Category: WWE

WWE Officials Upset With How The WWE UK Title Was Disrespected At A Recent OTT Indie Event

WWE officials are reportedly not happy over how the WWE UK Title was used at a recent indie event in Ireland, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Indie wrestler David Starr, who has spoken out against WWE several times in the past, faced WWE UK Champion WALTER in the main event of Over The Top Wrestling’s WrestleRama 3 event in Dublin, Ireland from the National Basketball Arena, back on June 23. They did an angle during the match that saw Starr grab the title, shout at WALTER for selling out, and then disrespect the title by stomping on it. Fans in the arena popped for the spot and WALTER would go on to win the match.

It was originally believed that WWE approved the angle with the title belt, but that’s not the case. WWE did not give the OK for the belt to be stomped on, and very few knew about it ahead of time. The Observer reports that WALTER and Starr made the call to shock people live, knowing it would get over in a big way. The reaction from within WWE was not positive as many wrestlers thought it was disrespectful and the higher-ups weren’t happy either.

There’s no word yet on if the heat will lead to any kind of punishment for WALTER, or if it would stop WWE from allowing talents to work future OTT events.

Pete Dunne ended up knocking Starr on Twitter, which you can see below. You can see also see fan footage of the spot below:

https://twitter.com/PeteDunneYxB/status/1143128317975027712

https://twitter.com/irishslamdan/status/1142923351347912704

https://twitter.com/irishslamdan/status/1143120778638123008

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Wrestling Legend Perro Aguayo Passes Away At 73-Years-Old

Lucha legend Perro Aguayo has passed away at the age of 73-years-old.

Perros del Mal announced Pedro Aguayo’s passing Wednesday evening via Facebook.

AAA confirmed the unfortunate news not long after and Lucha Libre CMLL commented on the wrestling legend’s death, calling him “one of the greatest figures of this sport.”

Aguayo is one of the biggest non-masked draws in the history of Mexican wrestling. Perro also helped establish AAA in the ’90s. His feud with Dos Caras and Konnan was a major box office draw.

American wrestling fans might be more familiar with Aguayo for the appearance he made in the 1997 Royal Rumble. He appeared in the match alongside other famous luchadors.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

 

You may recall that Aguayo’s son Perro Aguayo Jr. (El Hijo del Perro Aguayo) died after a mishap in a match with Rey Mysterio at a show in Tijuana, Mexico in March of 2015.

WWE Reportedly Worried About Losing Teenage Fans To AEW, Backstage News On Ricochet’s Push

WWE officials have been very aware that they have lost touch with a key demographic – teenagers, according to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio.

There’s reportedly been concern that the company will completely lose their teenage viewers when AEW TV starts on TNT in the fall.

WWE’s recent attempts at an edgier product will work with keeping teenage fans and making new ones in that demographic. There was a feeling that they had to take this new edgier direction to help with the demo, and for other obvious reasons.

Regarding Superstars that could connect with teenagers, Meltzer noted that there aren’t many younger top talents on the main roster, but we could see some called up soon.

The new push for WWE United States Champion Ricochet is likely being done, at least in part, to help with the teenage demographic. New RAW Executive Director Paul Heyman is said to be very high on Ricochet. Meltzer noted that Ricochet is a talent that can likely appeal to teenagers and that is a new goal for the company – to make sure teenagers don’t go to AEW before their weekly TV show starts later this year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 7/3/19

NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.

* Tyler Breeze takes on Roderick Strong

* The NXT Breakout Tournament rolls on: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Cameron Grimes

* Aliyah vs. Mia Yim

* Kushida in action

* Bianca Belair in action

WWE NXT UK Preview 7/3/19

NXT UK, streaming today at 3 ET/8 GMT on WWE Network

NXT UK Tag Team Championship Match today at 3 ET/8 GMT

In a highly-anticipated rematch, The Grizzled Young Veterans will once again go to war against Moustache Mountain for the NXT UK Tag Team Championships. Last January at NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool, Zack Gibson & James Drake stunned the NXT UK Universe when they overcame Tyler Bate & Trent Seven in the tournament finals to crown the first-ever titleholders. Now the “Big Strong Bois” will finally get their opportunity to take the illustrious titles that they have been aiming to capture since the inception of NXT UK.

Plus, Piper Niven will finally go one-on-one against Rhea Ripley and so much more.

Wrestling Legend Jacques Rougeau Sr. Passes Away At 89

Canadian wrestling veteran Jacques Rougeau Sr. passed away on July 1st at the age of 89. He is succeeded by his sons Raymond, Jacques, and Armand. Leading up to his death, Rougeau had been suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

Rougeau’s family had issued a statement for the public on his passing. After being translated from French, the Rougeau statement reads:

“It is with sadness and sorrow that we announced the death of Mr. Jacques Rougeau yesterday, July 1st, 2019, at the age of 89 years. He has struggled for some time with pulmonary fibrosis, but he has gone quietly, we loved him so much.

“This love is also shared with the public. In the company of his brother Jean, it is sunny in the four corners of Quebec, especially in the 60s and 70s.

