John Oliver Verbally Batters WWE Over Saudi Arabia Deal

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Last Week Tonight’s John Oliver isn’t someone to mince words, and after the incident involving the alleged kidnapping and murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brought to light last week, the Crown Prince and the Saudi Government have found themselves in the eye of the storm. CNN also reported that most of the news outlets that agreed to cover a high-profile business conference in Saudi Arabia have pulled out following the revelation, and John Oliver, in the most recent episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight put WWE on blast for their hesitancy in doing the same.

As earlier reported, WWE released a statement to the media that they were monitoring the situation in Saudi Arabia before making a decision about WWE Crown Jewel, but reports have since emerged that the company has decided to go ahead with their original plans.

John Oliver, while discussing the Crown Prince’s PR push to attract businesses and change the world’s perception of Saudi Arabia, mentioned the working relationship between Saudi Arabia and the WWE.

“They held their first of many events there back in April”, Oliver stated before continuing, “And audiences around the world were treated to wall-to-wall propaganda about the new Saudi Arabia, including a video showing women happily driving, men dancing, and tourist destination beauty shots, as well as constant excited announcements throughout the broadcast.

“It seems that WWE is as overtly pro-Saudi Arabia as it is lately homoerotic, which is to say intensely.”

You can find the portion of the episode where John Oliver talks about WWE below:

You can see the whole video by clicking here. Video contains foul language.

Source: WrestlingINC

U.S. Senators Raise Concerns Over WWE Crown Jewel

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Four U.S. senators are speaking out in a new article about WWE‘s involvement with the Saudi Arabian government, with one suggesting the President’s administration get involved before Crown Jewel.

William Steakin from the Independent Journal Review spoke with members of Congress on Thursday to get their opinions on the upcoming event in Saudi Arabia.

For those unaware, Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was reportedly assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week. The team of people who allegedly murdered him reportedly dismembered his body with a bonesaw at the order of the highest levels of the Royal Court.

According to CNN, Turkish authorities have audio and visual evidence which proves this.

Senator Chris Murphy from Connecticut told IRJ, “I’d hope that they [WWE] would be rethinking their relationship with the kingdom especially with respect to events coming up in the next weeks…”

“Private enterprise is private enterprise, different than a governmental entity,” Senator Bob Menendez from New Jersey told the Independent Review Journal. “But because [Linda McMahon] is part of the president’s cabinet, it falls into the grey area where the administration really should give it some thought and maybe even prevail upon them not doing it.”

As we previously reported, Crown Jewel is the second event following a lucrative long-term deal between WWE and the Saudi General Sports Authority. During the first event, Greatest Royal Rumble, a propaganda-like advertisement aired praising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Senator Chris Coons from Delaware told IRJ that WWE should be “taking a hard look” at this partnership and controversial Senator Lindsey Graham said “there should be a pause.”

WWE released a statement on Thursday which states they are “monitoring” the situation.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Bray Wyatt Returns On-Line With Demonic Tweets, Teases 2 Mysterious Characters

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Former WWE Champion Bray Wyatt has returned to Twitter with the following bizarre messages:

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/1051603056440283137

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/1051605273725595648

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/1051606074539814912

https://twitter.com/WWEBrayWyatt/status/1051606614912962561

Wyatt has not posted on Twitter in over a month. In his last tweet on September 6th he noted, “I’m going away now. To find myself. But when I am back, I want you all to remember things like this, that make me do the things I do.” Before that tweet Wyatt had been teasing something “new” that would include his “thoughts unfiltered”.

It’s possible that these tweets could be the beginning of a new story that reintroduces Wyatt to WWE TV. Before vanishing on-line Wyatt had been one half of the WWE RAW Tag Team Champions The Deleters of Worlds, with Matt Hardy. Hardy has been forced to exit the ring due to back and pelvis issues leaving Wyatt on his own again.

The tweets definitely tease, possibly, two new characters: whoever is being exorcized and the mysterious Dr. M. Whether these characters are new or variations of existing Superstars is yet to be seen.

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE Signs Former ROH TV Champion Punishment Martinez?

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Former Ring of Honor TV Champion Punishment Martinez has officially signed with WWE and reported to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, according to PWInsider. No word yet on when he will make his WWE NXT debut. Martinez recently dropped the ROH TV Title after turning down a new deal. Martinez let his ROH contract expire in August so he could sign with WWE.

Source: WrestlingINC

WWE ‘Monitoring’ Saudi Government’s Reported Involvement In Death Of Journalist

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WWE says they’re “monitoring the situation” involving the death of a journalist reportedly at the order of Saudi Arabia’s royal court.

A rep for WWE released a statement to the media saying, “We are currently monitoring the situation.”

