Category: WWE

Details On WWE Enduring An “Upswing In Interest” [Report]

A new report details several factors that suggest WWE is benefitting from an increase in fan interest.

Several factors suggest that things are looking up for WWE, at least as far as general fan interest is concerned.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestleTalk), Dave Meltzer used several examples which indicate that WWE is benefitting from a jump in interest. Meltzer cited the success of recent shows even though Roman Reigns (the company’ s top star right now) hasn’t been used as much lately.

“Whatever it is, there’s definitely an upswing in interest in the product, for whatever reason,” Meltzer stated.

According to Meltzer, ticket sales have been soaring, and merchandise sales were through the roof at Money in the Bank. He also cited the recent increase in television ratings for WWE. The drop in ratings have been well-documented over the years, so WWE has to be pleased with this trend even if it’s a short sample size.

“Also at the Vegas show on Saturday (Money in the Bank), they did monster merchandise numbers in Vegas,” Meltzer explained. “They had a hot crowd as well, but they did monster merchandise numbers. It was blowing people away. It was like double per head what they did last year at SummerSlam in the same market, which is incredible because when you have those big shows like SummerSlam or WrestleMania, the merchandise sales are way up from a usual show, and this was just a regular pay-per-view compared to a SummerSlam.”

WWE just finished running the Money in the Bank 2022 pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Nevada. Though the company has been heavily criticized for several recent business and booking decisions, Money in the Bank was largely praised by the wrestling world. Now it’s on to SummerSlam 2022 season, which will be headlined by Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in a Last Man Standing bout for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.

Meltzer noted before Money in the Bank, that the show had sold out, and that the “get-in price” on the secondary market was $84. So from a ticket sales standpoint, WWE made the right decision to relocate MITB from Allegiant Stadium (in Paradise, Nevada) to the smaller MGM Grand Garden Arena in Vegas.

Only time will tell if this is a temporary trend, or if merchandise/ticket sales and TV ratings will continue to increase for WWE. It’s a short sample size, sure, but Vince McMahon and officials won’t complain about the short-term improvement they’re seeing here. It’s now on the higher-ups and WWE creative to keep the product interesting and enticing for fans. That has been a challenge for a while now, but with so many different superstars to push, WWE has the chance to make this product far more enjoyable compared to previous years.

Source: TheSportster

Tony Khan Reportedly Open to an AEW and WWE Supershow

AEW’s Tony Khan said it was unlikely, but he’d be open to discussing the possibility of a cross-promotional show between his company and WWE.

According to the President of AEW himself, Tony Khan, he’s open to the idea of AEW and WWE working together to put on a supershow, much like he did with NJPW for Forbidden Door. While he admits the idea seems far-fetched, he’s not opposed to it and would be open to discussing with the higher-ups in WWE.

The comments stemmed from a conversation Khan had on the The Ringer’s “The Masked Man Show.” podcast where he was asked about AEW stars appearing on WWE programming recently for the 20-year celebration of John Cena. Khan said he was approached about it and said yes because it was for a good cause. When the follow-up question was about whether he would be open to a pay-per-view with WWE, he didn’t shy away from answering yes.

Khan said, “I’m not sure if that’s gonna happen (AEW and WWE doing a joint show). But, I would be open to talking about that type of thing. It’s not crazy but it’s a bold prediction.”

Like the scene from Dumb and Dumber where Llyod Christmas was told by the female lead that it’s a million-to-one odds she’d ever be interested in him, his response was, “so you’re saying there’s a chance”. AEW and WWE working together seem incredibly unlikely, but Khan is not ruling it out as something worth considering down the line. As for whether WWE would like to pursue it, that might depend on who is in charge. Being a publicly-traded company, every decision is about revenue and the shareholders. If there’s a good financial reason to do so, WWE might be open to it as well.

