Category: WWE

WWE Hall of Famer and ECW Original Bubba Ray Dudley (Bully Ray) To Attend WWE NXT Taping At 2300 Arena

WWE is experiencing steady growth following NXT’s recent transition to The CW Network.

Three episodes have already aired as part of this new partnership, and WWE is planning a special episode next month at the birthplace of ECW.

WWE recently announced that it will tape an episode of its NXT brand at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia on November 6. Due to the US presidential election coverage the previous night, this episode is scheduled to air live on Wednesday, coinciding with AEW Dynamite.

The pre-sale tickets for the November 6th NXT taping sold out within minutes. Within just twenty minutes, the pre-sale concluded, and all tickets were sold out, indicating how highly sought-after the show is.

Pwinsider is reporting that WWE Hall of Famer and ECW Original Bubba Ray Dudley (Bully Ray) will be present at the WWE NXT taping on November 6 at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, PA.

Dudley will also be available to meet VIP ticketholders as part of a package with a commemorative chair.

This upcoming NXT taping marks WWE’s return to 2300 Arena for a live show since 2006, when ECW held a house show at the venue.

WWE previously hosted a special meet-and-greet at the arena during WrestleMania 40 weekend, featuring The Dudley Boyz and Al Snow.

Source: eWn

Zaria (Delta Brady) Debuts On WWE NXT

For weeks, “WWE NXT” has teased the arrival of a mysterious red-headed woman, which the wrestling world later recognized as former Riot City Wrestling Grand Champion Delta Brady (also known as DELTA). Tonight, Brady finally made her presence felt through a dramatic, though brief, debut on “NXT,” under the new name of Zaria.

In the episode’s closing moments, Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer defeated Fallon Henley and Jacy Jayne in tag team competition. Despite their defeat, Henley, Jayne, as well as Jazmyn Nyx quickly turned their attention to the giant wheel on the stage that determined which stipulation the upcoming NXT Women’s North American Championship match would be paired with. When Jayne spun, the arrow landed on “spinner’s choice.” Before the trio known as Fatal Influence could react, the lights in WWE Performance Center flicked off and on, revealing a fully-geared Zaria standing in the brightly lit entranceway of the stage.

Trained by Chris Basso and Matt Basso, the Adelaide, Australia native notably attended a tryout in the city of Perth during the week of WWE’s 2024 Elimination Chamber premium live event. Zaria reportedly impressed WWE officials so much there that they subsequently offered her a contract, which she later signed. From there, Zaria completed her remaining independent wrestling dates, with her final one taking form against her brother, Dean Brady, at RCW’s Heavy Is The Crown event. 

With her arrival to “NXT,” Zaria joins the likes of Giulia and Stephanie Vaquer as some of the latest, and international, signings for the company. As of now, Zaria’s creative direction is unclear, but with a former nickname like the “Adelaide Powerhouse,” she is expected to be a dominant force.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 10/22/2024

WWE will present a new episode of NXT tonight from The Factory at the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, Florida. The show will air at 8 PM ET on the CW Network.

Tonight’s episode marks the final stop before Sunday’s NXT: Halloween Havoc 2024 pay-per-view event.

  • Damage CTRL (IYO SKY & Kairi Sane) vs. Meta-Four (Lash Legend & Jakara Jackson)
  • Giulia & Stephanie Vaquer vs. Fatal Influence (Jacy Jayne & Fallon Henley)
  • Oba Femi vs. Luca Crusifino
  • Jaida Parker vs. Tatum Paxley

* Trick Williams and Ethan Page come face-to-face.

Report – TNA’s Jordynne Grace To Sign With WWE In 2025

Jordynne Grace may soon make a significant transition in her career.

Grace, currently contracted with TNA Wrestling, generated buzz after appearing at Royal Rumble 2024 and later on WWE NXT as part of the TNA-WWE collaboration.

Now, with her contract reportedly set to expire earlier than anticipated, speculation regarding Grace’s future is growing.

