Tag: SmackDown

WWE Star Shotzi Confirms Severity Of NXT Knee Injury, Offers Possible Return Timeline

With the WWE crew heading overseas for Elimination Chamber this week, the company pre-taped this week’s episodes of “WWE NXT” and “WWE SmackDown” last Tuesday and Friday, respectively. As a part of the second taping for “NXT,” “SmackDown” star Shotzi was slated to challenge Lyra Valkyria for the “NXT” Women’s Championship. Unfortunately for Shotzi, her title pursuit would be cut short, as she sustained a knee injury in the midst of the action.

Following the news of her injury, Shotzi confirmed the severity of it in a lengthy Instagram post, in which she can be seen lying in a hospital bed. “I tore my ACL which means I will be out of action for about nine months,” Shotzi wrote. “Thank you to everyone who has checked up on me. I am so sorry if I haven’t responded. I am just extremely devastated and angry. Some of you know, I have been through a lot the last few years and it has been so hard to keep up with what I think is expected of me and honestly my mental health had been at an all-time low. But I’ve pushed through, and I was feeling motivated and like myself again. I was hoping to go to NXT to prove myself again, earn some respect, build back my confidence, and start putting the heartache from the past two years behind me.”

While she may feel defeated right now, Shotzi noted that the setback has also sparked a greater sense of motivation. As she now looks ahead at her recovery journey, Shotzi intends to utilize her time off the road as an outlet to not only grow physically stronger, but mentally as well.

Following her title shot against Valkyria, Shotzi was scheduled to battle Tiffany Stratton in a Women’s Elimination Chamber qualifying match on last week’s episode of “SmackDown.” Due to her injury, though, Shotzi would be unable to compete, prompting WWE to name Zelina Vega (who was previously set to face Naomi) in her place, while Naomi took on Alba Fyre instead.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/16/2024 – The Rock & Roman Reigns

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

  • The Rock and Roman Reigns will appear.
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: WWE Champion Logan Paul vs. The Miz
  • Men’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kevin Owens vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Alba Fyre vs. Tiffany Stratton
  • Women’s Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Zelina Vega vs. Naomi

The Rock Appears To Replace Cody Rhodes As Roman Reigns’ WWE WrestleMania Challenger

Cody Rhodes will not be facing Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40 after all. Instead, it appears Reigns will be facing his cousin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, following the events of “WWE SmackDown.”

“The Tribal Chief” took to the microphone Friday night in anticipation for Rhodes’ WrestleMania opponent announcement. Reigns responded to World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins’ recent plea to Rhodes, and dismissed Rollins’ self-appointed title of “the guy” and Rollin’s complaints regarding Reigns’ schedule, among other things. Reigns finished his rebuttal by claiming that he wasn’t “going to beg” Rhodes for his attention like Rollins did.

Reigns ultimately did not need to beg, as Rhodes made his entrance shortly thereafter. Tensions were high between the two, to the point that Rhodes dismissed Jimmy and Solo. Initially, Rhodes spoke with the implication that Reigns was his WrestleMania choice, and that the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship was not a Hollywood title, as Rollins claimed, but was “the title that was put into [his] father’s hands at Madison Square Garden, and then swiftly taken away”. Rhodes openly pondered if his story would be finished when he dethroned “The Tribal Chief”, or if his story would be finished when he took “everything” from Reigns. All the pieces were nearly aligned for a Rhodes and Reigns WrestleMania rematch.

Then, Rhodes said that he would not dethrone Reigns at WrestleMania. Instead, Rhodes claimed he spoke to a person Reigns knew intimately.

Like clockwork, all of Birmingham was prompted to smell what “The Rock” was cooking, and the recently-appointed TKO executive came strutting down the ramp. Rhodes shared a brief moment with “The Rock” as Johnson pulled him in to whisper something in his ear. Rhodes then took his leave. “The Rock” stared down “The Tribal Chief”, who was holding onto his title just a bit more tightly. “WWE SmackDown” then went off the air, with neither men having said a single word to each other.

While there was no confirmation regarding Reigns’ plans for WrestleMania 40, the general consensus is that he will be facing “The Rock” instead of “The American Nightmare.” Johnson has previously expressed desire to face his cousin at some point, and the idea of a family feud headlining WrestleMania 40 has been lurking in the background of Reigns’ entire Undisputed WWE Universal Championship run. It is to be noted that Johnson never specifically expressed desire for a title opportunity. Rhodes’ cryptic claim that he could dethrone Reigns at a time other than WrestleMania adds into the complexity of the situation. 

In the last moments of the show, WWE promoted a WrestleMania 40 press conference for Thursday evening, February 8.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/2/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Legacy Arena at The BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama.

