Category: WWE

Dolph Ziggler Released From WWE

Dolph Ziggler’s lengthy time with WWE has come to an end with his release this week, Fightful has learned.

Ziggler signed with WWE in 2004 and would debut on the main roster the following year as the ‘caddy’ of Kerwin White/Chavo Guerrero.

Returning to the main roster the next year as ‘Nicky’ of the Spirit Squad, it wouldn’t be until 2008 that Ziggler began using the name he would stick with for the rest of his run.

Ziggler leaves WWE a two-time World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a multi-time Tag Team, Intercontinental, and United States Champion.

The Show-Off returned to NXT last year and briefly held the NXT Championship, dethroning Bronn Breakker.

Source: eWn

WWE Releases Multiple Wrestlers

WWE has released at least several members of their roster, including Mustafa Ali, Emma, Rick Boogs, Aliyah, Riddick Moss, Top Dolla, Elias and Shelton Benjamin

Emma initially reacted to the announcement that WWE was headed to Perth, Australia for Elimination Chamber next year, calling it a “dream”. However, then she found out about her release.

She wrote: “Oops nevermind. I just got released… I am no longer with WWE.”

https://twitter.com/EmmaWWE/status/1704870539540705609
https://twitter.com/WWE_Aliyah/status/1704876633289560122
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1704874964170485808
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1704881017494864376
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1704880947483595157
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1704880032986824823
https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1704888762327572791

Source: 411Mania

Mustafa Ali Says He’s No Longer Working With WWE

It looks as if Mustafa Ali‘s time with WWE has come to an end.

“I am [no] longer working with WWE. I look forward to the future,” Ali wrote on Twitter.

There was some confusion about Ali’s initial statement, as it said, “I am longer working with WWE.” Ali replied and confirmed his departure before apologizing for the confusion.

Mustafa Ali was scheduled to face Dominik Mysterio for the NXT North American Championship at NXT No Mercy on September 30.

https://twitter.com/AliWWE/status/1704862785224450228

Mustafa Ali first appeared in WWE when he entered the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016. He signed a full-time contract with the company shortly after the tournament aired.

Ali spent time on 205 Live and SmackDown before he moved to RAW. He was part of the Retribution stable on the RAW brand, and went back to SmackDown after the stable disbanded.

He publicly requested his release in 2022, but it was not granted at that time. Once he returned to WWE after his request was denied, Ali challenged Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship and he was in the current program with Dominik for the North American title.

It is unclear for the reason for Ali’s departure this time.

Source: WrestleZone

Details On Confirmed Deal For WWE SmackDown To Leave Fox, Return To USA Network

It’s official — “WWE SmackDown” will leave Fox next year (as previously predicted by Wells Fargo) and return to the USA Network. The company announced the move this morning, with a new five-year deal bringing “SmackDown” back to cable starting in October 2024. Included with the announcement was the news that “SmackDown” will remain on Friday nights, and there will also be four WWE specials aired on NBC’s broadcast channel each year.

“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades,” WWE President Nick Khan said. “We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing SmackDown to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC.”

Despite the new agreement, a report from the Sports Business Journal, which broke the “SmackDown” news ahead of WWE’s press release, states that WWE and USA Network parent company NBCU have yet to reach an agreement for “WWE Raw.” With “SmackDown” returning to the network, however, NBCU reportedly remains a favorite to retain the rights to the company’s longest-running show, though corporations such as Disney and Amazon are reportedly still interested in WWE rights.

The report does note that it’s possible “Raw” moves away from Monday nights, which would obviously be a major shift, as the series has been a staple of Mondays since its inception in January 1993. While WWE will maintain some kind of partnership with NBCU through at least 2028, it’s not yet certain that their catalog will remain available on the company’s streaming app, Peacock, for the long haul. The streaming deal between WWE and NBCU, which saw the dissolution of the WWE Network in the United States in favor of Peacock, lasts until 2026.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Randy Orton Is Working Out At The WWE Performance Center

Randy Orton has been spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL in recent weeks.