Fightful Select has shared new details about Grace’s situation. Originally, she was under contract with TNA until the spring or summer of 2025, but it seems her deal has been altered to end in January 2025.

The report suggested that many believe Grace may move to WWE once her contract concludes, stating, “You can guess where a lot of people think she’s going to go in January. She has posted that she has stopped doing her exclusive content… WWE clearly likes her. That leads to a natural conclusion that a lot of people expect her to go there.”

Grace’s appearances on WWE NXT, including a notable match against NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at NXT Battleground 2024, received positive reactions from fans, fueling rumors of a potential WWE move.

Although Grace signed a new contract with TNA last year, the amended expiration date of January 2025 only increases her chances of switching to WWE.

Source: eWn

Lillian Garcia Returns To WWE, Replaces Samantha Irvin As Raw Ring Announcer

Veteran ring announcer Lilian Garcia is back with WWE following the departure of Samantha Irvin on Monday. Garcia was brought out during a commercial break on Monday’s edition of “WWE Raw,” and WWE posted the video on X (formerly known as Twitter). It was reported earlier in the day that Garcia was backstage at the show.

During the commercial break, Joe Tessitore got on the microphone to the live audience and told them to use their high energy to welcome back the veteran announcer, who had previously worked for the company for ten years from 1999 to 2009, before taking a two-year hiatus. She returned to WWE in 2011 and left the company once again in 2016, but made sporadic appearances throughout the years, before officially making her return as “Raw’s” ring announcer on Monday. Garcia also spoke to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania crowd during the break and said it felt good to be back.

Irvin’s announcement came as a shock to many on Monday afternoon when the fan-favorite announced she had finished with the company via a statement on her X account. Garcia seemingly passed the proverbial torch to Irvin during a “Raw” segment in May. While Irvin didn’t make her future plans known in her statement, her fiancé, former WWE star Ricochet, joined AEW back in August.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ring Announcer Samantha Irvin Announces WWE Departure

In a surprising move, Samantha Irvin has announced that she has finished her run as the ring announcer for “WWE Raw” and is leaving the company. Irvin took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal the news, with a lengthy statement offering a goodbye.

“WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night ‘Raw’ ring announcer,” Irvin wrote. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me.”

Irvin went on to give a special thanks to the wrestlers, especially her fellow women in the WWE locker room, as well as the company’s crew and a number of people behind the scenes who have helped her along the way. That list included Paul Heyman, Michael P.S. Hayes, Michael Cole, Brian “Road Dogg” James, and more.

It’s currently unknown if Irvin intends to stay within the world of professional wrestling or will look to branch out into other areas of broadcasting. Irvin is engaged to Ricochet, who recently departed WWE before arriving in AEW this past August. While that may lead some to speculate Irvin is bound for AEW, it’s worth noting that she also had a career as a singer prior to becoming a wrestling announcer.

Along with posting the announcement, Irvin updated her X page to black out her profile picture and banner. Additionally, her bio simply reads: “ARTIST.”

Irvin first joined WWE in 2021 and credits Mark Henry for helping her enter the industry. After a short time on “205 Live,” Irvin was made the announcer for “WWE NXT” before being promoted to main roster duties in early 2022, less than a year after she started.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

UPDATE

Pwinsider has shared details on the factors contributing to Irvin’s WWE exit.

According to the report, WWE was taken aback by Irvin’s decision to resign, as she was held in high regard within the company.

Several factors played a role in her choice to leave, with a major concern being her scheduling conflicts, as Irvin was juggling her responsibilities between WWE and her family.

Even though WWE’s travel demands have decreased compared to past years, Irvin still had to be away from her daughter for long periods.

Moreover, there had been conversations about Irvin possibly taking on a lighter schedule, but those plans fell through, which may have impacted her decision to resign.

With her partner Ricochet no longer part of WWE and having a different schedule in AEW, this scenario might also have contributed to Irvin’s decision to leave WWE, though sources have not explicitly confirmed this.

