.
Regal previously took on the on-screen General Manager duties for “NXT” in 2014, serving in this role until his eventual release from WWE in January 2022. Following his exit from WWE, Regal joined All Elite Wrestling, serving as a managerial figure for the Blackpool Combat Club. The veteran performer later requested his release from AEW, which was then granted in December 2022, on the condition that he could not appear on WWE television in 2023. With his non-compete clause now over, Regal is free to resume any on-screen duties that WWE may have for him, including tonight’s new “NXT” GM unveiling.
Raine isn’t the only member of the Samoan dynasty to receive an authority position this week. Earlier today, WWE revealed that her father, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was appointed to the board of directors at TKO Group Holdings.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE Champion John Cena has become more and more of an honorary figure in WWE, his in-ring appearances dwindling with each passing year, leading many to wonder when the pro-wrestler-turned-Hollywood star will finally be calling it a career in sports entertainment. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cena made it clear that the end is near.
“I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there,” Cena said on the press tour for his latest film, “Argylle.” “I’m gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don’t ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion — the same passion as the fanbase — and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on this odometer say, ‘Hey, that’s gotta be done before 50.'”
Cena reiterated that he can’t perform in the ring while shooting films for insurance reasons, meaning that outside of extenuating circumstances (like the SAG-AFTRA strike that led to his most recent run) there’s no chance of him returning to WWE full-time.
“As long as the phone keeps ringing and we’ve had some good opportunities here, I’ll kind of preserve that for as long as I can,” he said. “But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more, and I’ve just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life.”
When asked if he would be in Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40, Cena played coy, saying he may or may not be free that weekend. He also left things somewhat unclear about what exactly the end of his WWE career would look like. On the one hand, he was firm in his determination to continue his streak of 23 straight years with at least one WWE match even after retirement, saying “I’ve never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don’t intend to miss a year.” But he also wants to make room for those coming up behind him.
“When I say I’m done — in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back — I’m just being honest with myself,” Cena said. “There’s such a great new generation now as well. It’s time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day.”
Accordingly, Cena’s role as of late has seemingly been to usher in the new generation of WWE stars. His last in-ring appearance was a loss to The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, after which he was brutally beaten down by the rising star. Before that, he put over LA Knight after their tag team victory at WWE Fastlane and lost a WWE United States Championship match to then-champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network:
Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw” kicked off in a familiar way with Seth Rollins’ music and the crowd joyfully singing along, but things quickly took a somber tone, with Rollins announcing that an MRI showed that he suffered a Grade 2 MCL tear and a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee. With surgery, that would mean a 3-4 month recovery period, which would cause Rollins to miss WrestleMania 40 — although it sounded like Rollins hadn’t committed to the doctors’ prescribed timeline as far as that goes.
Before the champion could detail his plan of action, he was interrupted by GUNTHER’s music and the WWE Intercontinental Champion hit the ring with his Imperium allies. After a promo from GUNTHER, Rollins said Imperium should have let him finish, because he “doesn’t give a damn what the doctors tell [him]” and he intends to keep his promise to take the title into WrestleMania, and do everything in his power to walk out with it. GUNTHER made it clear that he plans on winning the Royal Rumble and announced his intentions to choose Rollins as the titleholder that he would then go after.
The news was not a total surprise, as Rollins’ injury during last week’s title defense against Jinder Mahal was spotted in real time, with his legs taking more of the impact on a moonsault than he would have liked. Word got around soon after that it was indeed a legitimate injury, and we awaited word from the man himself tonight to see where things would go. As of this writing, whether WWE actually keeps the World Heavyweight Championship around Rollins’ waist in hopes that he’ll be back in time for the Showcase of the Immortals remains to be seen.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE has announced this morning that “WWE Raw” — the promotion’s weekly flagship show — will move to Netflix in January 2025. The new long-term partnership will see the red brand show initially broadcast on the streaming platform in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America. More countries will be added in the future. Additionally, Netflix will become the home of all weekly WWE shows, as well as premium live events such as WrestleMania, for international fans.
The WWE-Netflix deal is reportedly worth $5 billion over ten years. It means that WWE, owned by TKO Group Holdings, will earn $500 million a year from the new media rights agreement. “Raw’s” current deal with USA Network, which will expire in October, is said to be worth up to $260 million per year. Meanwhile, the new partnership with Netflix will see “Raw” leave linear television for the first time since the show began airing in 1993.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It is still undecided where RAW will air between the end of the current USA deal and the start of the Netflix deal.
