Tag: NXT

WWE NXT Preview 10/30/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL.

  • Finn Bálor to explain his actions
  • Tegan Nox & Dakota Kai challenge WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions The Kabuki Warriors
  • Tyler Bate goes one-on-one with Cameron Grimes
  • Candice LeRae and Io Shirai renew their rivalry
  • Keith Lee & Matt Riddle team up to battle The Undisputed ERA

There will be a special one-hour version of last week’s NXT episode that airs on the USA Network at 7pm ET, serving as the lead-in for tonight’s new episode.

Jordan Myles Says His Tweets Were Disrespectful And Unprofessional

NXT Superstar Jordan Myles has released a statement on social media apologizing for his “disrespectful” and “unprofessional” tweets yesterday.

Myles took to Instagram on Tuesday morning to vent in a lengthy caption which reads:

My tweets yesterday were completely disrespectful and were unprofessional.‬

‪I have offend a ton of people and used anger to fuel me. ‬ ‪With that being said.. ‬ ‪I’d like to take this time to state an apologize for not giving a shit about what others think of me. ‪The anger I have inside of me has been built up for years now. Call me what you want, but you’ll never EVER be able to call me fake.‬ ‪ I’ve been lied too, used, and often mistreated by others who I viewed as associates.‬ ‪I’ve tipped toe around, kept quiet, even took some Ls when necessary. Emotionally charged up due to the shirt which triggered past emotions. I’m never going to be sorry for being me nor will I take back my words.‬ ‪I’m the damn professional wrestler in the WORLD & universe today.‬ ‪My ribs are touching and I’m tired of waiting. Time to snatch plates from those that have been eating far too long and always gets seconds while guys like myself have to eat crumbs from the floor like an unwanted child.‬ ‪For 4 years .. I gave my all to a promotion only to find out that you could only reach so high just as long as you didn’t surpass certain “people”.. I never begged for anything, I never kissed no ass, nor did rub elbows with the right ppl to get ahead. I HUSTLED, WORKED HARD. ‪I didn’t call Hunter everyday to get booked in New Japan (s/o to NJPW) I earned it.‬ ‪I’ve always wanted to be “The Guy” and of no one will allow me to be in that spot.. I shall blaze my own trail to that spot rather it be by the approval of others or not.‬ ‪Today i shall continue to go the distance. Today I shall Lee moving forward. Today I shall rise up from my past ashes like a Dark Phoenix and promote change in this industry.‬ ‪Remember these words ‪I AM THE BEST IN THE WORLD! AND NO MAN OR WOMAN WILL STOP ME FROM BEING HONEST.‬ ‪GO THE DISTANCE.

In case you missed it, Myles expressed his frustration with WWE over a shirt design they made for him which featured a combination of red lips and white teeth on a black background which looked similar to offensive blackface and “Sambo” imagery.

WWE later responded with a statement in which they claimed Myles had approved the design after collaborating with their team on it. Myles confirmed this, but said the design was shown to him on a black background.

Jordan’s post can be found below.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4M0wPeJxlh/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Statement On Jordan Myles T-Shirt Controversy, Jordan Myles Responds To WWE Statement “WWE Doesn’t Care About Black People”

WWE has released a statement on Jordan Myles saying he’s unhappy about the shirt they designed for him, claiming the wrestler collaborated with them on the design and gave them approval to sell it.

Myles tweeted a photo of the shirt on Sunday saying, “I will keep posting this till my voice is heard. I’m not sorry for anything I say or do. Representation is important. If this is [Vince McMahon] & [Triple H]’s “vision” of me then this is a slap in the face to EVERY African American performer, fan, and supporter.”

The NXT wrestler’s frustration is due to the combination of a black shirt, red lips and white teeth looking similar to racist blackface and “Sambo” imagery used to put down African Americans.

WWE released the following statement on the matter:

“Albert Hardie Jr. (aka Jordan Myles) approved this t-shirt for sale. As always, we work collaboratively with all of our performers to develop logos and merchandise designs and get their input and approval before proceeding. This was the same process with Albert, and we responded swiftly once he later requested that the logo/t-shirt be redesigned. No t-shirts were sold.”

The new shirt currently for sale on WWE’s custom site now resembles the Space Jam logo.

Jordan Myles has responded to WWE’s statement about his controversial t-shirt, claiming he was uncomfortable with it from the beginning but was told Triple H wanted the design.