The question fans will immediately ask is, what matches would make the most sense? Bobby Lashley teased on Raw this week that no one could beat him for his United States Championship, including anyone from another promotion. He seems to be thinking about it already. From there, Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar, Randy Orton, Riddle, Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair would be names at the top of WWE’s list. For AEW, CM Punk, Hangman Page, Kenny Omega, Jade Cargill and Britt Baker would be among the more intriguing options.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT “The Great American Bash” Preview 7/5/2022

WWE presents a special The Great American Bash episode of “NXT” tonight, with four title matches on the card.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • NXT Championship Match: Cameron Grimes vs. Bron Breakker (c)
  • NXT North American Championship Match: Grayson Waller vs. Carmelo Hayes (c)
  • NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Cora Jade & Roxanne Perez vs. Gigi Dolin & Jacy Jayne (c)
  • NXT Tag Team Championship Match: Roderick Strong & Damon Kemp vs. The Creed Brothers (c)
  • Tiffany Stratton vs. Wendy Choo
  • Trick Williams vs. Wes Lee

WWE Money In The Bank Results 7/2/2022

WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK MATCH
Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi
Winner: Liv Morgan

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bobby Lashley defeated Theory (c) (**TITLE CHANGE**)

“RAW” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bianca Belair (c) defeated Carmella

Carmella attacks Belair after the bell. She pounds on Belair with some forearms and leaves the ring. Belair recovers to hold up her title in the ring as Carmella is backing up the entrance aisle.

UNDISPUTED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The Usos (c) defeated Street Profits

The replay seems to show that one of Ford’s shoulders was not down during the pin. They spot shadow Ford’s shoulder on another replay and commentary agrees Ford had his shoulder up. Ford and Dawkins are saying as much in the ring. The Usos are long gone at this point as they have headed backstage.

We get a mysterious, spooky hype video that includes some religious imagery. 

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1543413973416120321

“SMACKDOWN” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Ronda Rousey (c) defeated Natalya

Liv Morgan’s music plays and she runs down to the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase. The ring announcer announces that Morgan is cashing in on Rousey.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1543419044677705729
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1543420106935615488

“SMACKDOWN” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Liv Morgan defeated Ronda Rousey (c) (**TITLE CHANGE**)

The bell rings and Rousey grabs an ankle lock on Morgan. Morgan fights for the ropes but Rousey keeps pulling her back. Morgan slips out of the ankle lock. Morgan rolls up Rousey and gets the pin!

Rousey hands the title to Morgan and they hug. Rousey raises Morgan’s hand and leaves the ring to Morgan for her to celebrate.

Adam Peace walks out before the bell and announces that we’re adding an eighth participant to this match: Theory.

MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK MATCH
Drew McIntyre vs. Omos vs. Riddle vs. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus vs. Madcap Moss vs. Theory

Winner: Theory

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1543431910524964868

WWE Money In The Bank 7/2/2022

DATE: July 2, 2022 8:00 pm
LOCATION: MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
AVAILABLE ON:Peacock (U.S.), WWE Network (International)

CARD

“SMACKDOWN” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Natalya vs. Ronda Rousey (c)

“RAW” WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Carmella vs. Bianca Belair (c)

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Bobby Lashley vs. Theory (c)

UNDISPUTED WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
Street Profits vs. The Usos (c)

WOMEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK MATCH
Alexa Bliss vs. Asuka vs. Becky Lynch vs. Lacey Evans vs. Liv Morgan vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Shotzi

MEN’S MONEY IN THE BANK MATCH
Drew McIntyre vs. Omos vs. Riddle vs. Sami Zayn vs. Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus vs. Madcap Moss vs. Theory

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/1/2022

Tonight’s WWE “SmackDown” is the last stop before Saturday night’s Money in the Bank event. 

One of the spots in the men’s Money in the Bank ladder match has yet to be determined. Whoever it is will join Drew McIntyre, Omos, Riddle, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, and Sheamus in the match. Riddle is the latest man to earn a spot in the match. He won a “Money in the Bank Last Chance Battle Royal” on Monday’s “Raw”.

We may also see another attempt to debut Max Dupri’s Maximum Male Models stable on tonight’s “SmackDown”. The past few weeks have seen Dupri teasing the unveiling of his first client. However, multiple attempts have resulted in little more than a single spotlight shining over the ring and Dupri refusing to do the segment. Two weeks ago, he complained to Adam Pearce that the lighting was not up to his standards. Last week, Dupri complained that the bottled water and the temperature in his dressing room were not to his specifications.

NXT’s Io Shirai Will Become A Free Agent Next Month Unless She Signs A New Deal

Io Shirai appears to be on a similar path to Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano.

