Category: WWE

WWE SmackDown Preview 8/19/22, Zoey Stark Injured?

Tonight’s episode of “WWE SmackDown” will take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada,

Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre to go head-to-head

The Viking Raiders will hold a Viking Funeral for The New Day

The WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship tournament is also set to continue tonight, as “NXT 2.0” stars Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark will make their “SmackDown” debuts against Natalya and Sonya Deville

There are reports that Zoey Stark is injured and that she and Nikkita Lyons is out of the tournament and may be replaced by Toxic Attraction (Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne).

Shawn Michaels promoted to WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative

Shawn Michaels has been given a promotion in WWE.

Following his retirement in 2010 after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26, “HBK” took time away from wrestling to be with his family and do other things while occasionally making appearances on WWE television.

Michaels started helping at the Performance Center in late 2016 before becoming a trainer for the finishing class alongside Terry Taylor the following year. In 2018, he started working as a writer and producer for the NXT brand alongside Triple H, who oversaw the creative of the brand.

Michaels stepped up in September 2021 when his good friend was sidelined due to health issues and started running the day-to-day operations of NXT and being in charge of creative.

As previously reported, WWE announced that NXT UK will be rebranded as NXT Europe starting in 2023. NXT UK will go on hiatus before the relaunch. NXT UK will be part of the premium live event, Worlds Collide, with NXT next month. 

Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics pointed out that Michaels has been given a new title of WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative.

Source: WrestlingNews.co

WWE Announces Upcoming NXT UK Rebrand And Hiatus

After a handful of “NXT UK” stars appeared on “NXT 2.0” this week, it has now been revealed that the UK-based brand will be undergoing a revamp, slated to take place in 2023. 

WWE has confirmed that “NXT UK” will become “NXT Europe” in 2023. It will continue expanding the current brand that has been active full-time since June 2018, although its beginnings can be traced back to 2016 with the first-ever United Kingdom Championship tournament which took place in Blackpool, England. “Following the success of our live events and talent identification efforts throughout all of Europe, we believe this is the perfect time to expand NXT beyond the UK,” Shawn Michaels, WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative said. It should be noted, this appears to be the first time Michaels’ new title with the company has been confirmed.

As it stands, “NXT UK” currently airs weekly on Peacock and WWE Network, with its most recent shows being recorded at the BT Sport Studios in London, England. Initially, shows were being recorded on the road around the United Kingdom, but the brand ultimately found a new home, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just last week, it was revealed that an upcoming television taping was canceled due to the BT Sports Studios being unavailable, which led many to speculate that the future of the brand was in doubt, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case. 

Furthermore, in addition to the “NXT Europe” announcement, WWE revealed that a special premium live event, Worlds Collide, will take place on Sunday, September 4 that will feature stars from “NXT 2.0” and “NXT UK.” While no location has been provided in the official press release, it should be noted that Clash at the Castle, WWE’s next major premium live event, will be taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, the previous night. AEW All Out will take place the evening of Sunday, September 4.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mickie James Addresses What Is Next For Her

Earlier this month, former WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James dropped a bombshell by expressing on Twitter that she was “done in wrestling.” After seemingly bringing the curtain down on her near 23-year career — with her last match taking place in July at the ABC 12eme Festival International in France — James has now opened up about what might be next. 

“I think I’ll always do stuff with wrestling in some capacity,” James said to MyTV26 at StocktonCon 2022. “I enjoy doing things like this [conventions] as a way to reconnect with the fans and, um, I don’t really know what’s next, that’s the beauty of it.”

While continuing to appear at wrestling conventions around the world — with her next major convention appearance taking place during WWE’s Clash at the Castle weekend in Cardiff, Wales, for WrestleFest UK — James is a regular weekly guest on Sirius XM’s “Busted Open Radio” show, discussing the world of pro wrestling with fans who call in and with personalities within the business. James is also currently a co-host on “GAW TV,” alongside Lisa Marie Varon (fka Victoria) and So Cal Val. 

