WWE NXT Preview 8/8/2023

Here is the lineup for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • WWE NXT North American Championship: Dominik Mysterio (c) with Rhea Ripley vs. Dragon Lee with Rey Mysterio.
  • Bron Breakker vs. Von Wagner
  • “Heritage Cup” Match: Noam Dar vs. Tyler Bate (For Noam Dar’s Heritage Cup – Nathan Frazer is the true NXT Heritage Cup Champion)
  • Mustafa Ali vs. Axiom, with the winner getting a future WWE NXT North American Championship match.
  • Ilja Dragunov vows retribution against Trick Williams
  • WWE NXT Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton will appear.
  • Ivy Nile vs. Kiana James
  • Blair Davenport vs. Kelani Jordan

Brian Pillman Jr. is rumored to be at tonight’s NXT.

Nia Jax Returning To WWE?

According to a report from Pwinsider, there has been a lot of talk over the past few days that Nia Jax will soon be returning to WWE.

While there is no word on whether Jax was backstage at Monday’s RAW TV tapings, several different sources have stated that they’ve heard her name being mentioned as of late.

One source went as far as to say that there’s already a plan in place for the Women’s Tag Team titles following Sonya Deville’s injury and it may involve Nia Jax.

Additionally, it was noted that there’s a ton of sympathy for Deville as she’s very highly regarded within the company.

The last time we saw Nia Jax on WWE television was during a one-off appearance at the 2023 Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.

Sources: eWn and PWInsider

Sonya Deville Suffers Torn ACL, Will Undergo Surgery

Sonya Deville has suffered a torn ACL and will be out of action for at least the next few months.

TMZ Sports is reporting that the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion recently suffered a serious knee injury that will require surgery.

The report says the injury occurred during her tag team championship match against Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair on the July 28th episode of WWE SmackDown in New Orleans, LA. Deville is expected to undergo surgery today.

While there is no timetable for Sonya Deville to return to WWE, it usually takes 6-9 months to recover from a torn ACL.

Sonya Deville gives injury update:

“What’s up, guys? So obviously the tag team titles are cursed. I’m just kidding. But like, not really. Anyway, as all of you probably already know and heard, thank you, TMZ.

I have torn my left ACL last week on SmackDown in my match against Bianca and Charlote, and obviously I will be out for an extended period of time due to the fact that I have to get surgery tomorrow. First and foremost, I want to say thank you to everyone who has sent their well wishes and messaged, me and everything. I really appreciate it and it means a lot. Obviously, you guys all know that I’ve been working the last eight plus years in the WWE and in my wrestling career to obtain a title of some sort, and I finally gotten my hands on the women’s tag team titles with Chelsea and I think we’ve been champs for 20 something days. So obviously it’s super bitter to say that it’s come to an end due to an injury, especially being that it’s my first injury in wrestling or really in sports in general.

And I’ve been a lifelong athlete since I was five, six years old, so obviously it’s super disappointing and it couldn’t have come at a worse time, but I don’t really think any injury comes at a great time and that’s kind of just how the cookie crumbles. But what I will say is that my life has kind of been a journey of trials and tribulations just how so many others have been. And we all go through ups and downs, but something that has kind of always been part of my character and who I am is I love being tested and I love testing my willpower and my strength and my mental and physical durability. So I feel like coming back from this injury, although it’s unfortunate, I feel like it’s going to give me a bigger motivation and just passion for what I already love doing and that’s being in the WWE. So I love you guys.

I wanted to thank you guys for all your support and tell you that I’m going to be back sooner rather than later and I’m going to be ready to put my hair up and square up.”

https://twitter.com/SonyaDevilleWWE/status/1688703908598738944

Source: eWn

WWE RAW Preview 8/7/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Fallout from SummerSlam

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett officially join the show as the new commentary team going forward.

