Category: RAW

Mandy Rose Will Be Staying On NXT And Aliyah Will Reportedly Be Heading To Raw To Take Her Place.

Mandy Rose’s move to NXT is a permanent one, and apparently Raw will be getting a Superstar from the black and gold brand in return.

The appearances of Shotzi Blackheart and Tegan Nox, and the video package hyping Toni Storm, on SmackDown last week were somewhat expected. The three of them and other NXT stars have been competing in trial matches ahead of potential call-ups. However, Mandy Rose moving the other way will have taken most people by surprise on Tuesday.

Rose appeared on the ramp during a match on NXT this week, and again later during a backstage segment. It has since been reported that Rose’s move to NXT is a permanent one and she will no longer be appearing on Raw. Bad news for the red brand whose roster is somewhat lacking already.

Fear not, as according to WrestleVotes, Raw will be getting an NXT Superstar in return. A WWE source has told the Twitter account that Aliyah will be taking Rose’s place on Monday nights. That might be considered an odd choice by some. Aliyah hasn’t been reported to have competed in any recent trial matches on Raw or SmackDown, neither can she boast a lot of screen time in NXT. Aliyah has been in NXT longer than you might think though, debuting as Jasmin more than six years ago.

https://twitter.com/WrestleVotes/status/1415306502857019396

The news that Aliyah will be moving on over to Raw also makes sense after what happened to her on NXT this week. She and Jessi Kamea lost a match to Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter, at which point she snapped and blamed the loss on their manager Robert Stone. Frankie Monet swooped in to pick up the pieces, declaring that the Robert Stone Brand won’t have to worry about Aliyah anymore.

When exactly Aliyah will debut on Raw remains unclear. She technically has a couple of main roster matches under her belt already. Aliyah lost to Carmella on a 2017 edition of SmackDown, and also wrestled and lost to Natalya on Main Event last year. However, as has been proved by Karrion Kross, appearances on Main Event don’t seem to count.

Source: The Sportster

WWE RAW Preview 7/12/21

The final WWE RAW of the ThunderDome era will air tonight on the USA Network.

Tonight’s RAW was taped last Tuesday, and will feature the final red brand build for Sunday’s WWE Money In the Bank pay-per-view.

NXT Superstar Tegan Nox Returns To Action In Raw Dark Match

In a pre-Raw dark match with Toni Storm, NXT Superstar Tegan Nox returned to the ring for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last August.

After a lengthy injury-induced absence, NXT Superstar Tegan Nox returned to the ring in a dark match prior to the most recent edition of Raw.

According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, Tegan Nox worked a match inside the WWE ThunderDome with fellow NXT Superstar Toni Storm prior to Raw going on the air.

If the report is accurate, the match would be Nox’s first in almost a year. Her last match was a Tri-Brand Battle Royal to determine the number-one contender to the SmackDown Women’s title. The match went down on the August 13 edition of SmackDown which aired live from WWE Performance Center just a few days before WWE moved its on-screen business to the WWE ThunderDome.

Tegan Nox’s WWE tenure has been plagued by injury woes. She signed with the company in 2017 and was scheduled to compete in the inaugural Mae Young Classic, but was forced to withdraw after tearing her ACL before the tournament began.

The Welsh wrestler competed in the second Mae Young Classic in 2018 but was suffered numerous injuries in her quarter-final match with Rhea Ripley. As well as tearing her ACL again, Nox suffered a torn lateral collateral ligament and a patellar dislocation. She eventually recovered and went on to feature in some high-profile NXT bouts. Nox teamed with Shotzi Blackheart in a WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship match against Sasha Banks and Bayley in June of 2020 before tragically tearing her ACL yet again that August.

Recently, several developmental talents have been featured in main-roster dark matches, as well as appearing on Main Event. Both Karrion Kross and Bronson Reed were backstage on SmackDown a few weeks ago and performed in dark matches. The pair returned for Raw the following week to perform in taped matches on Main Event. Toni Strom, Shotzi Blackheart, and Odyssey Jones have also been participating in main roster activities lately.

Source: The Sportster

WWE RAW Preview 6/28/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will feature more build for the upcoming Money In the Bank pay-per-view.