James’ last televised match took place on July 14 during an episode of “Impact Wrestling,” where the former Knockouts Champion was defeated by Chelsea Green. James reigned as Knockouts Champion earlier this year before losing the title to Tasha Steelz in March. Prior to losing to Steelz, James surprisingly entered the 2022 WWE Women’s Royal Rumble match while carrying the Knockouts Championship. In addition to those aforementioned promotions, the 42-year-old has also stepped inside the squared circle for the National Wrestling Alliance and Game Changer Wrestling this year. 

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to MyTV26

Triple H Outlines His Plans As Head Of WWE Creative

Triple H has highlighted a “massive opportunity” following his promotion at WWE.

Newly-installed WWE head of creative Triple H has outlined his goals following the retirement of former CEO and chairman Vince McMahon.

McMahon has been replaced by his daughter Stephanie McMahon, who is now chairwoman of the company, as well as co-CEO alongside president Nick Khan. Triple H has taken over as the creative lead and the changes are already evident.

The 11-time World Champion spoke during an earnings call this week, acknowledging how big of an opportunity there is to do something special while noting his experience behind the scenes with claims he’s had a hand in creative affairs for a very long time.

“I think the opportunity in front of us is massive, and as a great man once told me, first day on the job thinking, and that’s what we’re doing here is first day on the job thinking,” he said (H/T WrestleZone).

“For me, I’ve been doing this for a long time, from behind the scenes and creative, since really almost the very beginning of my career here with WWE. But I’m approaching it from a first day. What is working, what isn’t working, from the overall picture all the way down to the smallest of details and really trying to create from there.

“It all comes down to the same thing that it’s come down to since the beginning is creating iconic characters, putting them in amazing storylines, and fantastical storylines and whatever works for those characters the best, and then running with it and watching how fans react to that along the way.

Triple H would certainly love it if the WWE Universe deemed him responsible for the emergence of new stars, so he’s keen on creating at least a few.

“So I think the opportunity is massive, I think it’s an opportunity for us to not only engage with the stars that we have for our fans but to create new stars as well and create the platform and the opportunity for them to become bigger than anything we’ve seen prior to it.”

Stephanie, who paid tribute to her father during the call, revealed she offered to step in as interim CEO after details of the investigation into the latter’s misconduct leaked via the press (and wasn’t forced), despite having taken a leave of absence just prior.

Source: TheSportster

Sasha Banks And Naomi Attend Marvel’s She-Hulk Premiere

Three months have passed since Sasha Banks and Naomi handed over the Tag Team Titles and walked out of WWE. For the bulk of that time, the former champions have remained silent and hidden from the public. That has all changed in the last two weeks. The pair met with fans at C2E2, and this week they attended the She-Hulk premiere.

Naomi and Banks were pictured on the She-Hulk red carpet, which was actually purple, donned in plenty of green clothing to mark the occasion. Neither is actually going to be in the show, which debuts on Disney+ today, as far as we know, but Banks obviously has a connection to Disney having played Koska Reeves in The Mandalorian.

That doesn’t mean they won’t be, of course, so keep your eyes peeled if you plan on watching the latest MCU show over the coming weeks. As for whether the two of them were open to talking about their potential WWE futures, no one appeared to ask them about it during the official event. There is footage of someone chasing the two of them down in an attempt to get a scoop, but neither Banks nor Naomi mentions what they have planned, if anything.

https://twitter.com/SashaBanksWWE/status/1559394614196314112

As for the rumor mill, it does seem to be a question of when rather than if Banks and Naomi are back in WWE at this point. There have been countless reports claiming the two of them have either re-signed, returned, or are on the cusp of doing one or the other. Aside from the fact that nothing official has been confirmed, it’s hard to know what’s going on for sure when it was never revealed if the two were kept under contract during their hiatus.

A lot has changed in WWE since they walked out, of course. John Laurinaitis, the man they apparently handed the titles to, has gone, presumably due to the accusations made against him. The same goes for Vince McMahon, someone the two likely had a problem with since he was the one booking their runs. Now Triple H is in charge of that sort of thing, it seems likely they would be more open to a return.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT ‘Heatwave’ Preview

WWE NXT 2.0 presents its special “Heatwave” episode tonight at 8/7C on USA Network.

  • Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Championship
  • Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark for the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
  • Giovanni Vinci vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship
  • Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo in a Street Fight

Fans And Wrestlers Have Voiced Resounding Approval Of Triple H’s WWE Booking, WWE Draft And WWE & Universal Title Plans

Ever since Triple H took charge of the creative direction of WWE programming, fans and wrestlers alike have voiced their resounding approval of The Game’s booking. The common consensus seems to be that both “Raw” and “SmackDown” no longer feature predictable segments, rematches and storylines going nowhere, and there’s a lot more focus on character development and in-ring action. The element of unpredictability has also seemingly returned, as evidenced by the shocking returns of Karrion Kross and Dexter Lumis and the bizarre backstage segments laced with easter eggs. Fans have also praised Triple H for allowing talents to cut promos that come across unscripted for the most part, specifically Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens’ passionate promo exchange on “WWE Raw” last night.  

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash has given his thumbs up to Triple H as well, praising his friend for “bringing it” again. 

“RAW produces again,” Nash wrote on Twitter Tuesday morning. “Drew/KO. Lashley/A.J and Theory/Ziggler P.P.V worthy matches. Little things where guys are holding onto the ropes on the apron keep the action going and intensity high. This HHH guy seems to have an incredible grasp on this WRESTLING GAME. Keep bringing it!”

The shake-up of the WWE product is expected to continue in the coming months, with the likes of Bray Wyatt, Sasha Banks and Naomi rumored to return imminently. Furthermore, Triple H plans to hold the next WWE Draft sometime in September or October, with the idea of reshuffling the rosters. According to Fightful Select, there is also chatter of Triple H repackaging the likes of Max Dupri (FKA LA Knight) and T-Bar (FKA Dominik Dijakovic) by giving them their old “NXT” gimmicks back.

Several reports have also suggested that Triple H plans to ensure both brands get a full-time World Champion instead of a part-time Roman Reigns, who unified the WWE & Universal Titles at WrestleMania 38 earlier this year. McIntyre alluded to this on last night’s show, vowing to ‘wrestle every week, on every show, and at every live event’ once he dethrones the Tribal Chief at the at Clash of the Castle on September 3. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 8/15/22

Tonight’s live episode of “WWE Raw” will emanate from the nation’s capital, Washington, DC, airing on USA Network at 8/7C.

Drew McIntyre Reportedly Pulled From WWE Live Events Due To Injury

2022 has been rather unkind to pro wrestlers, putting the best of the best on the shelf for extended periods due to injuries. And just when you thought the injury bug was preparing to recede, it has threatened to raise its ugly head (or in this case, its back) yet again. According to multiple reports, Drew McIntyre is working through a lower back injury, which is why he was pulled from WWE’s live events at Atlantic City, NJ, and Salisbury, MD, over the weekend.

The story was first broken by Jason Powell of ProWrestling.net, who reported that McIntyre is currently dealing with “a lower back issue causing him soreness.” Subsequently, news outlets such as PWInsider and Fightful Select would confirm the report. Fortunately, all the reports noted that McIntyre isn’t expected to undergo surgery, his advertised match against Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle is still on the table, and the decision to pull him from the live events is considered a precautionary move.

However, fans on social media are speculating whether the injury could alter WWE’s creative plans going into the match in Cardiff, Wales. Although Reigns is still the odds-on favorite to retain his unified world title, there’s been talk that McIntyre could be the man to dethrone the Tribal Chief in front of 70,000+ fans in his home nation of the United Kingdom. If that had indeed been the plan, WWE’s top brass could be forced to call an audible and keep the belts on Reigns, especially if they believe McIntyre’s injury would require surgery at some point in the future.

McIntyre is still expected to work the next two episodes of “WWE SmackDown” in the lead-up to Clash at the Castle on September 3.This past Friday, he called out the returning Karrion Kross for blindsiding him with a vicious attack the previous week, promising to send Kross “back to the dungeon he crawled out of.” Scarlett then walked down to the ring, distracting McIntyre enough to be jumped by The Usos. The segment led to a McIntyre/Usos handicap match, which was later changed to a tag team bout also including Madcap Moss, with McIntyre and Moss getting the win.

Source: Wrestling Inc.