Tag: NXT

WWE NXT 2.0 Preview 8/23/22

WWE NXT 2.0 airs live tonight on USA Network at 8/7C.

Toxic Attraction Removed From Tag Title Tournament Due To Gigi Dolin Concussion

Fans had been waiting months for WWE to announce what it had planned for the Women’s Tag Titles after Sasha Banks and Naomi handed them over and walked out. It took Vince McMahon retiring for those plans to be put in place. A tournament to decide who the new champions will be. However, as that tournament nears its end, it has been wrought with issues.

Last Friday, as Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark prepared to make their main roster debuts, WWE revealed the NXT duo would not be competing in the tournament. Stark is legitimately injured, and Lyons is too apparently though whether that’s the case or not remains up in the air. Toxic Attraction replaced the pair and defeated Natalya and Sonya Deville to progress.

Three days later, the high Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne were likely riding after debuting on SmackDown and winning their first match has come crashing down. Right before Raw went live on Monday, WWE revealed that Toxic Attraction, who were replacements themselves, will now need to be replaced. WWE reported Dolin suffered an injury on SmackDown, and it has since been revealed (via Wrestling Observer Radio) that injury was a concussion.

It was a little unclear how exactly WWE would fill a tournament for the Tag Titles when there aren’t that many women’s teams to begin with. That reality has really hit home with yet another replacement needed. Instead of finding another team, the four duos who lost their first round bouts will get a second chance match. The Four-Way tag team bout will take place this Friday on SmackDown.

Elsewhere in the bracket, Iyo Sky and Dakota Kai booked their spot in the final on Raw last night. Raquel Gonzalez and Aliyah are the other team left in, and they will face the winner of the 4-way match. When exactly that second semifinal, and then the final, will take place is unclear. Probably not at Clash at the Castle since Sky and Kai are already booked in a different match that night.

Source: TheSportster

Shawn Michaels promoted to WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative

Shawn Michaels has been given a promotion in WWE.

Following his retirement in 2010 after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26, “HBK” took time away from wrestling to be with his family and do other things while occasionally making appearances on WWE television.

Michaels started helping at the Performance Center in late 2016 before becoming a trainer for the finishing class alongside Terry Taylor the following year. In 2018, he started working as a writer and producer for the NXT brand alongside Triple H, who oversaw the creative of the brand.

Michaels stepped up in September 2021 when his good friend was sidelined due to health issues and started running the day-to-day operations of NXT and being in charge of creative.

As previously reported, WWE announced that NXT UK will be rebranded as NXT Europe starting in 2023. NXT UK will go on hiatus before the relaunch. NXT UK will be part of the premium live event, Worlds Collide, with NXT next month. 

Brandon Thurston of WrestleNomics pointed out that Michaels has been given a new title of WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative.

Source: WrestlingNews.co

WWE Announces Upcoming NXT UK Rebrand And Hiatus

After a handful of “NXT UK” stars appeared on “NXT 2.0” this week, it has now been revealed that the UK-based brand will be undergoing a revamp, slated to take place in 2023. 

WWE has confirmed that “NXT UK” will become “NXT Europe” in 2023. It will continue expanding the current brand that has been active full-time since June 2018, although its beginnings can be traced back to 2016 with the first-ever United Kingdom Championship tournament which took place in Blackpool, England. “Following the success of our live events and talent identification efforts throughout all of Europe, we believe this is the perfect time to expand NXT beyond the UK,” Shawn Michaels, WWE Vice President of Talent Development Creative said. It should be noted, this appears to be the first time Michaels’ new title with the company has been confirmed.

As it stands, “NXT UK” currently airs weekly on Peacock and WWE Network, with its most recent shows being recorded at the BT Sport Studios in London, England. Initially, shows were being recorded on the road around the United Kingdom, but the brand ultimately found a new home, in part due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just last week, it was revealed that an upcoming television taping was canceled due to the BT Sports Studios being unavailable, which led many to speculate that the future of the brand was in doubt, but that hasn’t turned out to be the case. 

Furthermore, in addition to the “NXT Europe” announcement, WWE revealed that a special premium live event, Worlds Collide, will take place on Sunday, September 4 that will feature stars from “NXT 2.0” and “NXT UK.” While no location has been provided in the official press release, it should be noted that Clash at the Castle, WWE’s next major premium live event, will be taking place at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, the previous night. AEW All Out will take place the evening of Sunday, September 4.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT ‘Heatwave’ Preview

WWE NXT 2.0 presents its special “Heatwave” episode tonight at 8/7C on USA Network.

  • Bron Breakker vs. JD McDonagh for the NXT Championship
  • Mandy Rose vs. Zoey Stark for the NXT Women’s Championship
  • Roxanne Perez vs. Cora Jade
  • Giovanni Vinci vs. Carmelo Hayes for the NXT North American Championship
  • Santos Escobar vs. Tony D’Angelo in a Street Fight

WWE NXT Preview 8/9/22

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

WWE NXT Preview 8/2/22

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

WWE NXT Preview 7/26/22

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

WWE NXT Preview 7/19/2022

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

The 20 participants being promoted for the battle royal are Alba Fyre, Amari Miller, Arianna Grace, Cora Jade, Elektra Lopez, Fallon Henley, Indi Hartwell, Ivy Nile, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Kiana James, Lash Legend, Nikkita Lyons, Sarray, Sloane Jacobs, Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton, Valentina Feroz, Wendy Choo, and Yulisa Leon.

The Rock’s Daughter, Ava Raine, Debuts Nickname In First WWE NXT Promo At NXT House Show

WWE NXT held another live event last night in Orlando, Florida, headlined by Bron Breakker successfully defending his NXT Championship against Tony D’Angelo. Elsewhere on the card, the leader of Toxic Attraction, Mandy Rose, defeated Ivy Nile to retain her NXT Women’s Title, and The Creed Brothers defeated Joe Gacy and a member of the DYAD to retain their Tag Team Titles.

But one of the biggest stories coming out of the show isn’t about the in-ring action at all. Fresh WWE NXT talent Ava Raine, the real-life daughter of The Rock that signed with WWE in February 2020, cut her first promo at last night’s event. She was presented as a heel to the audience as she talked down to Cora Jade and the rest of the NXT women’s locker room.

Raine also revealed what her nickname will be going forward and it’s possibly a nod to a recent horror film. Raine, a fan of cinema influenced by the supernatural, apparent by the many references to “The Craft” (1996) on her social media, was referring to herself as “The Final Girl” during her in-ring promo. The film, “The Final Girls” was a horror/comedy film released in 2015 that first debuted at the SXSW Film Festival before receiving a wider release in the United States later that Fall. The premise of the movie sees the protagonist, Max, along with her group of friends, getting trapped inside a B-horror film where they must use the tropes they’ve learned from watching horror movies to survive. There’s no certainty this film influenced the new description Raine is giving herself in NXT, but the connection is possible.

“The Final Girl” is also a common trope in horror cinema as a whole. She is recognized as the last girl or woman surviving in the film as the story becomes centrally focused on her.

As seen in the photos below, Raine was trending after she dropped the promo last night, signifying that we might be approaching a televised debut for the 20-year-old. She has been teasing her debut for several weeks until last night when she finally revealed her persona to a live crowd.

Source: Wrestling Inc.