* Elias vs. Jaxson Ryker in a Strap Match

* Second Chance Money In the Bank Qualifier: Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre vs. RAW Tag Team Champion AJ Styles

* RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley, Dana Brooke and Mandy Rose vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka, and Charlotte Flair

* Kofi Kingston will come face-to-face with MVP to build to Kingston vs. WWE Champion Bobby Lashley at Money In the Bank

WWE RAW Preview 6/21/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will feature fallout from Sunday’s Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

WWE has not announced any matches for tonight’s show, but the first real build for Money In the Bank should begin. That pay-per-view will take place on July 18.

Will WWE Champion Bobby Lashley gets an idea of his next challenger on tonight’s show, and will he celebrates his Hell In a Cell win over Drew McIntyre?

The Charlotte Flair vs. RAW Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley feud should also continue tonight as their match at Hell In a Cell ended with Flair winning via DQ.

WWE RAW Preview 6/14/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW on the USA Network will feature the final build for next Sunday’s Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

* The final RAW build for Hell In a Cell

* Fallout from last week’s angle with Alexa

* Eva Marie returns to kick off her “Eva-Lution”

* RK-Bro (Randy Orton, Riddle) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods)

* RAW Tag Team Champion AJ Styles vs. Drew McIntyre

WWE RAW Preview 6/7/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW on the USA Network will feature more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

It’s likely that WWE will confirm the first Hell In a Cell pay-per-view match that will take place inside the Cell structure this year.

* Shayna Baszler meets Alexa Bliss and Lilly on Alexa’s Playground

* Drew McIntyre and WWE Champion Bobby Lashley sign their contract for Hell In a Cell

* Battle Royal to determine new #1 contenders for RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos: The Viking Raiders (Ivar, Erik), The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods), Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado, Gran Metalik), T-BAR and MACE, plus R-K-Bro (Riddle, Randy Orton)

WWE Announces Jimmy Smith As Adnan Virk’s Replacement On RAW

WWE has officially announced Jimmy Smith as the new member of the RAW announce team.

Smith will debut as the play-by-play voice of RAW beginning this Monday, May 31. He will call the action every Monday night with Corey Graves and Byron Saxton.

WWE acknowledged in their announcement issued last night that Smith worked as an analyst for WWE NXT, serving on the “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” pre-show panels, and working on special projects for the black & gold brand, which included the video package for Finn Balor vs. NXT Champion Karrion Kross. WWE also pointed to how Smith is the host of SiriusXM’s Unlocking The Cage, and previously hosted American Ninja Warrior.

As reported earlier, Smith has been working with Michael Cole and other WWE staffers as of late to train for a potential announcing role. Cole has reportedly praised Smith heavily, and found him to be very versatile.

The 43 year old Smith is best known for his run with Bellator MMA from 2010 – 2017. He worked as an analyst with Bellator and UFC. In addition to Unlocking The Cage, Smith also hosts ESPN International’s UFC Fight Camp show. He retired from MMA fighting in 2007, with a 5-1 record, and has also done commentary for pro boxing, and other combat sports leagues.

Smith will be replacing Adnan Virk, who parted ways with WWE on Tuesday after less than two months on the job.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Adnan Virk And WWE Part Ways

WWE announced that they have mutually parted ways with Adnan Virk. Below is WWE’s statement:

“WWE and Adnan Virk have mutually agreed to part ways. WWE thanks Adnan for his work.”

Virk replaced Tom Phillips as the lead RAW announcer last month, making his debut on the post-WrestleMania 37 edition of RAW. That change also saw Graves replace Samoa Joe, who has since been released. There is no word on what WWE has planned for the red brand announce team moving forward, but we should have an idea soon.

Adnan Virk took to Twitter and thanked WWE for the chance to work with the company.

There’s no official word yet on who will replace Adnan Virk as the new WWE RAW lead announcer on Monday, but there is speculation on at least one name who has been on WWE TV as of late.

It’s been reported by PWInsider that if WWE officials have made a decision on Virk’s replacement for Monday’s RAW, it’s being kept very close to the vest so far. There’s a lot of speculation on former UFC and American Ninja Warrior announcer Jimmy Smith joining the red brand announce team as he has been putting in a lot of work to prepare for future WWE broadcast assignments as of late. Smith has done some WWE NXT work over the last several weeks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 5/24/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW on the USA Network will feature more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

* Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler get their second rematch from WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka

* Riddle vs. Xavier Woods

* WWE Champion Bobby Lashley will address last week’s actions by Kofi Kingston and Drew McIntyre