Speculation On WWE Cuts Cost-Cutting Plans Based On Endeavor’s UFC Acquisition

As noted, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide memo asking corporate employees to work remotely on Friday due to “workforce reductions.” This comes in the wake of Endeavor officially merging WWE and UFC to form TKO earlier this week.

Dave Meltzer noted in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel is looking to cut $50 million to $100 million in costs in WWE to increase profitability. UFC went through extensive layoffs in 2016 when Endeavor acquired the company, and it’s expected that WWE will suffer the same fate. It was also noted that Emanuel previously stated that there would be no underestimating TV rights and sponsorship potential.

While WWE’s on-screen product may not look much different in the near future, it’s the behind-the-scenes that will see potentially massive changes. There’s a thought that WWE creative and talent would go unaffected, but Meltzer reminded readers that UFC employees were also told things that didn’t turn out to be true. It’s currently being labeled a “wait-and-see” situation.

PWInsider has already reported the releases of Jamie Horowitz, Executive Vice President of Development and Digital, and Catherine Newman, Executive Vice President and Head of Marketing. Haus of Wrestling reported on Thursday that talent releases from both the main roster and “WWE NXT” are expected at some point, but it was not clear whether those would also happen this week.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

AEW Rampage Preview 9/15/2023

Tonight’s AEW Rampage on TNT.

  • TBS Championship: Kris Statlander (c) vs. Jade Cargill
  • AEW Trios Champions The Acclaimed (Max Caster and Anthony Bowens) & Billy Gunn vs. TBD in non-title action
  • The Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs. Christopher Daniels & Matt Sydal
  • Lucha Brothers (Penta El Zero Miedo & Rey Fenix) and Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, The Butcher & The Blade

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/15/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.

  • Grayson Waller Effect with John Cena
  • LA Knight vs The Miz

AEW Announces Dave Brown Will Be Guest Announcer For Collision In Memphis

Dave Brown, an announcer of Memphis wrestling for over 30 years, will be a guest announcer for AEW Collision on October 21 in Memphis, TN.

Brown worked alongside Lance Russell for 25 years on Championship Wrestling for the Continental Wrestling Association.

This marks the first time AEW will hold a show at the venue, with WWE’s last event being Raw on August 28th.

Update on Jade Cargill’s Potential WWE Future

As previously reported, former AEW TBS Champion Jade Cargill is expected to be joining WWE.

Dave Meltzer provided more details in the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, reporting that Cargill and AEW didn’t come to terms on a new deal.

Meltzer wrote,

“Those in WWE believed she was coming and that it would be on the main roster rather than developmental, but I could see that going either way. Another person in WWE described it to us as that her name was being talked about a lot, but the deal was not completed at press time. The money it would take to get her would have been far more than they pay those in developmental, but while she has a star look and is a great athlete, her skill set and experience level is not at WWE main roster woman levels. But good workers are there to make the less experienced and more marketable workers look better than they are.”

The Observer also reported that former major league baseball star Aaron Phillips, Cargill’s husband, was in attendance in Cincinnati for her possible final AEW match and that there were reports that it was the best match of her career.

Meltzer continued,

“One person in WWE described this as coming out of the blue, but that they do expect her to be coming in. There are several factors involved here including money. Cargill was probably protected more in AEW than she would be in WWE, but that’s not to be sure. She probably can have better matches in WWE because on the main roster the level of the women is higher. From a travel schedule, for someone with outside interests and a daughter, WWE would have her do more matches, which is probably a good thing for her long-run, but travel far more extensive unless she got a sweetheart deal on the schedule. If she has goals outside of wrestling, such as acting since she’s got a superhero look, the WWE main roster exposure would help her more.”

Sources: eWn and Wrestling Observer

“Major Cuts” Are Coming To The WWE Main Roster & NXT, Office Employees Cuts Coming today

On Tuesday, Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor Group acquired WWE and merged it with the UFC to form TKO Group Holdings. The two companies will operate as separate entities.