“When I originally saw the design I was uncomfortable,” Myles tweeted. “Rather than addressing the issue I decided to counter offer with another. Baker Landon lied to my face! He said HHH wanted this design so my hands were tied. I spoke with [Triple H] in person and his impression was I approved.”

The 31-year-old wrestler tweeted a screen shot of an email correspondence on the matter with Landon, who is Creative Services Talent Coordinator at NXT, seen below.

Hey Albert,

Triple H attended a meeting and had a revision for your logo, but loved it for your character. He wanted to the letter to be more “teethy” and what I have attached is what he liked.

Also have basic t-shirts on there that he approved as well. Road Dogg preferred the gray, but let us know what you think!

Thanks, Baker

Myles also shared a video of himself saying, “WWE doesn’t care about black people” while throwing up a middle finger at the camera.

In addition, he wrote the following: “THE WHOLE WWE SYSTEM IS FRAUD! THEY CREATED THIS SYSTEM WHERE YOU CANT TRUST ANYONE, YOU GROW COLD, AND YOU GROW APART FROM WHAT YOU LOVE THE MOST! The fact that [Hulk Hogan] is still employed after giving the locker room an apology for being caught says enough. #ForTheCulture.”

UPDATE: Myles deleted the video, seen below, not long after posting it on Twitter. He also says the initial design showed to him was on a white background, not black.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage Updates On WWE NXT TV Possibly Airing From Arenas Outside Of Florida

There has been talk of taking the weekly WWE NXT TV show out of Full Sail Live in early 2020. Now it looks like NXT will continue to run Full Sail Live at times, just not every week.

The current talk going around is that NXT will continue to run Full Sail Live in 2020, just not weekly, with the idea of doing the other shows in arenas outside of Florida, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Full Sail is a lot more cost-effective for the show, but the location and the look is believed to be part of the reason for the drop in viewership, especially with head-to-head competition with AEW Dynamite, according to the Observer.

WWE officials have reportedly had discussions with arenas for NXT TV starting in January 2020. The Observer adds that the main reason for doing the weekly USA Network NXT TV show from Full Sail Live was because they rushed to get the show on the air so they could get the jump on AEW, and didn’t have time to book arenas.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Finn Balor Turns Heel On WWE NXT

The closing segment of last night’s WWE NXT saw Finn Balor turn heel.

Last night’s main event saw Roderick Strong retain his NXT North American Title in a hard-hitting Triple Threat over Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic. After the match, the rest of The Undisputed Era (NXT Champion Adam Cole, NXT Tag Team Champions Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) hit the ring to celebrate with Strong and attack Lee.

The beatdown stopped when the music hit and out came Tommaso Ciampa with his crutch. Ciampa stood in the ring and faced off with The Undisputed Era until Johnny Gargano came out next to join him. DIY reunited to face off with The Undisputed Era until Balor’s music hit and then he came out to an even bigger pop. Balor, Gargano and Ciampa faced off with The Undisputed Era in the middle of the ring until Balor turned heel out of nowhere and dropped Gargano with an overhead kick.

The crowd and the announcers were stunned as the rest of The Undisputed Era attacked Ciampa and beat him down while Balor watched from the corner. Cole traded a quick stare with Balor, then dropped Ciampa with a running knee to the back of the head. Balor then left the ring, to a mixed reaction, and dropkicked Gargano into the barrier. Balor pulled Gargano over to the bottom of the ramp after that, and spiked his head into the steel.

At first it looked like Balor was joining The Undisputed Era but that was never made official. After Balor dropped Gargano on the ramp, he pointed down at Gargano and looked up at The Undisputed Era, as if he was offering Gargano to the group. The group stood in the ring with their signature poses while Balor offered the beaten Gargano to them. This may have been an indication that Balor turned heel without joining the group. Balor then marched up the ramp and went to the back as his music played, with an angry look on his face. NXT then went off the air with The Undisputed Era standing tall in the ring.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1187191291987156993

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1187189810252804096

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1187190332577857537

Balor took to Twitter today and issued his first comments since the big turn.

He wrote, “I’m back”

https://twitter.com/FinnBalor/status/1187190122703413254

WWE NXT Preview 10/23/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Florida.

  • Roderick Strong to defend NXT North American Title against Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic
  • Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley clash as NXT Women’s division heats up
  • How is Finn Bálor’s past his future?
  • Can Pete Dunne deal with both Damian Priest and Killian Dain?

