Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live on the USA Network from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
WWE’s partnership with Hulu for next-day VOD has come to an end.
The agreement between the two sides officially expired this week, and next-day replays of RAW, NXT and SmackDown are no longer on the platform unless you have a Hulu account with a live TV plan.
The company’s documentary content with A&E are still on the platform. This is due to A&E’s licensing agreement. The same goes for Love & WWE: Bianca and Montez, which is a Hulu original series.
It is said that the WWE NXT replays will be moving to The CW App on October 1st. The rest of the WWE NXT library will likely go with it.
WWE SmackDown and RAW are still on Peacock on a 30-day delay.
Source: eWn
Fightful Select has shared an update on WWE Superstar Shinsuke Nakamura.
According to the report, Nakamura is currently in a situation similar to AJ Styles’. The Japanese wrestler is reportedly in good health but is currently not showcased on WWE programming.
Nakamura recently participated in some of WWE’s international tour dates in Europe and Japan. He was involved in various matches, facing off against opponents such as Cody Rhodes, AJ Styles, LA Knight, Ludwig Kaiser, Sheamus, and Ilja Dragunov.
At one of the Japan shows, Nakamura joined forces with Kevin Owens to take on The Bloodline.
However, since Nakamura is not being featured on WWE TV for undisclosed reasons, the creative team seems to have no plans for him currently.
Source: eWn
Fans eager to see Alexa Bliss back on WWE TV may have to wait until 2025.
Bliss hinted at her return on social media yesterday, writing, “Don’t worry, Darling. I’ll see you soon enough.”
Pwinsider is reporting that according to sources, WWE creative does not expect Bliss to return immediately.
The source states that Bliss will likely not return until the holiday season, so fans may not see her until 2025 at the earliest.
Additionally, the current creative regime aims to “maximize” its decisions and is in no rush to bring anyone back on TV.
Notably, a Lily doll was spotted in the background during a backstage segment featuring The Judgment Day on Monday Night RAW.
You can check out Bliss’ post below:
Source: eWn
WWE, with some help from celebrity musician Cardi B, has announced the date and location for next year’s SummerSlam, almost a year in advance. WWE SummerSlam 2025 is set to take place Saturday, August 2, and Sunday, August 3, 2025, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Information for ticket sales will become available at a later date, though WWE is offering pre-sale access to those who sign up at their website.
SummerSlam 2025 is set to be the company’s first-ever two-night incarnation of it’s second-largest annual premium live event, dubbed the “Biggest Party of the Summer.” The company’s largest, WrestleMania, became a two-night affair in 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with WrestleMania 36. After several years of that format, WWE announced earlier this year that WWE SummerSlam 2026 will take place over two nights, live from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Last month, Paul “Triple H” Levesque hinted that SummerSlam could be expanding sooner than the previously-announced 2026, leading to today’s announcement.
“New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and the entire NJSEA team have been phenomenal partners, hosting several major UFC events in recent years including the record-breaking UFC 302 in June,” said Peter Dropick, TKO Executive Vice President of Event Development and Operations, in a WWE press release. “We’re excited to bring WWE back to New Jersey in a major way with the first-ever two-night SummerSlam at MetLife Stadium.”
Rapper Cardi B made a simultaneous announcement on social media, taking to X, formerly Twitter, to say “Here’s to the Streets.. and to my girl @BiancaBelairWWE SummerSlam. 2Nights. MetLife Stadium. August 2nd and 3rd.” Cardi B has long been public about her WWE fandom, and the announcement could indicate that the New York City native intends to involve herself with Bianca Belair in the lead-up to next year’s SummerSlam.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Artem Chigvintsev will not be charged following his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence.
On Tuesday, Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced that her office has declined to file criminal charges after reviewing the investigation and evaluating all of the evidence.
Haley says her office feels it doesn’t have the evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Artem committed a crime. With that being said, criminal charges could be filed in the future if new facts or evidence come to light.
Artem was arrested for felony domestic violence on August 29th. He was released on a $25,000 bond later that day.
Garcia has since filed for divorce and has hired a divorce attorney. She is currently living with their 4-year-old son, Matteo, in the family’s Napa Valley home. Chigvintsev is reportedly still living with a friend.
