Category: SmackDown

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/27/20

Tonight’s taped WWE SmackDown on FOX and WWE 205 Live on the WWE Network will air from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando as the Road to a taped WrestleMania 36 continues.

* Bray Wyatt opens the door to The Firefly Fun House

* Alexa Bliss and Asuka look to settle the score this Friday

* The New Day & The Usos put WrestleMania fate on the line

* Drew Gulak collides with Shinsuke Nakamura in a match with major WrestleMania implications

 

205 Live is scheduled to feature Joaquin Wilde vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott and Tony Nese vs. Oney Lorcan.

Update On WWE WrestleMania 36, RAW And SmackDown

There’s been a lot of speculation on WWE possibly changing the WrestleMania 36 card now that it is airing from the WWE Performance Center and other “multiple locations” with no crowds, instead of Raymond James Stadium as originally planned. The other locations have not been announced yet, but WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to air on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 at 7pm ET via pay-per-view and the WWE Network.

At one point WWE had 16 matches planned for the WrestleMania 36 card, but we’re not sure if that is still the plan. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports WWE confirmed to them that the 7th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and the 3rd Annual WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal will not take place this year as a way to help limit the number of Superstars gathering in the ring. This is another change made due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The two battle royals have been pulled from the WrestleMania 36 card as another way to abide by guidelines and recommendations from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and other local governments as much as possible while producing the big event. This is one of the many precautionary measures that WWE officials are taking during WrestleMania 36 to help “flatten the curve” amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

WWE issued a statement to Sports Illustrated confirming that all talent and staff entering their closed sets are required to participate in medical testing. There’s still no word yet on where these other locations will be, but it was reported earlier today that most of the WrestleMania 36 content will shoot from the Performance Center, while some “gimmick matches” will take place elsewhere.

On a related note, WWE officials are currently planning an “ambitious” taping schedule that will get them through WrestleMania 36, according to POST Wrestling. The plan as of today is to tape the remaining episodes of RAW and SmackDown leading up to WrestleMania 36. There’s no word yet on when these tapings will take place. WWE will reportedly go ahead with this week’s SmackDown on FOX, featuring WrestleMania host Rob Gronkowski and the contract signing for Roman Reigns vs. WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg, but would then tape the March 23 and March 30 episodes of RAW, plus the March 27 and April 3 editions of SmackDown

One source indicated to POST that they also expect WWE to tape both nights of WrestleMania 36 over the next week as well, meaning The Grandest Stage of Them All will not air live on April 4 and April 5. Another source was unsure if that will happen. If WWE does tape both nights of WrestleMania 36, then the upcoming tapings schedule would include two episodes of RAW, two episodes of SmackDown, and two nights of WrestleMania. There’s no word yet on how the WWE NXT TV shows will factor into this.

Regarding the WrestleMania 36 card, a source indicated to POST that the only changes to the planned card is the elimination of the two battle royals, as noted above. The other planned matches are set to take place over the two night, with some matches that have not been announced on TV yet.

As noted before, the WWE website lists the following matches for Saturday night and Sunday night, but it should be noted that WWE has not officially announced line-ups for each night, at least as of this writing:

SATURDAY, APRIL 4
* Drew McIntyre vs. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar
* Charlotte Flair vs. WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley
* The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles
* Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

SUNDAY, APRIL 5
* Roman Reigns vs. WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg
* Shayna Baszler vs. RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch
* John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

It’s important to note that WWE has not officially announced which matches will air on each night. While the WWE website has these matches listed for Saturday and Sunday, the location is the same for each match – the Performance Center. That should change once they announce these other locations.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Rob Gronkowski Signing With WWE

As noted earlier this week,  The Wrap reported that former NFL player Rob Gronkowski has signed with WWE. Gronk is reportedly making his SmackDown on FOX debut during the March 20 episode from New Orleans, then will appear at WrestleMania 36 to begin a storyline that will lead to a match.

In an update, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Gronk’s WrestleMania 36 role is still being decided, and that an appearance is not a lock at this point.

Gronk is expected to wrestle at least a few matches under his WWE contract. It’s likely that he will wrestle at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in Boston from the TD Garden, which should get him a good pop as he played his entire NFL career with the Patriots.

It will be interesting to see if WWE has Gronk work with his good friend Mojo Rawley. Gronk, a noted pro wrestling fan, made his WWE debut at WrestleMania 33 back in 2017, to help Mojo win the 4th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms Tonight’s SmackDown Officially Moved To The Performance Center

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown on FOX will air live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show was originally scheduled for the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

WWE released a statement saying:

“Friday Night SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, Florida with only essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in Detroit, Michigan.”

WWE has confirmed that tonight’s show will air without a crowd. It was noted that only “essential personnel” will be in attendance due to the COVID-19 outbreak. WWE has announced that Jeff Hardy and John Cena will return on tonight’s show. Cena will be there to address “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt ahead of WrestleMania 36. The retired Paige will also return tonight, to confront SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. It’s believed that Paige will bring someone with her to step up to Bayley.

  • Jeff Hardy set to return on Friday Night SmackDown
  • Paige vows to confront Bayley on SmackDown
  • John Cena returns to SmackDown on The Road to WrestleMania

There’s still no word yet on if WWE 205 Live will air tonight from the Performance Center. Announced for that show is the WWE NXT Cruiserweights vs. 205 Live Originals in the Captain’s Challenge Ten-Man Elimination Match – Isaiah “Swerve” Scott, Tyler Breeze, Danny Burch, Oney Lorcan and a mystery partner vs. Jack Gallagher, The Brian Kendrick, Ariya Daivari, Mike Kanellis and Captain Tony Nese.