AEW Dynamite Tops WWE NXT In Viewership As Both Shows Viewership Drops

AEW Dynamite has topped WWE NXT in viewership for the third week in a row, but viewership for both has continued to drop since their TV debuts.

Wednesday’s Dynamite episode on TNT drew 1.014 million viewers while NXT drew 712,000 viewers on the USA Network, according to Showbuzz Daily. AEW topped NXT in total viewership by 42.4%.

AEW ranked #5 in the Cable Top 150, while NXT ranked #30. AEW ranked #25 in viewership, for the second week in a row, while NXT ranked #35 in viewership.

Last week’s Dynamite episode drew 1.018 million viewers and ranked #8 in the Cable Top 150, and #25 in viewership, so it dropped 0.4%, not including the airing on truTV last week. Last week’s NXT episode drew 790,000 viewers and ranked #27 in the Cable Top 150, and #33 in viewership, so it dropped 10%.

AEW drew a 0.44 rating in the 18-49 demographic, topping the 0.20 that NXT drew in the same demo by 120%. Last week’s AEW episode drew a 0.46 in that demographic while NXT drew a 0.22.

Last week’s Dynamite episode aired on truTV due to MLB coverage getting in the way of the regular schedule, and the show drew an additional 122,000 on trueTV. Dynamite did not air on truTV this week, just the regular timeslot on TNT.

Basketball Wives topped the night in the 18-49 demographic at #1 with a 0.54 rating, but just 1.208 million viewers. Tucker Carlson Tonight topped the night on cable in viewership with 4.068 million viewers, but ranking #11 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.32 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Chicago Med on NBC at 9pm topped the night in viewership on network TV with 8.934 million viewers. The Masked Singer on FOX at 8pm topped the night on network TV in the 18-49 demographic with a 2.2 rating.

To compare, Monday’s WWE Draft edition of RAW on the USA Network drew an average of 2.287 million viewers, down from last week’s 2.334 million viewers for the post-Hell In a Cell episode, and ranked #13 for the night in viewership on cable and #6 in the Cable Top 150 with a 0.74 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Tuesday’s WWE Backstage preview episode that aired on FS1 at 8:13pm drew 597,000 viewers and ranked #25 on the Cable Top 150 with a 0.20 cable rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Below is 2019 NXT Viewership Tracker:

September 18 Episode: 1.179 million viewers (one hour on the USA Network)
September 25 Episode: 1.006 million viewers (one hour on the USA Network)
October 2 Episode: 891,000 viewers (season premiere, both hours on the USA Network)
October 9 Episode: 790,000 viewers
October 16 Episode: 712,000 viewers

Below is 2019 AEW Dynamite Viewership Tracker:

October 2 Episode: 1.409 million viewers (premiere episode)
October 9 Episode: 1.018 million viewers (on TNT, 122k on truTV)
October 16 Episode: 1.014 million viewers

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 10/16/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT will air live from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL.

WWE Talents To Receive Time Off During Christmas Week

WWE is set to tape the pre-Christmas edition of RAW on Tuesday, December 17 in Sioux City, Iowa. The taped show will air on Monday, December 23, according to @Wrestlevotes.

All WWE talents are scheduled to have some time off between Sunday, December 22 and Thursday, December 26. The SmackDown episode on Friday, December 27 will air live.

There will also be no live WWE NXT episode on Wednesday, December 25 for Christmas. There’s no word yet on what they have planned for NXT that night.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT TV To Begin Airing From Bigger Arenas Soon?

It looks like the weekly WWE NXT TV show could be hitting the road soon.

There has been a lot of talk about taking the black & yellow brand on the road each Wednesday night, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WWE officials are reportedly looking at running arenas with around 5,000-seat capacities, similar to what AEW has been doing. They have reached out to some arenas that size to shoot TV on Wednesday nights, which would be for NXT.

The current target for NXT airing from arenas outside of Full Sail Live looks to be January 2020. The talk of going on the road goes back to before the first USA Network ratings came out. The word then was that they were only running Full Sail Live in Winter Park, FL each week because they had no time to set things up with arenas, and that a move to different arenas would take place some time in early 2020.

There has been speculation on WWE eventually taking NXT TV on the road ever since the USA Network move was announced. There had been speculation among some that Vince McMahon would see what AEW was doing weekly with their arena shows, and then would see how the small crowd at Full Sail Live looked in comparison. The move to arenas for NXT is probably pushed by the fact that AEW Dynamite has beat NXT in viewership in week 1 and week 2.

Source: Wrestling Inc.