Furthermore, the absence of a reduced schedule made it more challenging for Irvin to explore outside ventures. The fame she gained via WWE television also drew greater interest from external parties, creating opportunities that influenced Irvin’s decision to resign months ahead.

WWE Raw Preview 10/21/2024

WWE Raw will air tonight on the USA Network from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Jey Uso (c) vs. Bron Breakker
  • WWE World Tag Team Championship Contenders Tournament: New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. Authors Of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
  • WWE World Tag Team Championship Contenders Tournament: LWO (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. American Made (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed)
  • Seth Rollins and Bronson Reed go face-to-face

WWE Reportedly Has Booked The Former Home Of ECW (2300 Arena) For A NXT Show 11/6/2024

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has booked the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Meltzer notes the date the venue is booked for is November 6, with the belief WWE hold an NXT show there. However, at the time of his report, nothing has been officially confirmed.

The report further indicates for first week of November, NXT is expected to air on the CW on Wednesday instead of Tuesday to avoid going up against election night coverage and will be going head-to-head with AEW Dynamite instead.

Meltzer said the following:

“WWE has a date booked for the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. While not confirmed, the belief is that it will be on 11/6, which would be the NXT TV tapings on a Wednesday, the day after the election. The fact there will be a show has been confirmed by many, just not the date. NXT will be on the unfamiliar night and I presume they’ll loaded up going head-to-head with AEW. It makes sense the idea of NXT from the ECW Arena for the first time will get enough buzz to help grow the audience in the attempt to beat AEW.“

2300 Arena is formerly known as Viking Hall. However, it was made famous and given the name of the ECW Arena when the promotion under Paul Heyman would hold its television tapings and other shows at the venue between 1993, up until the promotion was sold to WWE in 2001.

ROH, under Sinclair Broadcast Group, TNA Wrestling and MLW have all held television shows from the 2300 Arena.

Source: WrestleView

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/18/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes: Part VII (Series is tied 3-3)
  • Los Garza (Angel and Berto) vs. A new tag team – Expected to the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
  • Roman Reigns to appear
  • Randy Orton to appear
  • The issues between Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton continues

Kathy Colace & John Laurinaitis Get Divorced

During a recent appearance on the “Nikki & Brie Show,” Kathy Colace, the mother of Nikki and Brie Garcia, stated that she is no longer married to John Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis was mentioned in the lawsuit filed against Vince McMahon by former WWE employee Janel Grant, who alleged that Laurinaitis committed sexual assault.

Brie said, “Is it fine to tell everyone that you’re divorced? She’s not single and ready to mingle, by no means. She is, I feel like, enjoying your independent time. People are curious to know where you’re at.”

Kathy added, “The thing is, Brie is very protective. It’s because Brie’s not going through it. If Brie was going through something, and Nicole, I would be very protective. I will tell you how the experience is from someone that goes through it. You need time, you need silent. This is for anyone. We all have our stories and we all have our challenges. My thought is, let yourself feel every emotion. One day, life is fine, and the next day you’re hit with something that just rocks your world. You actually feel a paralysis to yourself. If you stay on any type of social media, everyone has great advice, what they think is advice, and they have no idea what you’re going through. You need to give people grace. Everyone involved. Whether you’re siding with one person or the other. Give everybody grace. As a person going through it, you need to feel anger, heartbreak, sadness, and recovery. Our body is made to feel emotion. When you tuck an emotion away, it will find its way out. My recommendation for anybody going through anything challenging, give yourself some grace, allow yourself to feel all the emotions that you’ll feel, and sit in silence and appreciate yourself. You will get through this. If you need outside help to get through it, seek outside help. In regards to the haters, you’re going to hate. Maybe find it in yourself to give everyone grace, Hopefully you’re not treating people close to you with hate.”

On September 3, 2015, Laurinaitis became engaged to Kathy Colace. The two were married in a private ceremony on March 24, 2016.

Source: eWn