WWE has confirmed the following names for the RAW cruiserweight division – Gran Metalik, Akira Tozawa, Jack Gallagher, Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Cedric Alexander, Rich Swann, Brian Kendrick, Noam Dar and TJ Perkins.
It appears this is the entire roster, for now at least, as PWInsider reports that the initial division will feature just 10 Superstars. It’s very possible that new cruiserweights will be introduced to the division over time.
The current plan is for the RAW cruiserweights to work RAW TV events as well as WWE NXT TV events and NXT live events. They will likely start working RAW live events soon as well.
The division kicks off on September 19th at RAW in Memphis.
On yesterday morning’s Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer discussed the situation with Paige and the report from last week about Paige allegedly being threatened by WWE’s Mark Carano to break off her relationship with Alberto Del Rio or risk being fired.
I noted last week that the story from MSL on his podcast was likely something that was not made up out of thin air and the crew at MLW Radio are friendly with Alberto Del Rio. It doesn’t make the Mark Carrano story true or untrue and it may just be Paige’s side of the story. There’s no way to know if Carrano hinted something to Paige or if he outright said that she would be fired if she didn’t break up with Del Rio but it’s very unusual for the company to step in on someone’s relationship considering that there have been dozens (maybe hundreds) of wrestlers relationships in the past. If Carrano really said something to her directly then that could be a legal issue for WWE.
Meltzer noted that things are looking really negative right now about Paige returning after her suspension and the fact that the story is out probably means that she is done with the company. Paige and WWE would have to work out terms of her release.
WWE NXT comes to Japan for the first time this DecemberFor the first time, WWE NXT travels to Japan on Saturday, Dec. 3, as NXT Superstars bring their high-octane brand of sports-entertainment to the Land of the Rising Sun. This must-see Live Event marks WWE’s first appearance in Japan’s historic Edion Arena, and WWE’s first time back in Osaka, Japan in over two years. WWE COO Triple H announced the historic event on Twitter.
The NXT Universe in Japan will get a chance to witness NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura and NXT Women’s Champion Asuka back in their home country. Though both performed at WWE’s Live Events in Tokyo last July, this will be the first time that Nakamura will return home as NXT Champion. Also performing will be Samoa Joe, Hideo Itami and Bobby Roode.*
Tickets for this show are available beginning Saturday, Oct. 1. Visit eplus.jp for complete information on tickets.
Don’t miss your chance to see the Superstars of NXT when they come to Japan this December!
After Triple H helped Kevin Owens win the WWE Universal Championship last week, and now that Triple H no longer has direct control over the red brand, how will Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon — his wife — deal with his interference in last Monday’s massive main event? Or was she in on Triple H’s plan to backstab Raw’s No. 1 WWE Draft pick? Will these questions be answered tonight on RAW?
What’s next for Roman Reigns?
Injured Cesaro looks ahead to match 3
Is Bayley in line for a WWE Women’s Championship opportunity?
Luke Harper may be returning to WWE soon. As noted, Harper tore his ACL this past March and was expected to be out of action for up to six months, which would put his return at around mid-September. PWinsider reports that Harper will be at the WWE Performance Center this week to test his knee and possibly be cleared to return to action.
WWE just announced the following details on Survivor Series weekend:
NXT: TakeOver added to Survivor Series Weekend in Toronto
STAMFORD, Conn. – WWE announced that for the first time in WWE history, Air Canada Centre in Toronto will host NXT TakeOver on Saturday, Nov. 19, WWE Survivor Series on Sunday, Nov. 20, and Raw on Monday, Nov. 21, as part of WWE Survivor Series weekend.
The first NXT TakeOver in Canada will feature NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura, NXT Women’s Champion Asuka and NXT Tag Team Champions The Revival, and will be broadcast live on WWE Network. Tickets for NXT TakeOver will go on sale Friday, Sept. 23, at 10 a.m. ET.
On Sunday, Nov. 20, Survivor Series will take place at Air Canada Centre for the first time in history. Superstars from both Raw and SmackDown LIVE will be part of the event, which will be broadcast live on WWE Network. Tickets for WWE Survivor Series are sold out.
On Monday, Nov. 21, Air Canada Centre will host Raw, where fans will witness the fallout from Survivor Series. Raw is broadcast live on Sportsnet 360 in Canada. Tickets for Raw go on sale next Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. ET.
