Category: WWE

Goldberg To Appear On SmackDown This Friday

Looks like Goldberg will be stepping into the ring again soon, as WWE is promoting an appearance from the Hall of Famer on WWE Friday Night SmackDown this week.

During RAW last night, a commercial aired teasing that Goldberg will announce “who’s next” on Friday Night SmackDown.

The 53-year-old last wrestled at SummerSlam in a squash match against Dolph Ziggler. Prior to that, he faced-off against Undertaker at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia.

With the next Super Showdown taking place this month, it would seem to be a safe bet to assume Goldberg will be appearing at the event.

Rhea Ripley Challenges Charlotte Flair To NXT Title Match At WrestleMania

The rumored match between Rhea Ripley and Charlotte Flair for the NXT title at WrestleMania 36 seems to be happening, as seen last night on WWE RAW.

Charlotte was teased as choosing her WrestleMania opponent throughout the show. While announcing her decision, Flair was interrupted by Rhea Ripley.

Ripley reiterated how Flair has already beaten Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley, but not her.

Rhea then challenged Flair to a match at WM36. Charlotte did not immediately accept, however, and instead walked to the back.  When she got to the top of the ramp, Flair looked back at Rhea to “Woo!”

It was later announced on the show that Charlotte will appear Wednesday on NXT to answer Ripley’s challenge.

Former NXT Cruiserweight Champion Angel Garza Debuts On RAW (VIDEO)

Angel Garza, who recently lost the NXT Cruiserweight Championship, made his debut on WWE RAW last night alongside Zelina Vega.

The segment began with Humberto Carrillo in the ring as his feud with Andrade was recapped. Commentary noted Andrade would be out indefinitely due to the events of last week on RAW, which was done to cover for his absence due to a suspension.

Zelina Vega then made her entrance accompanied by Garza and explained how he was not only one of the hottest latino prospects in WWE, but also Carrillo’s cousin.

After a back and forth promo, Angel attacked Humberto and it led to Rey Mysterio making the save. Mysterio and Garza then had a match which ended with Garza hitting a Hammerlock DDT on the exposed concrete, causing a DQ finish.

As you’ll recall, Garza lost the NXT Cruiserweight title to Jordan Devlin at Worlds Collide.

Ruby Riott Returns From Injury, Attacks Liv Morgan

After months away from the ring, Ruby Riott is back! Unfortunately for Liv Morgan, the Riott Squad reunion was short-lived.

Last night on WWE RAW after Liv defeated Lana in a singles match. Ruby made her way to the ring afterward and an excited Morgan welcomed her friend into the ring. Before they could embrace, however, Liv’s former tag partner beat her down in the ring.

Ruby last wrestled in May of 2019 at a live event. That same month it was announced she was undergoing surgery to repair both of her shoulders.

The 29-year-old wrestler had reportedly been seen at the WWE Performance Center in recent months in possible preparation for a return to the ring.

WWE RAW Preview 2/3/20

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah as the Road to WrestleMania 36 continues.

WWE has not announced an official preview for tonight.

Will they announce any matches for Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia?

Ho will they follow-up on Randy Orton taking out WWE Hall of Famer Edge last week.

WWE has not announced Edge or any other stars for tonight’s RAW, but advertised on the website is RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, AOP, Samoa Joe, The Viking Raiders, and RAW Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy. The arena also has Orton, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, and RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins advertised for tonight.

WWE Co-Presidents George Barrios And Michelle Wilson Departing Company

Nearly two years after they were promoted to Co-Presidents of WWE, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson are leaving the company.

The full announcement from WWE states:

WWE® Announces Management Transition
01/30/2020

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson will depart the company, effective immediately, and will no longer serve on its Board of Directors.

Frank A. Riddick III, who has served as a member of WWE’s Board of Directors for more than 11 years, has been named interim Chief Financial Officer, reporting to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. WWE has commenced a search for both a permanent Chief Financial Officer and Chief Revenue Officer.

WWE remains well positioned to continue its growth and operate effectively against its strategic priorities, including content creation and distribution, digitization, and localization in key markets around the world. The Company expects its full year 2019 Adjusted OIBDA to be approximately $180 million.

“I would like to thank George and Michelle for their 10+ years of service and contributions to the organization,” said McMahon. “I am grateful for all that was accomplished during their tenure, but the Board and I decided a change was necessary as we have different views on how best to achieve our strategic priorities moving forward.