“While the Quebec landscape was suspended several years and it was important to share it with those who follow, that we love, that we love in his public career. There is a name that resonates so much in this environment and these three sons, Raymond, Jacques and Armand, one of his daughters, Joanne, whom three of his grandchildren walked, he passed, every day, the middle of the fight at one time or another.

“But he was a popular wrestler, he was a husband, a father, a grandfather and a great-grandfather just as much loved and esteemed. He was the quiet strength of our family and his departure is and will be very painful.

“Friends of the media and wrestlers, we thank you for the love you gave him, that you were assured that this feeling was shared.”

Jacques Rougeau Sr. began his wrestling career in 1955. His wrestling journey moved onward after his brother Johnny Rougeau began operating Montreal based wrestling promotion All-Star Wrestling. Rougeau continued his wrestling career in NWF Buffalo and New Japan Pro Wrestling. Rougeau’s son, Jacques Rogeau Jr. won the WWE Intercontinental Championship and Tag Team Championship as part of The Quebecers. Rougeau’s daughter Joanne also worked for the WWF as local promoter in the Quebec region.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Luke Gallows And Karl Anderson Re-Signing With WWE?

The belief within WWE is that Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson have agreed to terms on new WWE contracts, according to PWInsider, but those new deals may not have been signed yet.

Gallows and Anderson reuniting The Club with AJ Styles is seen as a good sign that the former RAW Tag Team Champions will be staying with WWE. There had been strong speculation on Gallows and Anderson leaving WWE when their current contracts expire this fall. They had reportedly turned down lucrative five-year deals and were unhappy with how they had been used in the WWE storylines.

Gallows, Anderson and Styles have tweeted on The Club and Monday night’s RAW that saw Styles turn heel turn on WWE United States Champion Ricochet. You can see their comments below:

https://twitter.com/KarlAndersonWWE/status/1145931306083246080

https://twitter.com/LukeGallowsWWE/status/1145949567487287297

https://twitter.com/AJStylesOrg/status/1145900022208311299

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 7/2/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live takes place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas as the road to Extreme Rules continues.

* Can Kofi Kingston bounce back from Six-Man Tag Team loss to Samoa Joe?

* Is Bayley ready for Alexa Bliss?

* Will The New Day continue to chase after Bryan & Rowan’s titles?

* Will Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville continue to torment Ember Moon?

WWE 205 Live Preview 7/2/19

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live takes place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Can The Singh Brothers stop The Lucha House Party?

Since their return to WWE 205 Live, Samir and Sunil Singh have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry with The Lucha House Party. The Singh Brothers lost their return match to Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik, but they quickly rebounded with a string of victories, including one against The Lucha House Party two weeks ago that also saw the demise of the Lucha trio’s beloved piñata, Penelope. With several impressive wins – and not to mention a Boscar Award win – The Singhs hope to solidify their status as WWE 205 Live’s premier tag team.

The Lucha House Party certainly won’t go down without a fight, and they’ll have the advantage when they compete in their signature contest – a Tornado Tag Team Match – against Samir and Sunil. Can The Singh Brothers continue to build on their recent success, or will The Lucha House Party’s specialty be too much for them to overcome?

Backstage Notes On Paul Heyman Influence On This Week’s RAW, Was Corey Graves’ Line Scripted?, Eric Bischoff SmackDown Note

Paul Heyman reportedly had “his fingerprints” all over last night’s WWE RAW episode, with most of the material going through him, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. However, Vince McMahon and red brand head writer Ed Koskey were the main ones discussing the show at the big production meeting for this week’s RAW, not Heyman.

Last night’s RAW was not 100% Heyman’s show, but it was a “very heavy Paul Heyman” episode, essentially his first as the new Executive Director of the red brand.

It was speculated that Corey Graves’ “Holy s–t!” line after the stage explosion with Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley may have been scripted. Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the line was scripted. We had noted earlier how WWE didn’t use the 7+ second delay to bleep the word. There was reportedly a feeling that they did the line to add to the recent efforts to make RAW seem more edgier.

Fans online seem to be under the impression that Heyman ran last night’s RAW as it came off as a better episode compared to what we’ve seen in recent weeks. There was a light “thank you Heyman!” chant in the American Airlines Center following the stage explosion angle with Strowman and Lashley last night. Regarding that explosion angle, WWE used the overhead shot backstage because they wanted to make it look like it wasn’t a part of the planned show.

Heyman did appear on RAW as Brock Lesnar’s advocate, in a backstage segment to get WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The Street Profits over, but there are still no plans for him to be an authority figure on TV. Heyman has been very adamant about not working an authority figure role on WWE TV, with the feeling that the role has been played out for years. One of the changes Heyman reportedly wants to make is doing away with the authority figures.

New SmackDown Executive Director Eric Bischoff is expected to be at tonight’s blue brand show from San Antonio. Bischoff’s “fingerprints” may end up being on tonight’s SmackDown, but word is that his first official episode will be the post-Extreme Rules show on July 16.

Source: Wrestling Inc.