The originally scheduled NXT live events in Toronto on Sept. 22, St. Catharines on Sept. 23 and Kitchener, Ontario, on Sept. 24 have been canceled. Refunds are available at all points of purchase. A special pre-sale code for NXT TakeOver at Air Canada Centre will be made available to fans that purchased tickets to original NXT live events.
Tickets for Survivor Series weekend events can be purchased through Ticketmaster.ca, or by calling (855) 985-5000.
Alberto Del Rio made headlines a few weeks ago after he was suspended for 30 days for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. Del Rio made headlines once again this week, because according to reports, he will not be returning to WWE once his suspension ends.
On this week’s episode of MSL & Sullivan on the MLW Network, Mister Saint Laurent noted that Alberto Del Rio is free to work outside of the U.S. as of September 1st, and will be free to work wherever he wants on October 1st.
MSL also spoke about Alberto Del Rio’s relationship with Paige claiming that not only did the office disapprove of the relationship, but that they actually threatened to fire Paige.
“I do know that Mark Carrano, who fans might know from Total Divas as kind of like the the office liaison guy, approached Del Rio and Paige individually, and harassed each of them about their relationship. It was indicated that the office wanted them to sever their romantic relationship. A lot of people speculated, if this is why WWE split them up in the draft, and that is definitely what happened. The company did not want them together, they split them up in the draft by design, and they threatened to fire Paige if she didn’t break up with Del Rio.”
Paige is currently out of action serving out the remainder of her 30 day suspension. Alberto Del Rio and Paige were both suspended for 30 days on August 17th for violating the WWE Wellness Policy.
You can check out the full episode of MSL & Sullivan here, and you can also check out an interview with MSL and Darren Paltrowitz of Still Real To Us here.
WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin‘s shoulder is on the mend after having surgery earlier this year … but now his elbow has also taken a bit of a bump.
The Texas Rattlesnake tweeted a picture of a very large lump that is protruding from his funny bone with the caption, “The elbow for today’s podcast.”
On this week’s episode of his show, Austin explains that he suffers from a condition called olecranon bursitis — which is the inflammation of the bursa, or thin sac of fluid, that lies between the skin and the bony tip of the elbow.
Stone Cold says he discovered the lump during a workout and asserted that the condition is a common problem for pro wrestlers … adding, “Virtually all the boys who ever come up in the business have that tennis ball elbow as you go through the paces, because it kinda comes with the territory.”
During NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn II, there was a video teaser of a new NXT superstar with the words “SAnity” on it. The video teaser has also been aired during NXT the past two weeks.
The video, which can be seen below, teased a new superstar that will be making his or her way to NXT. Some WWE rumors are stating that it could be a female star while there are some that say it is a former TNA World Champion.
According to F4WOnline (h/t Daily Wrestling News), the identity of the superstar in the “SAnity” video teaser is independent star, “Crazy” Mary Dobson. The 22-year-old wrestler previously appeared on NXT as an enhancement talent.
It has been confirmed that Dobson already signed a contract with the WWE and she will be starting as soon as possible. However, the report noted that former TNA World Champion, Eric Young, could also be the one being teased in the vignette.
Young, who already made an appearance on NXT back in May, also signed a contract with the WWE. Nevertheless, NXT will be having another character that will continue the growth of the brand. NXT needs new stars following the call-ups of many of its talents to the main roster.
Dutch wrestler, Tommy End, has also been part of many WWE rumors in the past several months. According to 411 Mania, End already signed a deal with the WWE and he will start in NXT very shortly. His gimmick and look also fit the “SAnity” vignette very well.
Brock Lesnar vs Randy Orton in “The Rematch” has been announced for the September 24th non-televised WWE live event from Chicago.
WWE decided to put Lesnar on the live event instead of the September 25th Clash of Champions pay-per-view from Indianapolis because his contract calls for different pay for live events than for pay-per-view events, which typically feature longer main event quality matches as opposed to quick squash matches.
WWE simply asked Lesnar to work the Chicago event and he agreed. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter adds that Lesnar chose his opponent based on who he felt was the best Superstar on the roster available that night, that he felt would mean the most at the box office.