  • Fallout from the Royal Rumble
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to appear
  • Women’s Royal Rumble winner Bayley will select her WrestleMania opponent
  • Men’s Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes to appear
  • WWE United States Champion Logan Paul to appear

According to Pwinsider, Tiffanny Stratton will be at the SmackDown event at the show. However, it is still uncertain whether she will make an on-camera appearance or participate in a dark match.

Trick Williams, along with former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and two-time NXT Champion Bron Breakker, are all set to be at the show. 

Wade Barrett To Join Corey Graves On SmackDown Announce Team

It was revealed last night on “WWE Raw” that Michael Cole and Pat McAfee will be the commentary team on Monday nights going forward, with the former NFL player replacing Wade Barrett. According to PWInsider, Barrett will now move to “WWE SmackDown” and work alongside Corey Graves. It’s said that Graves will become the lead play-by-play announcer for the show, while Barrett will be the color commentator. 

The changes have been made following the release of former “SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick last week. Patrick initially joined WWE as a backstage correspondent, but later moved to the announce booth, calling “Raw” and later “SmackDown.” However, the Irish-born commentator had been under the microscope as the lead announcer on “SmackDown,” with WWE reportedly deciding it “just wasn’t working out” for him. Despite being assigned the role of leading the commentary team on “SmackDown,” there were some behind the curtain who allegedly believed that Patrick wasn’t suited for the role.

Meanwhile, Cole and McAfee are reunited behind the desk after appearing together on “SmackDown” between 2021 and 2022. In a past interview, Cole mentioned working with McAfee had reinvigorated his love for the business. McAfee returned to WWE this past Saturday at the Royal Rumble, joining Cole and Graves at the commentary table. He also briefly entered the men’s Royal Rumble match as entrant #22. For Barrett and Graves, it will be the first time the duo has worked together at the announce desk in WWE. Barrett previously worked as a color commentator with Cole and Patrick, respectively, on WWE’s main roster.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/26/2024

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live on FOX from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama.

  • LA Knight vs. Solo Sikoa
  • Women’s Tag Team Championship: Katana Chance & Kayden Carter (c) vs. Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane)
  • Carmelo Hayes vs. Austin Theory
  • Bobby Lashley & The Street Profits to come face-to-face with The Final Testament
  • Carlito vs. Santos Escobar

SmackDown Announcer Kevin Patrick Released By WWE

After nearly three years with the company, “WWE SmackDown” lead announcer Kevin Patrick has officially been released, according to PWInsider. Multiple sources only recently reported that Patrick would be removed from “SmackDown,” with the reasoning that it “just wasn’t working out.” Despite this, it originally seemed there could have been a future for him in the promotion after some restructuring, especially since he was liked backstage. 

A replacement for Patrick has not yet been announced.

It was also reported that Michael Cole was initially brought back to “SmackDown” to help Patrick gain his footing, but that Cole was removed from the team to determine whether Patrick could hold his own, with some believing he was not “the right person for the role”. Additionally, PWInsider says that Patrick was set to travel to attend “SmackDown” in Florida this Friday, making his release seem like a last-minute decision. Before his stint with WWE, Patrick worked as a broadcaster for Sirius XM, beIN SPORTS, CNN International, and multiple other companies. During this time, he even interviewed Liv Morgan, who he praised for her conduct during their chat.

Less than a year ago, Patrick recalled his journey to WWE during an appearance on the “Out Of Character” podcast. According to him, he received his audition call while he was shaving in preparation for an appearance on CNN International, since WWE was headhunting for broadcasters at the time. During the same interview, Patrick notably claimed that he had been trying to learn from as many industry veterans as possible.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/19/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.

  • Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, LA Knight, and AJ Styles contract signing for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship Fatal 4-Way Match at the Royal Rumble
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Kayden Carter and Katana Chance (c) vs. Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn
  • LWO’s Carlito, Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro vs. Legado World Order (Santos Escobar, Angel and Humberto)
  • Butch and Tyler Bate vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson)
  • WWE United States Champion Logan Paul to be a guest on The KO Show

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/12/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Nebraska.

  • Bayley vs Bianca Belair
  • LWO’s Joaquin Wilde and Cruz Del Toro vs Humberto and Garza
  • Cameron Grimes vs Grayson Waller

WWE SmackDown New Year’s Revolution Preview 1/5/2024

The first WWE SmackDown of 2024 will air live tonight on FOX from the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC.

  • Winner will challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title a the Royal Rumble: Randy Orton vs. AJ Styles vs. LA Knight
  • WWE Women’s Championship Match: IYO SKY (c) defends against Michin
  • WWE United States Championship No. 1 Contender Tournament Finals: Kevin Owens vs. Santos Escobar
  • Butch and TBA vs. Pretty Deadly (Elton Prince and Kit Wilson)
  • United States Champion Logan Paul to appear
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns to appear