Tag: RAW

Backstage News On The Format For The WWE Draft

The WWE Draft begins this Friday with SmackDown on FOX. Superstars will be legitimately finding out which brands they will be going to on Friday, and the event will continue on Monday’s Raw.

According to the latest episode of Wrestling Observer Radio, the WWE Draft will be different from previous years as it will be ran similar to the NFL Draft. Representatives from FOX and the USA Network will be announcing the picks.

The idea is to make the WWE Draft as authentic as possible thanks to the companies new TV deals. It was previously reported that various personalities from USA and FOX would be appearing, but WWE didn’t state if celebrities would be included.

Additionally, Dave Meltzer pointed out that WWE does not want authority figures involved in programming for now. It is unknown when WWE will be bringing them back.

It was also noted that all the major decisions regarding which stars will be drafted are complete, however WWE is keeping the moves very quiet.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 10/7/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Rabobank Arena in Bakersfield, California with fallout from last night’s Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

As of this posting WWE had not yet released a official preview for tonight’s RAW.

What WWE has announced is that pro boxer Tyson Fury will be on tonight’s RAW to further the new feud with Braun Strowman. The only match announced for tonight’s RAW is a Last Woman Standing match between Lacey Evans and Natalya. There will also be a Draft Showcase to hype the upcoming WWE Draft, but WWE did not explain what that Showcase is.

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez On The New Changes To WWE RAW

Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez of Wrestling Observer Radio give their thoughts on the new changes to WWE RAW, including the updated set and the new commentary team.

Meltzer thought that Jerry “The King” Lawler stole the show amongst the RAW announce team that includes Vic Josesph and Dio Maddin. He said Lawler was very strong in getting over the angles.

You can listen below:

Team Flair Vs. Team Hogan Match Set For WWE Crown Jewel

WWE has announced a big Team Flair vs. Team Hogan ten-man tag match for WWE Crown Jewel 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan will be the two coaches for the teams. Hogan’s Team Captain is WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, while Randy Orton will be the Team Captain for Team Flair. The match was announced during MizTV on tonight’s RAW season premiere.

Crown Jewel 2019, which will air on the WWE Network, will take place on Halloween, Thursday, October 31, from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Others advertised for the event are The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE United States Champion AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Big E, Xavier Woods, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio and Mansoor Al-Shehail.

Crown Jewel 2019 will be a part of “Riyadh Season” that runs from October 15 through December 15. The Saudis will be holding 11 festivals during these two months, as a way to boost domestic and international tourism in the country, and Crown Jewel will be a part of the festivals. This will be WWE’s fourth big event under their ten-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.

Regarding the Team Hogan vs. Team Flair match, Orton and Rollins will announce their partners over the next few weeks. Rusev will be on Team Hogan while King Baron Corbin is on Team Flair.

Bobby Lashley And Lana Make A Steamy Return To WWE TV

WWE Raw this week ended with the returns of Bobby Lashley and Lana whose surprise appearance together included an uncomfortably long steamy makeout session.

This week’s Raw was originally scheduled to feature Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio in the main event. Mysterio and his son Dominick was taken out by Brock Lesnar at the top of show and was  later replaced by Rusev.

Mid-way through the match, while cutting to commercial, a limousine was shown pulling up.

The match ultimately came to a no-contest ending when Lashley’s music hit and he hit the stage to taunt Rusev. Moments later, Lana joined Bobby onstage and they started their long steamy kissing session as Lana’s husband Rusev watched from the ring.

WWE RAW Season Premiere Preview 9/30/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW season premiere will take place from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

* Debut of the new RAW announce team with Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler

WWE Confirms Pyro Is Returning, New Sets And Graphics To Debut

WWE has confirmed that not only are new sets on the way, but pyro is also making a return.

The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski tweeted saying, “Talked with #WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn about [WWE on Fox]. Confirmed there will be new sets, openings, logos, graphics & theme music for both #Raw and SmackDown. Pyro is also returning including “flames, lasers.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE Confirms New Announce Teams For Raw And Friday Night SmackDown, WWE Premiere Week News

WWE has announced new commentary teams with some big changes for Raw and SmackDown.

According to WWE, the announce teams going forward are as follows:

RAW – Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin and Jerry Lawler

Friday Night SmackDown – Michael Cole and Corey Graves with Renee Young as a Special Contributor

WWE announced the following:

STAMFORD, Conn. – WWE Premiere Week ushers in an unprecedented era of coverage with special episodes of Monday Night Raw, NXT, Total Divas and the FOX debut of Friday Night SmackDown bringing fans eight hours of primetime programming.

As part of WWE Premiere Week, new voices will be brought to the Raw, NXT and SmackDown broadcasts. Raw’s new announce team will include play-by-play from Vic Joseph with Dio Maddin and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler serving as analysts; NXT play-by-play will be called by Mauro Ranallo with Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness as analysts; and SmackDown will feature Michael Cole handling play-by-play, Corey Graves serving as analyst and Renee Young as a Special Contributor.

Monday, September 30

The season premiere of Monday Night Raw airs at 8/7 C on USA Network as WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins defends his title against Rey Mysterio; The Miz hosts WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair on a special edition of Miz TV; Brock Lesnar makes a special appearance; AJ Styles defends his United States Title vs. Cedric Alexander; and Alexa Bliss takes on Sasha Banks.

Wednesday, October 2

NXT will make its two-hour live premiere this Wednesday, October 2, on USA Network at 8/7 C, as The Undisputed ERA defend their golden prophecy and the NXT Tag Team Championships in a match against the Street Profits. Also, NXT Champion Adam Cole defends his title against Matt Riddle; NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler takes on Candice LeRae; Johnny Gargano competes against Shane Thorne; and fans can witness “The Velveteen Dream Experience.”

Immediately following NXT, season nine of Total Divas will premiere on E! at 10/9 C. The hit series is back with a season more personal and action-packed than ever. WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey joins Natalya, Naomi and Nia Jax for the new season, which also includes returning cast member Carmella and newcomer Sonya Deville. Nikki Bella and Brie Bella will make guest appearances in the series as well.

Friday, October 4

SmackDown’s 20th anniversary will kick off the new era of Friday Night SmackDown’s highly-anticipated move to FOX broadcast network on Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, when WWE Champion Kofi Kingston puts his title on the line against Brock Lesnar. The Four Horsewomen also square off as WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair team up against WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks in tag team competition. Later Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon look to finally settle their ongoing dispute in a high-stakes Ladder Match with the loser forced to leave WWE.

Prior to the premiere, the Friday Night SmackDown Kickoff Show “blue carpet” special will air at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on FOX from the Staples Center, featuring celebrity, Superstar and Legend arrivals, as well as backstage access.

Michael Cole’s return to SmackDown marks the end of a long run on Raw for “The Voice of WWE.” He first joined the Raw commentary team in 2008 and has remained there since. Before that he was the lead play-by-play man on SmackDown for nearly ten years.

Maddin recently made his debut on commentary during a recent edition of 205 Live.

The NXT announce team will reportedly stay the same for now. No word at this point on where Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton will be utilized in the future.

Lawler will likely only be used for a short period of time on Raw. Other people are reportedly being looked at for the spot on a full-time basis. This could explain why Mickie James was featured on commentary this week during Main Event, but we’ve been unable to verify this.

As we previously reported, Renee Young will now be hosting WWE Backstage Tuesday nights on FS1. Young is reportedly thrilled by the move since hosting is her passion and now she gets to do it on a giant platform every week. She echoed this sentiment via Twitter by sharing the new show announcement and calling it a dream come true.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

New WWE RAW Logo & Theme Song Revealed, Hulk Hogan & Ric Flair Announced For Next Week’s RAW

Last night on WWE RAW, an updated logo was revealed for next week’s season premiere, which you can see above.

A new song was also used which is called Legendary by the band Skillet.

Also it was announced that Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair will appear as guest of The Miz on Miz TV.

WWE RAW Preview 9/23/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Chase Center in San Francisco, California as the road to Hell In a Cell continues.