According to a report from Pwinsider, numerous people training at the Performance Center have seen Orton at the facility over the past few weeks. The Viper has been spotted in the building and is often seen working out in the gym at the facility.

It’s worth noting that as of August, Orton had not been cleared for a return.

Finally, it was added that WWE has a very strict rule that talent who are returning have to work out in some capacity. As of this writing, there is no word on when Randy Orton will be making his return to WWE television. Of course, it’s obviously a good sign to see that he’s back at the Performance Center and beginning to work out again.

Source: eWn

WWE NXT Preview 9/19/2023

Tonight’s WWE NXT Live from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • WWE NXT Women’s Champion Becky Lynch to appear
  • Champion vs. champion non-title: NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes vs. NXT North American Champion Dominik Mysterio
  • Roxanne Perez vs. Lola Vice
  • NXT Global Heritage Invitational: Tyler Bate vs. Butch
  • NXT Global Heritage Invitational: Duke Hudson vs. Joe Coffey

Reported Reason Behind Late Changes To Monday Night’s WWE Raw

Some late changes were made to the lineup for tonight’s episode of “WWE Raw.”

According to PWInsider, Tegan Nox was originally set to answer the open challenge issued by the new “NXT” Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch. However, at some point before the show, Nox was pulled from the title match and replaced by Natalya, who has reportedly earned plenty of praise backstage following her involvement in the Superstar Spectacle in India.

The segment started with Lynch coming out and cutting a promo about how important the belt is to her and revealing that she would also be live on “NXT” tomorrow night with the belt. Natalya eventually came out, calling Lynch a “hypocritical ginger witch” and answering the challenge. The 15-year veteran ended up losing the match to Lynch, getting rolled up by the new champion following a back-and-forth match.

Getting back to Nox, she was relegated to a match against Xia Li that was recorded for “WWE Main Event.”

Another key change to tonight’s episode, according to PWInsider, was to push the match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Ricochet deeper into the show. The reported reasoning behind this was a desire by WWE officials to position more star power later in the episode, namely WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, who was involved in segments before and after the Nakamura-Ricocet match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 9/18/2023

WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network, from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, UT.

  • Two-out-of-three-falls match: The New Day vs. Viking Raiders
  • Cody Rhodes vs Dominik Mysterio
  • Shinsuke Nakamura vs Ricochet
  • Jey Uso vs Drew McIntyre

Jade Cargill Expected To Start At The WWE Performance Center This Week

Jade Cargill is expected to begin training at WWE’s Performance Center in Orlando, following reports that she is joining the promotion.

Earlier this week, it was reported that the former TBS Champion was ‘finishing up’ her time with AEW with sources in both promotions believing that she is WWE-bound.

Pwinsider is reporting that it is believed that Cargill’s AEW contract has now expired and she is expected to head to WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida this week.

Cargill competed on this week’s episode of AEW Rampage, where she lost to current TBS Champion Kris Statlander and the pair shared a sign of respect after the match.

Sources in WWE believe that Cargill will go straight to the main roster rather than spend time in WWE’s developmental program, NXT.

Cargill is the third AEW name to make the move to WWE, following Cody Rhodes & Brian Pillman Jr., though the latter has yet to appear on WWE programming.

Source: eWn

Cassie Lee Making In-Ring Return Next Month

Former WWE Superstar & Impact Knockout Cassie Lee will be making her return to the ring next month in her native Australia.

On her Instagram Stories, Lee revealed that she will be part of World Series Wrestling’s ‘Full Throttle’ tour that will see her appear in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane & Sydney.

Lee has not competed since April 2022, when she and Jessica McKay lost to Madison Rayne & Tenille Dashwood on the Impact Rebellion kickoff show.

In August 2022, Lee and her husband Shawn Spears announced they were expecting their first child and would welcome their son Austin Jay in January 2023.