WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network and will emanate from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Variety reported today that WWE will be inducting Andy Kaufman into this year’s Hall of Fame class. It’s unclear who will induct him into the honorary class.
Kaufman was a comedian in the 70s and 80s, most notably known for his part in the “Taxi” series from 1978 until 1983.
Wrestling fans know him for his feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler in Memphis. He would sometimes wrestle women who he picked out of the crowd, causing him to get heat. He took a piledriver from Lawler, leading to them doing a segment on David Letterman’s NBC Late Night show where Lawler slapped Kaufman.
It was covered in the “Man on the Moon” movie with Jim Carrey portraying the role of Kaufman.
Source: eWrestlingNews
UPDATE:
WWE Officially announced Andy Kaufman for the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE issued the following:
Andy Kaufman will join Rey Mysterio and The Great Muta in the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.
A gifted comedian who gained fame for his absurdist standup routine and appearance on hit shows like “Taxi” and “Saturday Night Live,” Kaufman’s love of sports-entertainment led him to Memphis where he became a thorn in the side of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.
The rivalry between Lawler and Kaufman became national news leading to a legendary exchange on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The interaction would later be memorialized in the 1999 movie biopic “Man on the Moon,” where Lawler appeared alongside Jim Carey as Kaufman to recreate the iconic moment.
Kaufman’s interactions with Lawler transformed the business and opened up pathways for future cross-over Superstars such as Johnny Knoxville who honored the comedian with his WrestleMania 38 ring gear.
Sadly, Kaufman passed away in 1985 at the age of 35, but his legacy remains an important party of wrestling history.
WWE congratulates Kaufman on his inclusion into the WWE Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Friday, March 31, streaming on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else immediately after SmackDown.
WWE has been planning to do Wyatt against Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 39, but the match is now up in the air.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported on Sunday Night’s Main Event Wyatt is currently sidelined with an illness.
Meltzer didn’t specify the exact illness and doesn’t know the status of Wyatt’s WrestleMania match as he didn’t get an answer when asked. Meltzer said he thinks the match is up in the air due to Wyatt’s illness.
Source: Wrestling Observer via eWrestlingNews
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri.
Jay White is still a free agent after finishing up with NJPW.
White has interest from both promotions but has yet to make a decision about his wrestling future. He lost a ‘loser leaves Japan’ match to Hikuleo, followed by a ‘loser leaves NJPW’ match against Eddie Kingston.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that White is in talks with AEW and WWE.
“Regarding Jay White, we are told that White has been talking to WWE but has not signed. He is also talking to AEW. From someone familiar with the situation they described it as 50/50 which side he would go with,” Meltzer wrote.
Source: eWrestlingNews
WWE WrestleMania 39 from Hollywood will have some cutbacks regarding staff.
This comes after Vince McMahon returned as the Chairman of the Board position in January to oversee a potential sale.
Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the company is looking to maximize the profit margin of the show as McMahon explores a potential company sale.
“There are going to be cutbacks to the show, but not in ways that any fan would notice. Less personnel will be brought in and some of the foreign language announcers that had been brought in previously will be announcing via remote, which is also something that a lot of sports teams and networks are doing more of. The idea is to increase the profit margin of the show in getting the company ready for a sale,” Meltzer wrote.
WWE WrestleMania 39 takes place on April 1 and 2, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on Peacock.
Source: eWrestlingNews
Kofi Kingston will need surgery following a recent injury.
The New Day member took to Twitter on Thursday evening to announce that he’ll be undergoing surgery on his ankle later today (Friday) in Birmingham, Alabama. The injury took place on an episode of WWE SmackDown earlier this month.
Kingston wrote:
“***Long post ahead. Y’all that don’t like to read, this ain’t for you lol***
Alabama folks are so kind. Earlier today instead of waiting 15 min for an Uber to take me to the YMCA Shades Valley to workout, I opted to take one of those electric street scooters. Big mistake. Half the trip was uphill and on semi highway roads! And I was wearing my air cast walking boot!
I got within a mile of the @BirminghamYMCA, and the scooter wouldn’t go further for some reason. Also, the Y was out of the drop off range, so I then had to call an Uber anyway, lol.
30 min later after 2 others canceled, one finally came to pick me up. I had him stop at target…I needed lotion (yes I was still ashy from this morning).
Finally got to the Y and the woman at the desk told me that in order to buy a guest pass, a member had to bring you as a guest… “but you can be my guest,” she said. And she vouched for me to workout. So kind of her to do for a stranger. I really wanted to move around a bit before I’m unable to do so after surgery tomorrow.
After the gym, I stopped at a stir fry spot called “Yummefy”. Tons of vegan options. The maps app said they were closed, but I was in luck! Nice lady gave me the best recommendations… I ordered all of them!
When I got my food, I went to inform the lady that the maps app said they were closed and they should probably fix their hours. She said, “oh we are closed. We just made that food for you anyway.”
My jaw dropped in disbelief. It was 15 minutes past the closing time! I thanked her profusely. So kind of her to go out of her way so that I could eat.
Anyway, a long message that can be summed up by saying that I am very grateful for the people I’ve come across here in Birmingham today.
Tomorrow, we march forward and into the hands of the best in the world at what he does! Let’s get this ankle right!”
Source: eWrestlingNews
The Great Muta’s induction into WWE Hall of Fame has now been officially confirmed via Ric Flair on “The Bump.”
