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

Sting Signs New Multi-Year Contract With AEW, Reveals What He’s Doing Now

Sting has signed a new multi-year contract with All Elite Wrestling.

The wrestling icon, who retired from in-ring competition at AEW Revolution earlier this year, recently spoke with “Kayfabe Friends” at the Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion to announce what his AEW future holds. He said,

“I signed a multi-year deal with AEW, obviously not to wrestle anymore. But it’s like a licensing deal.”

He added, ”A legends deal if you want to call it that. So I’ll do appearances with them on and off, depending on what they want and all. I’ve done real estate, I did real estate before I ever was a pro wrestler, so I’ve always loved real estate. A lot of people say, ‘Oh, are you a real estate agent?’ No, I’m not an agent. I’m an investor. I was flipping houses before before flipping houses was a term. So I made money in real estate before wrestling, so I’m doing that again, and I love it.”

Source: eWn

AEW’s Ricochet Surprises Konosuke Takeshita At MLPW Forged In Excellence, Results From Both Nights

Former TNA Wrestling President Scott D’Amore got his next project off the ground this past weekend, relaunching Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling to hold a pair of shows in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. The two events included talent from across the wrestling world, including AEW International Champion Konosuke Takeshita defending his title against TNA’s Josh Alexander. Following Takeshita’s victory, he and Don Callis began beating down Alexander when they were interrupted by a surprising face — AEW star Ricochet.

As soon as the music hit, Callis made his escape as Ricochet entered the ring and launched Takeshita to the outside. He then dove onto the International Champion before hopping back into the ring and grabbing hold of the title, teasing that he isn’t finished with Takeshita.

Earlier this month, both Ricochet and Takeshita took part in a three-way match at AEW WrestleDream with the International Championship on the line, with former champion Will Ospreay as the third man. Takeshita pinned Ricochet to win the match, but it seems Ricochet is now looking for a one-on-one shot at the title. The angle between the two AEW stars closed the show, possibly indicating that the match will take place in MLPW rather than AEW.

In addition to Takeshita, Ricochet, and Alexander, MLPW’s return shows featured performers such as Athena, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, QT Marshall, Bully Ray, and many more. Former WWE commentator Mauro Ranallo could also be heard calling the event alongside Callis, marking his return to the world of pro wrestling after more than three years away.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Source for Results: Fightful

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 1 (10/19/24) Results.

* Josh Alexander, Stu Grayson & El Phantasmo def. Trevor Lee, Rocky Romero & Alex Zayne

– Mike Bailey is interviewed backstage and talks about how excited he is to face off with Takeshita. He says the experience is nerve-racking, but so is leaving your home country to try and find stardom worldwide. That will be the main event tonight.

– Bret Hart narrates a video package about the past and future of Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling.

– Ahead of the next match, QT Marshall cut a promo about St. Clair College giving an Alumni of Distinction award to Bhupinder Gujjar, his opponent for the evening.

* QT Marshall (with Harley Cameron) def. Bhupinder Gujjar

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Kylie Rae.

* Kylie Rae def. Laynie Luck, Taylor Rising, and Aurora Teves

– McKenzie Mitchell interviewed Josh Alexander. He says he’s honored to be the first wrestler to score a pinfall in the new era of MLP, but now he will watch the match between Mike Bailey and Konosuke Takeshita. He will challenge Konosuke Takeshita for the International Championship tomorrow night.

* IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships: Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) (c) def. Rogue Squadron (Sheldon Jean & Rohit Raju) vs. El Reverso & Aiden Prince vs. Brett Banks & Johnny Swinger

* PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja def. Jake Something

– After the match, Raja was interviewed by McKenzie Mitchell and declared that he was “Ravenous” and wanted to defend the gold globally.

– Bully Ray cut a promo on Raj Dhesi. He called him a “washed-up former champion” and said that he would never ever put him through a table.

* Tables Match: Bully Ray def. Raj Dhesi

– The match ended after Raj had chokeslammed Bully through a table, but the referee was knocked out. This led to QT Marshall coming down and knocking out Raj with a chain and dragging him through the broken table before the referee woke up, so it looked like Raj had gone through the table, so Bully scored the victory without actually doing what he needed to do to score the victory. Bhupinder Gujjar stopped a post-match attack on Raj, setting up a tag team match for tomorrow night.

* Gisele Shaw def. Miyu Yamashita

* AEW International Championship Eliminator Match: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Mike Bailey

– After the match, Josh Alexander came down to confront Takeshita, and they stared each other down for the show’s final moments.

Maple Leaf Pro Wrestling Forged In Excellence Night 2 (10/20/24) Results.

* Jet Setters (KUSHIDA & Kevin Knight) & Aiden Prince def. Rocky Romero, Rohit Raju & Rohan Raja

* QPW Qatar Championship Match: El Reverso def. Classy Ali (c)

– Rohan Raja cut a promo backstage, incensed that he lost it in The Opening match without losing the match. He said he would defend his PWA Champion’s Grail in Oceanic Pro Wrestling in December.

