Source: WWE.com
Intercontinental Championship: (C) The Miz w/Maryse vs. Cesaro
United States Championship: (C) Rusev w/Lana vs. Kalisto
MITB Ladder Qualifying Match: Zack Ryder vs. Alberto Del Rio
Seth Rollins returns to SmackDown
Michael Cole interviews Dean Ambrose
Source: WrestlingINC
Former Ring of Honor owner Cary Silkin says he’s going to show up at a local Ric Flair signing in Bethlehem, PA at the Sands Casino on July 23rd to collect the $41,000 he’s owed by The Nature Boy. Flair will be appearing with Ricky Steamboat and participating in a Q&A that day.
Back when Silkin still owned ROH, he sued Flair in January 2010 over $40,000 Flair owed the company after failing to meet requirements for his “ROH Ambassador” role he had been paid for. The lawsuit was dropped in May 2011 when ROH was sold to Sinclair Broadcasting.
Silkin tweeted the following:
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
It appears that Hideo Itami is scheduled to finally return to WWE NXT in the next few weeks. He had shoulder surgery 13 months ago but his recovery has gone much slower than expected as his first surgery did not go so well.
Source: WrestlingINC
Regarding the WWE brand split and SmackDown going live beginning Tuesday, July 19th, Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the belief is that one show will feature Shane McMahon in charge and one show will have Stephanie McMahon in charge, perhaps RAW. It’s also believed that while Vince McMahon and Triple H will continue running creative, current RAW and SmackDown head writers Ed Koskey and Ryan Ward will end up with more power since the creative writing teams will have more control and won’t have to constantly work together on ideas.
We noted yesterday that it was already being rumored that the WWE Women’s Title would be exclusive to one show. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the tentative plan is for the women’s division to be on both brands but the exclusive talk is there. The Women’s Champion would be the only person to appear on both brands, with the exception of whoever the singles champion is. It was also noted that they are still looking at doing two world titles again but that is not a lock and they could end up with just one top champion. The WWE Tag Team Titles are also still up in the air but everyone is still saying that the United States Title will be on one show while the Intercontinental Title will be on the other. There’s been talk of having two sets of tag champions or one set that would work both shows.
The WWE Draft is still rumored for July 11th in Detroit but not a lock. There are people in WWE campaigning for a hard split of the rosters while others want a soft spit with top stars making guest appearances on the other shows, allowing for more unique top matches on TV or pay-per-view events.
The Observer also reported internal belief is that John Cena will be the main star on SmackDown while Roman Reigns will be the top star for RAW. There’s still no word on what will happen with several top stars, including Brock Lesnar. It’s believed Lesnar will end up on RAW when he returns for SummerSlam hype but word is that even his brand is not a lock at this point.
As noted, everything is still up in the air and one guarantee is that many plans will change over the next month or so. WWE is officially saying that all the big questions will be answered in the next few weeks.
Source: F4WOnline via WrestlingINC
It was noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that despite losing to WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns at Extreme Rules, WWE does have big plans for AJ Styles. No word yet on what they have planned now that Reigns has apparently moved on to Seth Rollins.
Scheduled for tonight’s NXT on WWE Network:
Nia Jax vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella to determine top contender to WWE NXT Women’s championship
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa vs. the debuting TM-61
No Way Jose in action
Also appearing are Austin Aries, William Regal and Shinsuke Nakamura
Eden (Brandi Rhodes) revealed on Twitter that she has been offered work elsewhere and has agreed to part ways with WWE after tonight’s TV tapings in Norfolk, VA. This comes after husband Cody Rhodes was granted his release this week.
WWE confirmed the departure with this announcement:
Eden releasedWWE has granted Eden (wife of Cody Rhodes) her request to be released, as of today, May 24, 2016. WWE wishes Eden the best in all her future endeavors.
WWE announced today that WWE SmackDown will be airing live on Tuesday nights on the USA Network starting July 19th. It was also revealed that the show will have its own roster and storylines.
Here is the full statement that WWE sent us this morning:
SMACKDOWN GOING LIVE ON USA NETWORK BEGINNING TUESDAY, JULY 19
SMACKDOWN to Feature Distinct Roster and Storylines
NEW YORK and STAMFORD, CONN – May 25, 2016 — USA Network, the exclusive cable home to WWE’s marquee properties, announced that its weekly SMACKDOWN show will air live – for the first time ever – and move to Tuesdays every week beginning July 19 from 8-10PM ET/PT. With the SMACKDOWN move, USA Network will now offer five hours of live WWE programming a week, including the weekly three-hour live WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW (airing Mondays from 8-11PM ET/PT), with each show featuring a distinct cast, unique storylines and a dedicated writing team.
In 2016 to date, MONDAY NIGHT RAW is averaging 4.011MM total viewers, 1.873MM P25-54 and 1.846MM P18-49 L7, and SMACKDOWN in its current time slot is averaging 2.674MM P2+, 1.136MM P25-54, and 1.058MM P18-49+ L7, making USA the #1 cable entertainment network across the key demos on Monday and Thursday nights. In 2015, the two programs combined reached over 50MM viewers. Both shows will now air live 52 weeks a year.
“The fan base for our WWE shows is one of the most passionate and engaged audiences in all of entertainment,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks, NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “There is a huge appetite among our viewers for live programming, and the ability to move SMACKDOWN to a live format brings a new level of excitement and helps truly eventize this every week.”
“WWE’s flagship programs will both leverage the incredible depth of our talent roster, distinct storylines and the unpredictable nature of live TV,” said WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. “This move will undoubtedly build more excitement and deepen engagement with our fans around the world.”
Update:
There will be a WWE Draft held soon but we do not know exactly when that it will be. WWE’s announcement said it will come before the live premiere on July 19th.
Source: WrestlingINC
Kane (Glenn Jacobs) spoke with the local NBC affiliate in Knoxville, Tennessee and said he’s seriously considering a run as a Republican for the Knox County mayoral seat in 2018. Kane says he will make his decision later this year after the presidential election. He commented:
“Yes, I’ve talked about it with some folks but there’s nothing too solid yet. Mayor Burchett’s term is coming up and I think he’s been really good for Knox County. I think the most important thing is I care very deeply about this community, like a lot of people do. And that’s the only reason I would consider getting into any sort of government because I do care very deeply. And I think it’s incumbent upon people who care about the communities to try to make a difference.”
Kane is apparently running on keeping county taxes low. He said:
“What I’ve seen in Knox County the past several years is that taxes have remained low because it’s a great place to live. People move here and that helps expands the tax base. My political philosophy is the ‘smaller the better. Government should stay out of the way and let free enterprise do what it does best.”
It would be an interesting career change for Kane as the county mayor earns around $170,000 annually and oversees almost 1,000 employees with a more than $750 million budget.
Source: WWE.com
Seth Rollins returns to RAW
What’s next for AJ Styles, will he step aside for Rollins?
Will The Bulgarian Brute Rusev reassert himself as the most fearsome Superstar in WWE?
Who are the next challengers for The New Day?
What route will Gallows and Anderson go next?
Who can overcome Charlotte with Dana Brooke watching her back?