For those unaware, the New York Times reported this week that officials believe Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week by a team who dismembered his body with a bonesaw.

Companies with ties to the Saudi government have since come under heavy scrutiny. On Wednesday, the New York Times pulled out as a media sponsor from an investor event later this month in Riyadh. Richard Branson also suspended business talks with the Saudi Arabian government in regards to a reported $1 billion investment in Virgin’s space companies.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage News On Why WWE Turned Bobby Lashley Heel, Vince McMahon Feeds Lines To Lio Rush

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Regarding the angle on Monday’s WWE RAW with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, the idea for them was a heel turn.

WWE officials had just decided on the heel turn earlier that day, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There was a long discussion over whether Lashley would be better off as a heel or a babyface right now, especially with the roster losing another top heel in Kevin Owens, who is out of action with a knee injury. Owens is expected to be out of action for around 4 months if he needs just a minor operation but it could be 8 months if the surgery is major.

The decision was made at RAW to turn Lashley, with the idea that if he’s better off as a heel and if the roster needs heels, they should do the turn right away. The turn made even more sense as they needed Lashley to injure Owens to write him off TV anyway.

It’s interesting to note that Rush was plugged-in to the back with an ear piece on Monday night. Vince McMahon was in Rush’s ear and was personally feeding him lines to deliver during the match.

Source: WrestlingINC

Kevin Owens Update: How Long Will He Be Out?

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Kevin Owens is expected to be out of action for four to eight months with his upcoming knee surgery, according to Dave Meltzer in The Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WWE shot an angle on Monday’s RAW with Bobby Lashley turning heel and injuring both of Owens’ knees to write him off of TV. While there was a report from POST Wrestling that the hope is that the knee surgery will be a minor procedure, Meltzer noted that the full damage won’t be known until his knee is opened up. While it’s hopeful that Owens will just need his knee to be cleaned out, it is possible that he will need major surgery.

Owens has been working with the bad knee for a while. Since debuting in 2014, Owens has not had to take any substantial time off due to injuries.

If Owens needs major surgery, he is expected to be out for eight months, while the timetable is four months if the procedure is minor.

Source: WrestlingINC

Mike And Maria Kanellis Debut On WWE 205 Live (Video)

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Mike Kanellis and Maria Kanellis made a surprise appearance on last night’s WWE 205 Live episode. Mike attacked Lince Dorado during Lince’s match with Lio Rush, which began after Rush issued an Open Challenge.

NXT UK Shows Set To Start Streaming Next Wednesday On WWE Network

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WWE announced that NXT UK will begin streaming on the WWE Network next Wednesday Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. BT/3 p.m. ET.

LONDON, England and STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE today announced that NXT UK, a new weekly episodic series featuring the greatest male and female competitors from the U.K., will stream on WWE Network on Wednesdays, beginning Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. BT/3 p.m. ET.

The one-hour episodes will feature the biggest names from NXT UK, including Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Wolfgang. Joining the NXT UK broadcasting team as backstage interviewer is British broadcasting personality Radzi Chinyanganya, best known for hosting ITV game show “Cannonball,” and in his ongoing role as a presenter of the world’s longest-running children’s TV show, the BBC’s “Blue Peter.” Calling the action are commentators Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph, joined by ring announcer Andy Shepherd and NXT UK General Manager, the legendary Johnny Saint.

“NXT UK is the next step in our global localization strategy, and we are proud to do this in a place where WWE has had a special relationship for more than 30 years,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative.

WWE Network is the home of NXT UK plus all WWE live pay-per-view events — including WrestleMania — for $9.99 per month. WWE Network also includes groundbreaking original programming, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches and more than 10,000 hours of video on demand.

Upcoming live events for NXT UK take place in Plymouth and Liverpool on the following dates:

  • Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14, at Plymouth Pavilions
  • Saturday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 25, at Liverpool Olympia

Tickets for these events are available via www.livenation.co.uk. Further information is available at www.wwe.com/events.

 

WWE 205 Live, NXT And Mae Young Classic Preview 10/10/18

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Below are previews for 205 live, NXT and the Mae Young Classic airing on the WWE Network beginning at 7/6 C.

 

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live was taped last night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

* How will the Cruiserweight division shift with Buddy Murphy as the new champion? How will Cedric Alexander react to his stunning defeat?

* Lio Rush with an Open Challenge

* Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis and others will also appear tonight.

 

Tonight on NXT:

* NXT North American Championship: (C) Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

* Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

* Will Velveteen Dream have an answer for Tommaso Ciampa?

* What does Nikki Cross know?

* Shayna Baszler vs. Britt Baker

* Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Tian Bing & Rocky

 

Week 6 of the 2018 Mae Young Classic:

* Mia Yim vs. Kaitlyn

* Zeuxis vs. Io Shirai

* Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li

* Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews