NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano announce their NXT Title Match stipulations
* Keith Lee takes aim at The Archer of Infamy in colossal clash
* Kacy Catanzaro first to take on new-attitude Io Shirai
* Jordan Myles and Angel Garza face off in Breakout Tournament Semifinals
* Who will be next to experience Velveteen Dream?
Fox officials hosted a summit meeting on Wednesday to talk with their affiliates about the fall schedule, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. WWE was included in this summit.
Since SmackDown will be part of the Fox sports block every Thursday to Sunday in the fall, the network reportedly wants WWE to be promoted as a legitimate sport that is a choreographed sports presentation, although the outcomes of the matches are predetermined. SmackDown will air 51 weeks per year on Fox, and will be preempted for the World Series. It’s possible that SmackDown airs on FS1 for that one week.
Fox will also air a one-hour launch show in late September to build to the live Friday night debut on October 4 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The idea is that the one-hour special will introduce WWE and the Superstars to the Fox audience. WWE and Fox are planning a major promotion that will see WWE Superstars take a moving truck to various sized markets to promote the network change. A digital primer is also being planned, which will allow viewers to get a behind-the-scenes look at the WWE product. This primer will teach viewers some of the insider terms, according to the Observer.
Fox is also in talks to bring the WWE NXT brand to TV. There’s been speculation on NXT airing on FS1, head-to-head with AEW’s weekly TNT show, but that has not been confirmed. As previously reported, FS1 will also air a weekly WWE studio show on Tuesdays with Renee Young as the host.
It’s believed that the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special will air as the premiere episode on Fox, on October 4. WWE will begin promoting that special in mid-September. It was noted at the summit that there will be a lot of surprises on that show.
Sources: Wrestling Observer Newsletter and Wrestling Inc.
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* NXT Champion Adam Cole gets to work
* Apollo landing: Crews next to take on the Kushida challenge
* First-round finale: Bronson Reed collides with Dexter Lumis
* Original Bro squares off with Arturo Ruas
* What’s next for The Sultans of Swag?
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* NXT Tag Team Championship: (C) The Street Profits vs. Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch
* Adam Cole’s Bay Bay Championship Celebration Tour carries on
* Damian Priest continues his quest
* NXT Breakout Tournament carries on: Boa takes on high-flying sensation Jordan Myles.
* Io Shirai and Candice LeRae fallout
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Tyler Breeze takes on Roderick Strong
* The NXT Breakout Tournament rolls on: Isaiah “Swerve” Scott vs. Cameron Grimes
* Aliyah vs. Mia Yim
* Kushida in action
* Bianca Belair in action
WWE announced yesterday that the WWE Network will stream EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration. It will air as the EVOLVE 131 event, on Saturday, July 13 from the former ECW Arena, the 2300 Arena, in Philadelphia, PA. . The special will feature WWE NXT Champion Adam Cole vs. Akira Tozawa with the title on the line, Matt Riddle vs. WWE Cruiserweight Champion Drew Gulak in a non-title match. The event will also feature NXT’s Arturo Ruas (Adrian Jaoude) and Babatunde, plus EVOLVE Champion Austin Theory and EVOLVE Tag Team Champions Eddie Kingston & Joe Gacy. A full line-up of matches will be announced soon.
“Evolve was the birthplace for many current WWE and NXT Superstars so it is only fitting that their 10th Anniversary Celebration will be showcased live on WWE Network,” Triple H said.
WWE began their working relationship and talent exchange with WWN Live’s EVOLVE promotion back in 2015. Booker Gabe Sapolsky now works behind-the-scenes for NXT and the WWE Performance Center.
Many fans have pointed to how the WWE Network EVOLVE stream is airing on the same night as AEW’s Fight for the Fallen event from Jacksonville, FL. This event will have a portion of the proceeds donated to victims of gun violence.
It should be noted that the EVOLVE 131 date was first announced back in mid-May. We don’t know when WWE began negotiating for the livestream. AEW first announced the details on Fight for the Fallen during the first week of March.
AEW Executive Vice President Kenny Omega has fans talking on social media today after a tweet he made on the EVOLVE – WWE special. He apparently called out WWE for working with Saudi Arabia.
“If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick,” Omega wrote.
Omega has deleted his original tweet that apparently knocked WWE for their working relationship with the Saudis. His new tweet, also seen below, reads like this: “I’ve said my piece and it opened the door to a very toxic environment. It wasn’t a message to fans, or the boys, just the decision makers. I wish everyone wrestling on any show that day all the best. That is all.”
You can see Omega’s full tweets below:
If lining your pockets with blood money is okay, then what’s wrong with trying to undermine a charity show for victims of gun violence? I hear that healthy competition is supposed to be a good thing and yet I can’t help but feel like I’m gonna be sick.
— Kenny Omega (@KennyOmegamanX) June 26, 2019
https://twitter.com/KennyOmegamanX/status/1143980930203312133
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1143954386592423937
Source: Wrestling Inc.
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Shayna Baszler and Io Shirai take their rivalry into the steel cage
* Street Profits tangle with Forgotten Sons
* Joaquin Wilde faces Angel Garza in the NXT Breakout Tournament
* Bask in the glory of Keith Lee
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* Undisputed Champion – After dethroning Johnny Gargano at TakeOver: XXV, newly crowned NXT Champion Adam Cole prepares an Undisputed celebration at Full Sail Live.
* Damian Priest arrives
* Xia Li battles it out with Taynara Conti
There are said to be a lot of WWE talents who are counting the days until they can get out of their WWE contracts, according to Wrestling Observer Radio.
There have been rumors of WWE talents wanting to leave for months, but Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that AEW putting on a successful show with Double Or Nothing has really changed things.
On a related note, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon was in Orlando this week for a business luncheon. She also visited the WWE Performance Center and Wednesday’s WWE NXT TV tapings at Full Sail University. As seen in the video below, Stephanie held a talent meeting before Wednesday’s tapings, which was described as a pep talk.
Stephanie reportedly pushed how great everything is with the company, and how talents get to be their own brands in the company. Stephanie also pushed social media in a big way. Her presentation included a big screen that showed how Forbes recently listed WWE and WrestleMania as one of the top 10 most powerful brands on social media, among other points.
It was also noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that WWE is trying to convince talents that their careers are over if they leave. Talents have believed this in previous years, but most aren’t buying it these days and a lot of wrestlers who leave are happy that they made the decision. Meltzer noted how it appears as if WWE is trying to convince the fans that it’s WWE or nothing, and that wrestlers are jokes if they aren’t with WWE. Meltzer pointed to the enhancement talents with the YOLO County Tag Team Titles on Tuesday’s SmackDown, which were featured in the angle with Heavy Machinery and SmackDown Tag Team Champions Daniel Bryan & Rowan.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
NXT, streaming tonight at 8 ET on WWE Network.
* No calm after the storm of TakeOver: XXV – Danny Burch & Oney Lorcan vs. The Undisputed ERA
* Kushida vs. Drew Gulak
* Io Shirai & Candice LeRae vs. Jessamyn Duke & Marina Shafir