PWInsider reports that former Impact and NWA World Champion Nick Aldis is in Minneapolis for tonight’s episode of WWE RAW. According to the report, Aldis is being brought in for a producer role, which was what the company was rumored to be interested in him for. He will be at several TV tapings going forward.

As of this writing, WWE has not advertised matches or segments for tonight’s Raw. However, it is expected the company will also begin to build to Payback, which takes place at the PPG Paints Arena on September 2 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Brian Pillman Jr. Will Reportedly Be On WWE NXT This Week

Since his departure from AEW earlier this summer, speculation has suggested that Brian Pillman Jr. could see himself getting a shot in WWE, with some reports even noting that the second-generation star had signed with the promotion. While Pillman himself has only hinted that big things could be on the horizon for him, it seems likely that there is some truth to the rumor that Pillman and WWE could soon be joined together.

PWInsider reports that Pillman is expected to be at this week’s “WWE NXT” tapings on Tuesday, though it is not currently known whether he would be appearing on TV or wrestling a match. Furthermore, while it has yet to be confirmed, it’s believed that Pillman has signed a contract with WWE, and will be working with the promotion going forward. It was previously reported that Pillman attended the Performance Center last month for a tryout.

Pillman Jr. last wrestled for AEW on May 13, as part of the promotion’s House Rules Tour. He has continued to wrestle on the independent scene, last wrestling NSW in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky on July 16.

Meanwhile, Pillman isn’t the only free agent who’s reportedly on the verge of becoming part of the WWE family. Earlier today, it was reported that Nick Aldis will be backstage for tonight’s “WWE Raw.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AJ Mendez & WOW – Women Of Wrestling Parting Ways?

It appears that AJ Mendez (AJ Lee in WWE) and WOW – Women of Wrestling will be parting ways in the near future.

Over the weekend, Mendez took to her Instagram Stories to announce that her contract as an Executive Producer and commentator for the company is coming to an end. She wrote,

“As my contract with @wowsuperheroes winds down, I wanna thank the ladies for welcoming me into their locker room, our hair and makeup talk sessions, and constantly inspiring me with their hard work, talent, and genuine camaraderie. I’ll try to come back and play in the future! I hope all you fans keep watching next season to support these incredible athletes and stars of tomorrow.

(this project is non-union, but while we’re here #wgastrong #sagaftrastrong”

Lee has been a huge proponent of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes involving the two unions. She has also written several projects herself.

Mendez joined WOW – Women Of Wrestling back in 2021.

https://twitter.com/pribila_kyle/status/1688254697122025474

Source: eWn

Ronda Rousey Says She Has No Reason To Stay In Wrestling After WWE SummerSlam Loss

Shayna Baszler wrestled Ronda Rousey at the WWE SummerSlam 2023 pay-per-view event in an MMA Rules Match on Saturday night, where Baszler went over once  Rousey passed out after being choked out.

They attempted to recreate an MMA fight with strikes, submissions, and clinching in the bout.

Ahead of the bout, Rousey was expected to take time off from WWE, with SummerSlam being her last match before she took the hiatus.

As previously reported here on eWn, there were some issues between WWE and Rousey & Baszler regarding the layout of this match, as the two sides had differences of opinions.

Rousey took to Instagram to note that she has no reason to stay in WWE, essentially confirming her WWE exit: 

“@qosbaszler you were the reason I got into this business… Now I got no reason to stay.”

Source: eWn

AEW Star Jeff Jarrett Calls Taylor Swift A Family Friend Who’d Play Piano At His Home

There’s been quite a bit of overlap between the music and pro wrestling industries over the years, but fans of pro wrestling were pleasantly surprised to hear about Jeff Jarrett’s friendship with musician Taylor Swift recently. 

The veteran star has now talked about how his family and Swift became friends during his recent appearance on “TalkSport.”

“She’s from Hendersonville – a friend of the family,” said “Double J.” “There was a recent tweet that resurfaced and people were like, ‘Is that photoshopped,’ and I’m like, ‘Who’s going to go out of their way to photoshop Taylor in my house playing the piano?'”

