* Killian Dane vs. No Way Jose
* Hideo Itami vs. Oney Lorcan
* What does NXT Champion Bobby Roode have in store for the NXT Universe? Does The Glorious One have plans for who he will defend his title against next?
Update On The Mae Young Classic
We noted before that WWE officials were planning on releasing 3 or 4 episodes of The Mae Young Classic at a time instead of one new episode each week. PWInsider now reports that a preview special for the tournament will air on the WWE Network on Sunday, August 20th with the first round of the tournament being released via on-demand during the final week of August as a way to let fans binge-watch the episodes.
The second round of the tournament will then be released during the first week of September. The original plan was to release them during SummerSlam week but the decision was made to hold off so The Mae Young Classic isn’t overshadowed by everything else going on that week.
The live finals had been scheduled for Tuesday, August 29th but the new date is Tuesday, September 12th. It’s possible that the finals air live from Las Vegas on the WWE Network as WWE will be in town that night to tape SmackDown.
As noted, the 32-competitor tournament will tape on Thursday, July 13th and Friday, July 14th at Full Sail University.
Source: WrestlingINC
NXT And WWE Superstars Help Raise Money For We Love Manchester Emergency Fund (Video)
Superstars from NXT and WWE are in the UK right now to do good in the name charity — namely raising money for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.
Ember Moon, Roderick Strong, Trent Seven and Jack Gallagher made an appearance earlier today at the British Red Cross store in Eccles to sign shirts/hats … as well as meet with fans.
Moon posted a video of the stars signing and promised that the money from those signed shirts and hats would be going to the British Red Cross’ We Love Manchester Emergency Fund.
NXT had previously scheduled an event at the Manchester Arena for the tour, but the date was cancelled in the wake of the bombing that occurred on May 22.
If you’d like to donate to the fund CLICK HERE.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
SmackDown Preview 6/6/17
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, NY with hype for Money In The Bank.
* Shinsuke Nakamura and Kevin Owens to square off in one-on-one action for first time tonight on SmackDown LIVE
* Styles and Ziggler clash in rematch
* Naomi and Money in the Bank Ladder Match entrants collide in Six-Woman Tag Team battle
* The New Day to make SmackDown LIVE in-ring debut
Jake “The Snake” Roberts Wants Match With Bray Wyatt,
Jake “The Snake” Roberts tweeted that he wants a match against Bray Wyatt. Roberts was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.
WCPW Appeals YouTube, Full ‘Fight Back’ Show Back On Their Site
As noted previously, this year on YouTube there have been some controversial videos regarding social relations that has caused large advertisers to back away from the site. This has also forced YouTube to be much more strict on their viewing restrictions, which includes pro wrestling. This change in policy has severely hurt revenue streams for independent promotions, causing some to adjust their plans going forward. In May, WCPW was forced to cancel a number of their upcoming Loaded shows due to these changes.
Their most recent show was entitled Fight Back and used a logo similar to YouTube’s logo. WCPW ended up receiving a “Strike” on their account and YouTube also took down the full Fight Back show over the weekend. In response, WCPW released a video of WCPW General Manager, Adam Blampied, giving a passionate speech about what has been going on and how wrestling brings people together. The video has been seen over 136,000 times and it looks like YouTube took notice. Via Blampied’s Twitter:
YouTube returned the full event to its website, while also removing the “Strike” they gave to WCPW. The full event can be seen at the top of the article.
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE NXT ‘Takeover: Brooklyn III’ Officially Announced
WWE officially announced NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III for Saturday, August 19th at the Barclays Center during SummerSlam weekend:
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn returns to Barclays Center on Aug. 19
For the third year in a row, Brooklyn, N.Y., will host NXT’s hottest event of the summer.
TakeOver: Brooklyn III comes to the Barclays Center Saturday, Aug. 19, one night before WWE SummerSlam emanates from the same building.
WWE COO Triple H made the announcement on Twitter:
It’s time for @WWENXT to take over…#NXTTakeOver: Brooklyn
Sat. August, 19th @barclayscenterTickets on sale Fri at 10am ET #WeAreNXT pic.twitter.com/bQ3SVHE7dD
— Triple H (@TripleH) June 5, 2017
Tickets for the WWE Network special event go on sale this Friday, June 9, at 10 a.m. ET, exclusively at NXTtickets.com.
NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn has played home to such historic showdowns as Finn Bálor vs. Kevin Owens, Bayley vs. Sasha Banks and Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Samoa Joe in previous years. There’s no telling what huge matches will go down this August, but this much is certain: Takeover: Brooklyn III will have the entire WWE Universe buzzing!
Don’t miss out on witnessing the action live in person — secure your ticket this Friday.
Ric Flair Says He Injured Hand Fighting Golden State Warriors Fan
WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair says he recently injured his hand after getting into it with a Golden State Warriors fan.
Flair did not say who he got into a scuffle with it, but he posted his injury on social media, saying on Instagram, “Rihanna, Move over and Let the Naitch show you how it is done!”.
Flair is referring to the singer Rihanna heckling Warriors forward Kevin Duran during the Game 1 of the Finals.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Ex-TNA Wrestler Thea Trinidad Signs WWE Contract
Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that ex-TNA wrestler Thea Trinidad (Rosita), signed a WWE deal recently and will begin training at the Performance Center.
Sources confirm that Thea, who is in a relationship with cruiserweight standout Austin Aries, joins multiple other signees who also recently inked contracts.
The group includes former TNA wrestler Gunner, female independent wrestlers Evie and Nixon Newell, Cruiserweight Classic competitor Fabian Aichner and German wrestler Axel Dieter Jr.
Thea recently sat ringside for an Andrade ‘Cien‘ Almas match at an NXT TV taping, but when it aired she wasn’t shown on camera. Unclear if they plan to pair the two. She also played the part of AJ Lee in the soon-to-be-released biopic about Paige and her family.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
RAW Preview 6/5/17
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza from Wilkes-Barre, PA with the fallout from last night’s WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view.
* Can Samoa Joe conquer The Beast Incarnate?
* Cesaro & Sheamus take The Hardy Boyz to the Extreme
* What’s next for Alexa Bliss?
* The Miz’s Intercontinental Championship “comeback tour” begins
* What dirt did Corey Graves have on Kurt Angle?