WWE Denies Friday’s SmackDown Is Being Moved To Performance Center Due To Coronavirus, The Latest On The Virus, Pro Wrestling

WWE issued a statement denying that Friday’s SmackDown has been moved from the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan to the WWE Performance Center due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

It was reported on Wednesday night, that Friday’s WWE TV tapings were being nixed due to the coronavirus pandemic. In an update, WWE issued a statement late tonight and denied that SmackDown in Detroit was being cancelled. They did say that they are putting contingency plans in place for upcoming shows.

The following statement was issued to ESPN:

“WWE has not cancelled Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit, however, based on the current situation, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that upcoming WWE shows are cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.”

Stay tuned for updates on the situation. You can click here for news on President Trump’s 30-day travel ban that will impact WrestleMania 36 visitors, and click here for news on a potential major WrestleMania 36 coronavirus announcement that could come on Thursday afternoon. You can also click here to see what Sheamus and Sasha Banks had to say about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Below is information about the Coronavirus pandemic and the status of pro wrestling and MMA shows across the world from Wrestling Observer Radio

Rob Gronkowski Signs With WWE, Will Debut On SmackDown And Appear At WrestleMania 36

Gronk is reportedly headed to WrestleMania 36.

Former NFL player and WWE celebrity friend Rob Gronkowski has signed with WWE and is set to appear at WrestleMania 36 next month, according to The Wrap.

The former New England Patriots tight end has now signed a contract with WWE, and will make his official debut during the March 20 episode of SmackDown on FOX from New Orleans.

Gronk is also scheduled to appear at WrestleMania 36. It was noted that current plans for the WrestleMania 36 appearance will lead to a future match for the three-time Super Bowl champion. Gronk is not scheduled to wrestle on The Grandest Stage of Them All this year, but that appearance will lead to the match they have in mind.

The 30 year old Gronk, who retired from the NFL one year ago, signed with FOX Sports as an analyst back in October. The Wrap reached out to FOX Sports for comments on if the new WWE deal will impact Gronk’s NFL work, but there’s no word yet.

It was reported last night on WWE Backstage by Pro Wrestling Sheet‘s Ryan Satin that Gronk and WWE were close to finalizing a deal. That deal has been officially signed, according to the new report from The Wrap.

Gronk, a noted pro wrestling fan and good friend to Mojo Rawley, made his WWE debut at WrestleMania 33 back in 2017, to help Mojo win the 4th Annual Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

There’s no word yet on the terms of Rob’s deal with WWE.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jeff Hardy And Paige Returning To WWE SmackDown This Friday

WWE announced that Paige and Jeff Hardy will be appearing on SmackDown this Friday night on FOX.

It was announced that Paige, who was forced to undergo emergency surgery last week to remove an ovarian cyst, will be appearing on the show to confront Bayley.

It will be Paige’s first appearance on RAW or SmackDown since The Kabuki Warriors dropped her as their manager on RAW last October.

Hardy announced last week that he was cleared to return to action. He suffered a leg injury last year shortly after WrestleMania 35 in April of 2019, and suffered some personal setbacks during that time.

After being arrested last October, Hardy checked himself into inpatient rehab for the first time in his life. He is scheduled to be back in court on Monday, April 6, the day after WrestleMania 36, for charges related to the arrest.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1237241773748924419

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/6/20 – nWo To Appear

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York with the final build for Sunday’s WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

  • Lacey Evans & Naomi team up for rematch against Bayley & Sasha Banks
  • “Firefly Fun House” returns after “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt’s WrestleMania challenge
  • WWE Elimination Chamber final entrance on the line in Tag Team Gauntlet Match
  • The nWo to appear on “A Moment of Bliss” tonight

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1235822420545724417

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/28/20

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the TD Garden in Boston, MA with fallout from WWE Super ShowDown and more on the Road to WrestleMania 36.

WWE has not issued an official preview for tonight’s SmackDown.

* John Cena will make his return to SmackDown tonight.

* New WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg will be there, just one day after winning the title over “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in Saudi Arabia at Super ShowDown.

Possible Culprits Behind The Recent WWE SmackDownTV Glitches

Recently, WWE have begun teasing us with one of those mysterious storylines where there is a recurring thing happening on TV for a number of weeks, without any possible explanation as to what it means or who could be behind it. This time, Vince and co. have done a surprisingly good job at presenting the angle, as the delivery has been based on subtlety and not bashing the audience over the head with.

For a number of weeks, people watching SmackDown on their screens have seen random glitches distort the video quality once or twice during the show. The initial guess would have been it was another manifestation of Bray Wyatt’s ever expanding list of superpowers. But as the shows progressed, neither commentators mentioned these glitches nor would they be implicated in any of Bray’s promos or segments.

The rumor mill has since been spinning furiously as to who could be behind these glitches. Could it be a returning superstar? Could it be a sensational debut? Of course, the expectations do need to be tempered slightly given so many of WWE’s storylines end up in Randy Orton’s hometown of Nowhere.

But, since WWE have bothered to give us this juicy narrative thread to feast upon, we would only be doing ourselves an injustice by letting cynicism bog us down. Who could be behind these glitches? Here are seven possible answers according to WhatCulture.

  1. CM Punk
  2. Undisputed ERA
  3. The IIconics
  4. Jeff Hardy
  5. Lars Sullivan
  6. Killer Kross
  7. Mustafi Ali

Source: WhatCulture

Of these 7 possibilities most wrestling news sites and blogs seemed to think it’s either the debut of recent WWE signee Killer Kross or Mustafi Ali who has been off of TV as of late.