NXT, tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Will The HBIC get The Queen of Spades to put some respect on her name?
* More teams to be announced for 2019 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic
* What’s next for Johnny Gargano?
* Taynara Conti & Xia Li take on Vanessa Borne & Aliyah
* “Limitless” Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic prepare for head-on collision
WWE NXT UK, today at 3 ET / 8 GMT on WWE Network.
* NXT UK Tag Team Championship: (C) Zack Gibson & James Drake vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
* Tyler Bate locks horns with WWE 205 Live’s Gentleman Jack Gallagher
* Walter vs. Kassius Ohno
Several new signings have been announced for the WWE NXT UK brand – Jazzy Gabert, Kay Lee Ray, Ilja Rukober, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose.
Fan favorite Ilja Dragunov made his NXT UK debut at the weekend TV tapings in Coventry, England. He defeated Ashton Smith in a dark match. Ray, a former Mae Young Classic competitor, also worked the tapings in a match against Isla Dawn. Gabert, another fan favorite known as The Alpha Female, has been trying to get signed with WWE since the 2017 Mae Young Classic. She and Ray appeared back at the NXT UK “Takeover: Blackpool” event back in January, adding to the speculation on their signings. Melrose, known as Primate, teamed with Wild Boar at the weekend TV tapings to face Sam Stoker and Lewis Howley.
Below is WWE’s full announcement on the new signings:
NXT UK signs five new SuperstarsFive new Superstars from throughout Europe — Ilja Rukober, Kay Lee Ray, Jazzy Gabert, Oliver Sauter and Jay Melrose — have joined the NXT UK roster. The group will join other NXT UK Superstars in training at WWE’s United Kingdom Performance Center in North London.
The 25-year-old Rukober, who has competed around the world under the ring name Ilja Dragunov, was born in Russia and raised in Germany, where his career in sports-entertainment took root. Often described as “Unbesiegbar” (the German word for “invincible”), Rukober is feared for his unbridled intensity inside the ring. He turned heads at a WWE tryout in Cologne last November.
Ray and Gabert, both of whom competed in the inaugural Mae Young Classic in 2017, were introduced as incoming NXT UK competitors while they were sitting ringside at TakeOver: Blackpool in January.
Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, the 5-foot-8 Ray has racked up numerous championship reigns over her 10-year career, including three stints as Insane Championship Wrestling’s women’s titleholder. Known for throwing caution to the wind, the Scottish daredevil recently appeared on NXT UK on WWE Network and promised to “go straight to the top” of the Women’s division.
Gabert made an unforgettable impression during her Mae Young Classic appearance in 2017, leaving onlookers in awe of her incredible power. Widely regarded as one of the strongest women in sports-entertainment, the burly Berliner stands 6-foot-1 and has won wrestling titles in Germany, Japan and Switzerland.
Sauter comes to NXT UK from Dietikon, Switzerland. The 24-year-old was a soccer standout before training for the ring. Fast-moving and hard-hitting, Sauter wrestled throughout Europe under the professional alias of Oliver Carter. Like Rukober, he attended last year’s tryout in Cologne.
NXT UK fans, meanwhile, have already grown familiar with “Primate” Jay Melrose, the ape-mask-wearing Superstar who debuted on the brand in December. Hailing from Newcastle, England, the 220-pound Melrose served in the British army for six years, including as a member of the British Household Cavalry, which provides direct protection for the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace.
Keep your eyes peeled for the newest signees when NXT UK streams every Wednesday at 3 ET/8 GMT on the award-winning WWE Network.
Last night on SmackDown Live, Kevin Owens returned to the ring for the first time since undergoing double knee surgery last October. His best friend, Sami Zayn, is ready to return to action as well, according to Dave Meltzer on the latest Wrestling Observer Radio.
Zayn has been recovering since undergoing double shoulder and rotator cuff surgery back in June. It appears that Zayn is now just waiting for WWE to work on a way to bring him back.
It is unknown if Zayn will return as a face and work with Owens, or continue working as a heel. It is also not known what brand he will be appearing on.
Throughout the time of the injury, Zayn was not rushing to get back into the ring. This past December, Zayn appeared on the Talk is Jericho podcast and stated why he’s not itching to return as soon as he can.
“Maybe I’m overstating my lack of desire to return,” Zayn prefaced. “I do miss performing, but like [Jericho] said, I’ve been doing this a super long time. We’re on the road a lot. [Jericho] know[s] how it is. I just know that when I’ll be back, I’ll probably enjoy it. But I’m not sitting there itching and clawing [to return]. And I don’t know that my employer will want to hear that, like, ‘does this guy not care?’ But, no, I’m not even close [to being cleared to return]. I need a couple more months!”