– Footage aired of Harley Cameron and Laynie Luck attacking Kylie Rae after last night’s show.

* Kylie Rae & Miyu Yamashita def. Laynie Luck & Harley Cameron

* “Psycho” Mike Rollins def. Trevor Lee, Jake Something, Stu Grayson, Alex Zayne, and Sheldon Jean

* “Speedball” Mike Bailey def. El Phantasmo

– Harley Cameron completely hijacked an interview with Bully Ray and QT Marshall, where she repeated a bunch of Dudley Boyz catchphrases in a funny moment.

* Raj Dhesi & Bhupinder Gujjar def. Bully Ray & QT Marshall (w/ Harley Cameron)

– Darren McCarty appeared in the audience and attacked Bully Ray during the match, setting the scene for the end, which came when Gujjar scored with his Gargoyle Spear on QT Marshall.

* ROH Women’s World Championship: Athena (c) def. Gisele Shaw

* AEW International Championship: Konosuke Takeshita (c) def. Josh Alexander

– Post-Match: Don Callis bragged about Takeshita’s win. He said nobody would be able to stop him. They continued to attack Josh Alexander, and Ricochet came down to save the day. Ricochet and Josh Alexander shook hands as the show came to a close.

AEW Collision & Battle Of The Belts XII Preview 10/19/2024

AEW has a three-hour programming block scheduled for tonight on TNT. First up, it’s a new episode of AEW Collision, immediately followed by AEW Battle of the Belts XII. Both shows air back-to-back tonight on TNT.

Collision:

* AEW World Trios Championship Match: Claudio Castagnoli, PAC & Wheeler Yuta (c) vs. Top Flight
* Kyle Fletcher vs. Atlantis Jr.
* Ricochet vs. AR Fox
* The Outrunners vs. RUSH & The Beast Mortos
* Daniel Garcia & Private Party vs. Premier Athletes
* Orange Cassidy vs. Bulk Bronson
* Harley Cameron vs. Kris Statlander
* Jamie Hayter vs. TBA
* House of Black vs. TBA

Battle of the Belts XII:

* AEW Continental Championship Match: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Kyle O’Reilly
* AEW Women’s World Championship Eliminator Match: Mariah May (c) vs. Anna Jay

Additional Details On New AEW-WBD Media Rights Deal, Ongoing Negotiations

AEW and Warner Brothers Discovery were finally able to announce the details of their new media rights deal on October 2. The deal will not only see AEW stay on TBS and TNT until at least 2028, but the company will also have its two main shows, “AEW Dynamite” and “AEW Collision,” streamed simultaneously on MAX, with the rest of the AEW library following as 2025 rolls on. 

In the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer revealed some extra details about the deal now that it has finally been made official. Meltzer revealed that the $555 Million deal that was announced on October 2 was the main part of the agreement, and the goal was to always announce it on the fifth anniversary of “Dynamite.” However, there are still some negotiations going on. The most notable being the future of “AEW Rampage,” which looks to be finishing at the end of 2024 in favor of a new third show, “AEW Shockwave,” which is still being shopped around to other networks. “Rampage” may still have a future according to Meltzer, but it is unlikely given what the company wants to do with “Shockwave.”

FOX has been “Shockwave’s” main target given they just lost WWE programming, with Meltzer stating that if AEW were to get on FOX, the best days for them would either be Tuesdays or Thursdays, as “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown” already occupy Monday and Friday, AEW already have shows on Wednesday and Saturdays, and Tony Khan doesn’t want to compete with the NFL on Sundays. However, there would be competition on both of those nights in the form of “WWE NXT” on Tuesdays, and some NFL games on Thursdays.

Tony Khan Wants To Expand AEW Internationally

While the future of “Rampage” looks almost certain, some of AEW’s other programs have more uncertain futures in regards to airing on TV. The quarterly Battle of the Belts specials were reportedly not part of the new deal, and while the show can still be shopped around and air in the same way WWE is bringing back Saturday Night’s Main Event, the upcoming Battle of the Belts XII event on October 19 looks to be the final installment. Meltzer also revealed that talks still exist for other new deals, including the potential to air on TruTV, and ROH finally getting its own deal after nearly two years of streaming on HonorClub.

The other main part of the deal that Meltzer shed light on was the profitability of AEW. The new deal not only reportedly guarantees AEW will be a profitable company for the next three years, but also looks to make them the second-most profitable wrestling company in history behind WWE. However, it’s where AEW President Tony Khan decides to put the added $95 Million in television revenue that is the real question.

Meltzer noted that there is no pressure or urge to try and set profit records, with one of Khan’s main goals being investing profits into the international growth of AEW, something that has already been evident in the announcements of the Wrestle Dynasty event in Japan, February’s Grand Slam in Australia, and the 2025 Forbidden Door pay-per-view that will take place in London, England, which will then be followed up with the return of All In: London in 2026. Talent are also set to benefit greatly from the deal too, as the injection of money means bidding wars between AEW and WWE will likely result in the talent being paid more money than ever before.

Source: Wrestling Inc.