“We have a deep team of talented, experienced and committed executives across the organization, and the Board and I have great confidence in our collective abilities to create compelling content, engage our global fanbase across platforms, increase revenues, and drive shareholder value.”

Riddick previously served as CEO for FloWorks International, LLC, JMC Steel Group, Formica Corporation, and Triangle Pacific Corp., and President/COO of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. He has also served in executive management positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Treasurer, and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions during a career that spans 40 years. Riddick also served as Compensation Committee Chairman and member of the Audit Committee as a part of WWE’s Board of Directors.

Barrios and Wilson were promoted to their positions in February of 2018. At the time, it was said this was done “in recognition of their contributions to four years of record revenues and the successful transformation to a multi-platform business model.”

 

There has been a lot of speculation and some conspiracy theories about why Barrios and Wilson are gone, but word is that the main reason they’re out is that they and Vince had completely different visions as to how WWE could generate revenue, new and existing revenue, moving forward.

The timing of the announcement was very interesting as WWE is scheduled to report their fourth quarter and full 2019 earnings report next Thursday. PWInsider notes that this makes it clear that Vince isn’t happy with how things were going for the company, and he felt like it was time for a change. There’s a very small circle of people who know exactly what went down and it’s likely that the full situation and how it did go down won’t be known for a long time, due to corporate non-disclosures and severance packages. It’s believed that both Wilson and Barrios will receive a seven-figure severance package.

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Inc.

wwe george barrios michelle wilson departing company

Luke Harper (Brodie Lee) Reportedly Making His AEW Debut Soon

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Brodie Lee, f.k.a. Luke Harper, is reportedly expected to make his AEW debut soon.

The 40 year old Lee is expected to sign a new AEW contract and then make his debut during their March 18 Dynamite episode from his hometown of Rochester, NY, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He will likely go back to using the Brodie Lee name in AEW.

The Observer noted that Lee, who is scheduled to appear at WrestleCon during WrestleMania 36 Weekend in early April, will be able to legally start with any other promotion before March 18, but the idea is that it’s best to debut him in Rochester as he’s guaranteed to receive a major reaction there. It was previously reported that Harper, Sin Cara and The Ascension would see their WWE non-compete clauses expire on Sunday, March 8.

Lee filed to trademark the “Brodie Lee” ring name back on November 26, shortly before he was granted his WWE release on December 8, along with Sin Cara and The Ascension.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/31/20

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the fallout from the WWE Royal Rumble.

  • Roman Reigns and King Corbin gather their troops for rematch on Super SmackDown
  • Braun Strowman gets Intercontinental Title opportunity against Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Shorty G takes on Sheamus in Royal Rumble rematch
  • Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party, The Miz & John Morrison & The Revival set for high-stakes battle

WWE NXT Preview 1/29/20

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida with the finals of the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

  • NXT Champion Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger to be named
  • Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne to battle Grizzled Young Veterans in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final
  • Former best friends Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to battle
  • What’s next for new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee?

The Bella Twins Reveal They Are Both Pregnant

Announced on People.com, Nikki and Brie Bella revealed they are both pregnant, and are each due only a week and a half apart.

Nikki got engaged to be married to her former Dancing With The Stars partner, Artem Chigvintsev, last November in France. This will be her first child.

For Brie, this will be her second child. She and her husband, Daniel Bryan, have a two-year old daughter, Birdie Joe Danielson.

“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time?” Brie said. “People are going to think that’s a joke. We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”

“[It was] a total surprise,” Nikki added. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.”

The sisters recalled when each of them realized they were expecting.

“My husband and I were trying for seven or eight months, but then I felt in my heart it was a sign from God, like, ‘You guys are good with one,’ so we stopped trying,” Brie stated. “When we were in France meeting Artem’s family, I felt a little off. I was irritated and uncomfortable in my body. When we got home, I took a test two days before Thanksgiving, and when I saw the positive sign, I was like, ‘Oh, s—!'”

“I was in yoga, and I kept getting this feeling that you need to take a pregnancy test, but I wasn’t even late yet,” Nikki said. “And so I’m like, ‘Why do I keep having this feeling? Am I getting twin vibes from her? Because she just told me she’s pregnant?’ I didn’t tell Artem at this point. I just want to do this by myself. When I came back in, and it said pregnant, I had to sit down for a second.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.