NXT has undergone quite the transformation over the course of the past 12 months. Many of those who were a part of the black and gold brand have been called up, released, or allowed their contracts to expire and moved on. A handful remain, most of whom don’t appear on NXT TV all that often. Io Shirai falls into that final category, but could be an ex-WWE Superstar before long.

That’s according to The Wrestling Observer which has revealed Shirai’s NXT deal expires in August, and she is yet to sign a new contract with the company. What’s more, reports suggest it seems unlikely Shirai will be signing a new contract and will instead return to Japan. Apparently, the former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion has been telling people close to her that she wants to be closer to her family once her time with WWE is done.

Shirai may well follow in the footsteps of Kairi Sane. However, where Sane worked the remainder of her WWE contract as an ambassador for the company in Japan, Shirai won’t have to do that since her deal will have come to an end, making her a free agent. She’ll be free to return to Stardom, or compete for whatever wrestling promotion she likes, whether it be inside or outside of Japan.

Shirai hasn’t been entirely absent from NXT since its revamp. She has actually featured quite prominently, most recently competing for the Women’s Title at Stand and Deliver over WrestleMania weekend. She has also held the Tag Titles with Zoey Stark since the 2.0 rebrand. Many fans would have hoped Shirai would get a run on the main roster, but unless she re-signs within the next month, that isn’t going to happen.

Shirai will be the latest in a run of NXT Superstars to reject a new deal should she let her contract expire and leave WWE next month. Johnny Gargano, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, and Candice LeRae have all opted to do the same thing. Cole and O’Reilly have since shown up in and signed with AEW, while Gargano and LeRae’s next moves are currently unknown as they welcomed their first baby together only a few months ago.

Source: TheSportster

Sasha Banks Released, But WWE Trying To Smooth Things Over With Her [Report]

A new report notes that Sasha Banks was released on June 10th, but WWE is trying to smooth things over and potentially get her back.

While conflicting reports seem to complicate the truth about whether Sasha Banks has actually been released by WWE, another report has surfaced on Tuesday that The Boss has been let go, but WWE simply hasn’t made the announcement official because they’re trying to smooth things over with the former multiple-time champion.

As per a report by Raj Giri of WrestlingInc. Banks has been released from her contract. He writes, “Here’s what I know about Sasha Banks. She was released on June 10th and it came from Erika Schreiber, VP of Business and Legal Affairs for Talent Relations.” Giri was the first to report that Banks had been officially released when others weren’t sure and the fact that he’s dropped the name of the person who released her is a big development. Giri said he would never name his source for this information, but this is still quite specific, suggesting someone has the details on what’s really going on. He adds, “As for why WWE has not said anything or removed her, the rumor is that leadership is trying to smooth things over.”

The second part is really interesting. Is WWE trying to smooth things over because they want her to return? Or, is WWE trying to smooth things over so that she doesn’t bad-mouth the company on the way out? Considering there is a lot of negative press surrounding WWE right now, the last thing they likely need is someone like Banks going public with her issues (assuming she has a gripe beyond just being frustrated creatively.)

https://twitter.com/TheRajGiri/status/1541917337753985025

Considering there are other reports WWE thinks they’ll be just fine without Banks, it’s interesting to hear that the company is trying to make things right. They may not be taking responsibility for whatever issue Banks has with the company, but it sounds like they are trying to get everyone on the same page and continue to do business. Whether that means they’re looking to get her back on the active roster or renegotiate her contract remains to be seen.

Source: TheSportster with credit to Raj Giri

WWE Raw Preview 6/27/22, John Cena 20-year Anniversary Celebration

Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW will take place from Laredo, Texas – airing live tonight on USA Network at 8/7C.

John Cena will be back to celebrate the anniversary of his WWE debut. Cena’s first appearance on “SmackDown” was broadcast 20 years ago today.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1541421088072138753

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/24/22

Tonight on WWE SmackDown at 8/7 C on FOX.

Ricochet looks to take back the Intercontinental Title in rematch with Gunther

During last Friday’s “SmackDown”, WWE announced a pair of Money in the Bank qualifying matches for tonight’s episode: Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura and Aliyah vs. Shotzi.

As of Friday morning, WWE has not mentioned if Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar will appear on tonight’s “SmackDown”.