You can check out the official statement from the District Attorney’s Office below:
Napa County DA Declines to File Criminal Charges Against Artem Chigvintsev
Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley announced today that her office has declined to file criminal charges against Artem Chigvintsev, age 42, in connection with his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The decision to not file charges against Mr. Chigvintsev was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.
“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence,” Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said. “We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’ which is the highest standard in the American criminal justice system. If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.”
Domestic violence can either be filed as a felony or a misdemeanor and has a statute of limitations of three years or one year, respectively. At any time within the statute of limitations, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office may revisit the case if it learns of other incidents, or otherwise learns of facts or evidence not previously known.
The Napa County District Attorney’s Victim Services Division works closely with victims of domestic violence and other crimes and links them to available resources whether charges are filed or not DA Haley said.
The Napa County District Attorney’s Office does not typically issue press releases when it declines to file charges against any given individual; however, did so for this case due to the intense media interest it has received since Mr. Chigvintsev’s arrest.
The Napa County District Attorney’s Office will not be releasing any further information about this case, including the identity of the alleged victim, and any questions pertaining to this case may be directed to Public Affairs and Media Officer Carlos Villatoro.
Source: eWn
Stephanie Vaquer made her on-screen debut during this week’s episode of WWE NXT.
In the main event segment on this week’s edition of NXT, Roxanne Perez and Giulia were involved in a “press conference” prior to their Women’s Title match on next week’s debut on The CW Network.
As the two women took shots at each other, Vaquer appeared on the big screen from Chile to interrupt Giulia. She revealed that she’ll be waiting for the winner of next week’s match.
Source: eWn
Netflix’s “Mr. McMahon” docuseries will become available to watch tomorrow, but according to a new report from Puck, the former WWE CEO attempted to stop its release in the most Vince McMahon way possible. After seeing some early footage from the series, McMahon allegedly reached out to Netflix to attempt to buy back the rights to the show. His attempt was unsuccessful, and Netflix declined to comment in the report.
McMahon released a statement on the impending documentary, calling it a “deceptive narrative” and claiming that the series conflates his wrestling persona with his real personality. However, McMahon began his statement by saying he did not regret his involvement with the docuseries.
When it was first conceived, the project had the official involvement of both WWE and McMahon. However, things took a turn when McMahon was forced to step down from his role with the company in 2022 after allegations of sexual misconduct and trafficking first became public. Though it’s been awhile since there were any public updates, McMahon is under scrutiny from federal officials, and a civil lawsuit regarding those allegations is currently on hold pending that investigation.
Earlier this week, a report detailed initial reactions to “Mr. McMahon” from people backstage in WWE, with Dave Meltzer stating that there were some McMahon supporters in the company who were not happy. The timing of the documentary’s release is notable, as WWE and Netflix are set to enter a long-term partnership at the beginning of 2025 that will see “WWE Raw” stream live on the platform.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s WWE NXT will be the last episode on the USA Network before moving next week to The CW Network.
Tonight’s show will feature a press conference on the upcoming debut for NXT on The CW Network scheduled for next week in Chicago.
The Bloodline has had three new additions this year following the arrival of Tama Tonga, Tango Loa, and Jacob Fatu. The group could be poised for another new arrival to the faction with the rumored signing of Hikuleo.
But, a report by “PWInsiderElite” has revealed that the former NJPW star will first be a part of “WWE NXT” as he has been added to its internal roster. Hikuleo is seemingly following in the footsteps of Solo Sikoa, who also first featured in “NXT” and then was moved to the main roster, in contrast to Tonga, Loa, and Fatu, who debuted directly on the main roster.
There are no further details about Hikuleo’s WWE character, but the promotion may have a few ring names lined up for him if they don’t use the Hikuleo name as the recently trademarked two names — Talla Tonga and Casesar Sikoa.
The son of the legendary Haku and the brother of the aforementioned Tama Tonga and Tango Loa, Hikuleo began his pro wrestling career in NJPW, where he was a part of the Bullet Club alongside Tonga and Loa. Reports had confirmed that the former Strong Openweight Champion had signed with WWE in July, after his eight-year run with the Japanese promotion came to an end. Hikuleo was reportedly lined up for a move to WWE a year ago, but the promotion had put in place a hiring freeze which resulted in him staying with NJPW.
Aside from wrestling in NJPW, Hikuleo has also wrestled in AEW as well as Impact Wrestling in 2021 and 2022.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Wrestling News Blog 