Keiji Muto, aka The Great Muta, will enter the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. Ric Flair officially announced Muto’s on WWE’s “The Bump.” It remains unknown whether Flair will induct him during the ceremony, which will stream on Peacock directly after “WWE SmackDown” on March 31.
Muto will be the second 2023 Hall of Famer announced so far, following Rey Mysterio, whose entry was announced on Monday’s “WWE Raw,” and reportedly preceding Stacy Keibler, who is believed to be another 2023 entrant. WWE is said to be keeping the list of inductees smaller than usual, with a shorter broadcast planned compared to years past. As of now, it’s unknown how many individuals will be part of the 2023 class. Last year saw the induction of The Undertaker, Vader, Queen Sharmell, and the Steiner Brothers, along with Shad Gaspard receiving the Warrior Award.
Despite his status as a legendary figure in professional wrestling, Muto’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is slightly curious, as he’s never competed in the company over the course of his lengthy career. Still, it’s impossible to deny the impact of The Great Muta on the industry, and the company clearly thought highly of the performer; they recently gave permission for WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura to compete at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event on Muto’s farewell tour. Nakamura wrestled Muto there and walked away with a victory. Muto’s final match took place on February 21, with NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito defeating Muto after nearly 30 minutes.
Flair and Muto shared a rivalry in NWA, wrestling a number of times on both PPVs and at live events. Their feud culminated in a steel cage match featuring Flair, Arn Anderson, and Ole Anderson taking on The Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer, and Kendo “The Dragon Master” Nagasaki. Flair has been open about his high regard for Muto as an opponent, and the 16-time world champion is a natural fit to induct Muto into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It appears that a new “WWE NXT” Women’s Champion will be crowned at the brand’s Stand & Deliver event. WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels took to Twitter and announced that there will be a series of qualifying matches starting on tonight’s episode to determine who will be competing at Stand & Deliver in a ladder match for the “NXT” Women’s Championship.
“As of Friday Morning Roxanne Perez was discharged from the hospital,” Michaels wrote. “However, after numerous tests, Roxanne’s health is still in question. With Stand and Deliver in less than three weeks, I have the obligation to announce we possibly have to crown a New NXT Women’s Champion. Starting tonight there will be a series of qualifying matches with the winners advancing to Stand and Deliver to compete to become the NXT Women’s Champion in a Ladder Match.”
The end of the March 7 episode of “NXT” saw Perez suddenly “collapse” after she retained her title against Meiko Satomura. Perez was stretchered out of the arena to an ambulance backstage. This happened after several vignettes showed her “exhaustive workouts” ahead of the big match with the former “NXT UK” Women’s Champion. Perez has been the “NXT” Women’s Champion since defeating former WWE Superstar Mandy Rose on the December 13 edition of “NXT.”
Stand & Deliver is set for Saturday, April 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. It will be on the same day as night one of WrestleMania 39 and will be starting at 1 PM ET. Other matches announced include Bron Breakker defending his “NXT” Championship against Carmelo Hayes and Grayson Waller will be facing Johnny Gargano.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
In a recent interview with Denise Salcedo on the “Instinct Culture” podcast, Impact Wrestling Knockouts Champion Mickie James touched on the current state of women’s wrestling, as well as her plans to attend WrestleMania 39 as a fan for the very first-time next month.
Citing Lita and Trish Stratus competing at WrestleMania 39, Saraya’s (Paige) recent in-ring return in AEW, and Impact Wrestling’s thriving women’s division, James said,
“How amazing, how exciting of a time is it in 2023 when we are looking at Lita as a Tag Team Champion with Becky? Now looking at Team Bestie going to be at WrestleMania, two women who I’ve shared a lot of history with, and who I admire, look up to, find hella inspiring, and I just adore. You see that happening there. You see, in IMPACT, I’m the Champion in 2023, and our tag team division is shining so bright, and the women in that locker room. Then you see over at AEW, Saraya comes back from a career-ending injury. Someone who they said, ‘Oh, she’s never going to wrestle again.’ What a freakin magical time in professional wrestling and not just in women’s professional wrestling, just in professional wrestling across the board,” James continued. “For a long time, it used to be like, ‘Oh, well, they’re retired,’ or ‘they’re this,’ and it would all be about this whole new — and it was never that way about the men as much as it was for the women.”
James also discussed her plans for WrestleMania 39 weekend, revealing that she plans to attend Night Two of WrestleMania as a spectator.
“I’m going to be there for WrestleCon. I’m going to be out there in LA. I’m really hoping — because we’re doing DressleMania this year and one of the things that we’re auctioning off is — I’ve already texted both of them, ‘I really hope you guys are wrestling on night two,’ because I’m actually going to be in a suite that we’re auctioning off for one of the winners for DressleMania and they’re watching. It is my first time ever watching WrestleMania as a spectator. I’ve never been. I could never go when we were kids. We didn’t have the money. Never went as a child have only been as a talent. For my first time ever, in the history of the world, in the history of Mickie James, I’m going to be going to WrestleMania as a spectator. I’m just praying that my friends are wrestling night two, so I can watch it there live, in-person, because I really would love to see it live in person.”
Mickie James is also slated to be a part of WrestleCon as she defends her Impact Knockouts World Championship in a four-way match at IMPACT x NJPW Multiverse United: Only The STRONG Survive, against Deonna Purrazzo, Gisele Shaw, and Miyu Yamashita.
Source: eWrestlingNews