The former NXT and PWG Champion has been rehabbing inside the Performance Center down in Florida. WWE aired the promo below for his return last December, however have not run any other promos hyping his return since.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
As noted, Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy reunited as The Hardy Boyz on this week’s WWE SmackDown, their first time teaming up since mid-2018. They defeated The Bar.
Word from within WWE is that the company invoked a clause in their contracts that will see the deals roll over for one more year. The brothers signed a two-year deal back in 2017 for the WrestleMania 33 returns and those deals included a third year option. WWE picked those options up and they reportedly include a significant pay raise for the third year.
Below is video of The Hardys talking to the WWE camera after defeating Sheamus and Cesaro on SmackDown. Matt said the experience was exhilarating.
“I mean, I can say on my end it was absolutely exhilarating,” Matt said when asked about the return. “Any time when we get back together, obviously the first thing I think about is us first chasing our dreams, us first appearing for WWE, and then I think about us returning for WrestleMania 33. And I’m sure Jeff has some major feelings going on as well.
Jeff added, “Oh yeah, to be in North Carolina, Charlotte. We used to come here and watch WWE back in the day as kids. And now to reunite once again, a year later since we’ve teamed. It’s always a powerful thing when we can reconnect and still wow the people.”
The Hardys were last on the RAW brand together but they split up during the 2018 Superstar Shake-up when Jeff was sent to SmackDown. They will be on SmackDown for this run. The WWE cameraman asked them what kind of message they would send to current SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos and that’s when Matt indicated that his “Woken Hardy” gimmick will be put to the side for the time being, at least for the most part.
“I think we sent a very specific, special message today,” Matt said. “And basically that is this – myself, Matt Hardy and The Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy, we are the greatest tag team in all of time and space, and we are back together to prove that, without a shadow of a doubt. Myself, I know the last time people saw me I was ‘Woken Matt Hardy’ and well I have learned how to control the Woken Wonder that’s inside of me, the Broken Brilliance inside of me. And together, everyone’s going to learn that myself and my Brother Nero, Jeff Hardy, we’re unstoppable, we’re indestructible, we’re unkillable. The greatest tag team of all time and space!”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Matt Hardy returned to action tonight on SmackDown Live teaming with his brother Jeff. The Hardy Boyz defeated The Bar.
As you may recall, Matt recently revealed that he days left on his contract.
Word going around backstage is that WWE invoked a clause in Matt Hardy’s contract and Jeff Hardy’s contract that will see the deals roll over for a third year, according to PWInsider. The contracts were set to expire next week if WWE decided against rolling them over.
The Hardys returned to WWE at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 and signed two-year deals that included a third-year option. We noted back in January that it was believed WWE would pick up that option, which includes a significant pay raise for the third year.
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1100566897450311680
Tonight on SmackDown Live, just as Kofi Kingston was about to sign WWE Championship match contract, Vince McMahon came out and announced that he was replacing Kofi with Kevin Owens to face WWE Champion Daniel Bryan at WWE Fastlane.
Later in a match Owens suggested to Stephanie and Shane McMahon, Kofi and Owens defeated Bryan and Rowan.
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina as the road to WrestleMania 35 continues.
* “The New” Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston to sign contract for their WWE Title Match at WWE Fastlane tonight
* Can Johnny Gargano keep the momentum going against Cesaro?
* Aleister Black & Ricochet look to rise up on Nakamura & Rusev
* Will Asuka recover from her loss to Mandy Rose?
Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
After WWE Cruiserweight Champion Buddy Murphy defeated Akira Tozawa in a thrilling title bout during the WWE Elimination Chamber Kickoff, WWE 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick announced a tournament to determine Murphy’s next challenger.
* Kalisto vs. Tony Nese
* Drew Gulak vs. The Brian Kendrick.
In addition to appearing on Monday night’s episode of WWE RAW at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, Roman Reigns flew to New York City to appear on ABC’s “Good Morning America” talk show on Tuesday morning.
Reigns spoke with Robin Roberts for a sit-down interview to talk about how his leukemia is in remission, and that he intends on using his reach as a WWE Superstar to help others who have, or are suffering with a similar condition.
“We’re not just gonna talk about it.” Reigns said on the show. He also noted that he and WWE are in the process of creating funds and foundations to help make a difference.
Additionally, Reigns spoke about appearing alongside his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, in the new “Fast & Furious” spin-off movie, “Hobbs & Shaw.” The host of the show read The Rock’s recent Instagram post praising Reigns for his ability to stay strong while dealing with such a great challenge.
Check out Roman Reigns’ appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Tuesday morning below.
Source: EWrestling.com