Jarrett said Swift was his neighbor and that the celebrated musician used to babysit his daughters. He also revealed that his daughters even appeared in the music video of Swift’s song, “Mine.” The song, which was released in 2010, featured Jarrett’s three daughters as well as one of Kurt Angle’s daughters.

A recent social media post that did the rounds showed Swift playing the piano surrounded by the AEW star’s daughters. Jarrett has previously discussed his friendship with Swift, with the musician playing her entire first album to his family, which brought Jarrett’s late wife, Jill, to tears. Jill, who was then battling cancer, sadly passed away in 2007.

“Taylor played her first album to us. Jill cried her a*s out, and the girls knew every word to every song,” recalled Jarrett. “It was from god. For Taylor to step in here, a friend of a friend who I’d never met, and to this day Taylor keeps in touch with my girls.”

Swift is one of the biggest musicians of her generation, but Jarrett — who has a musician gimmick — uses his guitar in other ways, to bash his opponents in the head on AEW television, over 30 years after debuting the character in pro wrestling.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Kairi Sane’s Potential WWE Return Date

PWInsider first reported Saturday night ahead of SummerSlam that former “NXT” Women’s Champion Kairi Sane was set for an “imminent” return to WWE. While she didn’t make an appearance at “The Biggest Party of the Summer,” Dave Meltzer is now reporting that Sane’s return is slated for later this year.

“Yeah, maybe November,” Meltzer said during the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio.” “She’s got two more dates in Japan I think that she’s scheduled for. Yeah, she’s coming back. As far as that goes, there is something to that because she left [WWE] because she wanted to return to Japan. And then when her contract was up, she started working at STARDOM, and she was going to be the big international star. New Japan was going to use her to come to the United States and things like that. I think what ended up happening was then they signed Mercedes [Moné] to kind of take that spot.”

He continued, “When Bushiroad took over and bought STARDOM, there was a lot of hope of the idea of, ‘The talent will get paid more, we’re gonna get Io Shirai back,’ which they almost did. That was the idea, and what’s happened is the Bushiroad wrestling side has not nearly been as profitable as they expected it to be because New Japan business is down… Kairi was going to work big shows and at a certain price probably. And there we go, she’s going back to WWE.”

Sane wrapped up her WWE in-ring career in July 2020 before transitioning into an ambassador role. Once that contract ended at the end of 2021, she returned to Japan and went on to become the inaugural IWGP Women’s Champion.

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to “Wrestling Observer Radio”

WWE SummerSlam 8/5/2023 (Results)

Logan Pail def. Ricochet

Paul used brass knuckles for a knockout punch to get the win.

Cody Rhodes def. Brock Lesnar

After the match, Lesnar shook Cody’y hand, hugged him and raised his hands in victory.

SUMMERSLAM BATTLE ROYAL:
LA Knight wins.

MMA RULES MATCH:
Shayna Baszler def. Ronda Rousey by Technical Submission with a Kirifuda Clutch

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Gunther (c) def. Drew McIntyre

WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) def. Finn Bálor

Damian Priest placed his MITB briefcase in the ring and distracted the referee but it backfired because Rollins hit Balor with a Curb Stomp on the briefcase to get the win.

WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Bianca Belair def. Asuka (c) and Charlotte Flair to become the New WWE Women’s Champion

After the match: Iyo Sky and Bayley came to the ring. Iyo cashed in the MITB briefcase.

WWE WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Iyo Sky def. Bianca Belair (c) to become the New WWE Women’s Champion

Dakota Kai joined Iyo and Bayley in the ring for the celebration.

TRIBAL COMBAT UNDISPUTED WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Roman Reigns (c) def. Jey Uso

Just as Jey Uso was about to win, in a shocking twist, Jimmy Uso returned only to pull Jey out of the ring and hit him with a Superkick. Roman then speared Jey through a table made the pin cover for the win.