WWE CFO and President Frank Riddick III will be ending his tenure with the company at the end of this month. This comes after he received a $5 million bonus from the sale.

Additionally, WWE President Nick Khan sent out a company-wide email to employees on Thursday (see below) to inform them that they should work remotely on Friday so WWE’s HR team can perform “workforce reductions” in private. Employees will be notified of their terminations as the decisions are made throughout the course of the day.

According to a report from Nick Hausman, it has been confirmed that major layoffs will be taking place at the Stamford, CT headquarters later today. Additionally, it was noted that “major cuts” are also expected to be taking place on the WWE main roster and the NXT brand. It remains to be seen whether the talent cuts take place today (Friday) or in the coming weeks. We know for sure the office cuts are coming today.

As you’d expect, the reason for possibly splitting up the timeframe between the office and talent cuts is due to the bad PR that always comes with massive layoffs. Usually, the office cuts take place first. But it’s possible both could end up happening today. We’ll see.

Nick Khan sent a email to WWE employees on Thursday, you can read that below:

“As part of WWE’s transition into the newly formed TKO Group Holdings, we are evaluating our existing operations and systems to identify potential synergies across the business. This effort includes workforce reductions, which will take place tomorrow.

Those whose roles have been impacted will be notified by our Human Resources Team, who will share the details of their severance package. We are asking that everyone work remotely, Friday September 15th, so we can insure all conversations are handled privately and respectfully. We’ll send out a company-wide email once all of tomorrow’s conversations have happened.

Our company is home to the most talented, creative, and hard-working employees in the world. WWE is a special place, which makes moments like this difficult. Just know that we have nothing but gratitude and admiration for everyone we have had the privilege to work alongside.

Thank you for all your contributions and dedication.

Nick Khan”

Source: eWn

Traci Brooks To Be Inducted Into Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame 

One of the most memorable Knockouts in IMPACT Wrestling history, Traci Brooks will be inducted into the Impact Wrestling Hall Of Fame at Bound for Glory weekend.

During the 1000th episode of IMPACT Wrestling, the 48-year-old star and her husband Frankie Kazarian teamed up to wrestle the duo of Eddie and Alisha Edwards. The two teams fought with everything they had. In the end, Kazarian and his wife managed to pick up the win.

Following the match, Frankie Kazarian took the microphone to make a special announcement. He revealed that on October 21st in Chicago at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view, the original Knockouts will be inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Traci Brooks took to Twitter to share her excitement. She was beyond honored to join the elite list of wrestlers as part of the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame. Brooks also confirmed that her match last night was her final bout in her professional wrestling career.

Brooks also mentioned that it was an honor to have her final match teaming up with her husband. She’s also looking forward to being inducted into the IMPACT Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Bound for Glory pay-per-view in the presence of her son.

“This little farm girl from St. Mary’s, Ontario Canada just wanted to wrestle. I never dreamed of one day being in @IMPACTWRESTLING Hall Of Fame beside the amazing Don West & Mike Tenay. My last match with my wonderful husband by my side & my son in the ring for my HOF announcement,” Traci Brooks tweeted.

Don West and Mike Tenay will also be inducted as part of the 2023 Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2023 at Bound For Glory.

MLW Fusion Preview 9/14/2023

MLW FUSION featuring the return of Salina de la Renta, streaming 8pm tonight on MLW’s YouTube channel and FITE+, Friday on beIN XTRA and Saturday on Cable TV’s beIN SPORTS (find a provider). 

Salina de la Renta is en la casa! What’s on the Empresaria of Lucha’’s agenda this week as she continues to make quick moves and reconsolidate her power?

The World Heavyweight Champion Alex Kane invites the media out for a filter-free press conference. What’s next for the captain of the BOMAYE Fight Club? 

Breaking news on MLW’s next FITE+ premium event drops this week on FUSION. Slaughterhouse will feature a DOUBLE main event. The first match is revealed tonight! 

Whispers of The Calling’s ominous presence abound. Could Rickey Shane Page, AKIRA and the devout masked followers be in the house tonight?

When the moonsault hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore… or Love, Doug when he wrestles Little Guido for the first-time ever!

“International Popstar” B3CCA is in the house and in action against Tiara James. James, who makes her debut, faces an emerging contender to the World Featherweight Championship in B3CCA. Will B3CCA inch closer to a title shot? Will Tiara take a win in a triumphant debut? 

Microman goes one on one with Sam Adonis! Can MLW’s 3 feet of fighting fury finally teach Adonis a lesson in respect after last week’s deplorable punting incident?

Plus an MLW newcomer joins forces with The Second Gear Crew in their ongoing war with The Calling.

In middleweight action, Ichiban battles TJ Crawford. Crawford, who has proven to be a heavy hitting technician, doesn’t think much of the hype for Ichiban. Wasting no time, Crawford demanded (and reportedly threatened) league officials for a match with the masked fighter and now it is official. What happens when The NumberOne Dojo’s Kokujin Katana” rumbles “The Silver Sniper”?

Jagger Reid And Rip Fowler Reportedly No Longer With WWE

Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler are “gone” from WWE, according to Dave Meltzer on the “Wrestling Observer Radio” show. The veteran pro wrestling journalist noted that Fowler and Reid’s contracts with the Stamford, Connecticut-based promotion were up and presumed an angle would have played out on television. Meanwhile, a source within WWE had no information regarding the duo’s reported departure.

On “WWE NXT” this past Tuesday night, it was indicated by Joe Gacy and Ava Raine that the tag team formerly known as the Grizzled Young Veterans were no longer a part of the Schism faction. Reid and Fowler had been a part of the group for a number of months.

Back in April, the duo were denied their release from WWE. Reid, who previously performed as James Drake, wrote on social media, “As of today, WWE has denied my request for my release. I want to thank you all for your support throughout my career, I’ll never take that for granted. My contract with WWE expires on 14th October 2023. I’m excited to share our next chapter, once we are free agents.” Fowler, who previously performed as Zak Gibson, also posted a similar statement.

Despite wanting out of their contracts early, Reid and Fowler remained an integral part of the “NXT” show. During the “NXT” Battleground pre-show media call in May, WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels mentioned that he wanted the duo to stay with the promotion. He also said that he understood how the tag team felt and that there would be no hard feelings. The former “NXT UK” Tag Team Champion’s most recent match in WWE took place on the August 29 episode of “NXT,” where they were defeated by Julius and Brutus Creed in a steel cage match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Impact Wrestling 1000th Episode Preview 9/14/2023

Tonight’s episode of Impact Wrestling on AXS TV is all-new as it celebrates the 1000 episodes of the weekly show. Here are the matches that have been announced for the show:

  • X-Division Championship: Lio Rush (c) vs. Chris Sabin.
  • Frankie Kazarian & Traci Brooks vs. Alisha & Eddie Edwards
  • Team 3D in action for the first time in 7 years, the former 2-time IMPACT World Tag Team Champions and world-renowned duo of Bully Ray and Devon are set to compete in tag team action – but who will their opponents be? One thing is for certain, someone is going through a table on this historic night!
  • Feast of Fired Match featuring Moose, Heath, Maclin, Laredo Kid, Johnny Swinger, Crazzy Steve, Joe Hendry, Yuya Uemura, Jonathan Gresham, Black Taurus, PCO, Sami Callihan, John Skyler, Chris Bey, KUSHIDA, Brian Myers, Kevin Knight, Bhupinder Gujjar, Jai Vidal, John E. Bravo and more.
  • 10-Women Knockouts Tag Team Match: Deonna Purrazzo, Savannah Evans, Gisele Shaw and Angelina Love w/Velvet Sky and a mystery partner vs. Impact Knockouts Champion Trinity, Jordynne Grace, Gail Kim, Awesome Kong w/Raisha Saeed, aka Cheerleader Melissa. and a mystery partner