WWE SmackDown Preview 7/9/2021

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature the final Money In the Bank qualifying matches for the Men’s Ladder Match.

This will be the final SmackDown of the ThunderDome era as next week’s go-home show will air live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.

WWE Changes MSG Return To A Super SmackDown, RAW Superstars To Be Featured

WWE is set to feature both rosters at the SmackDown on FOX taping from Madison Square Garden in New York City on Friday, September 10.

WWE is now billing their return to The World’s Most Famous Arena as a Super SmackDown.

Tickets for WWE’s MSG return went on sale to the general public this morning, and are still available as of this writing. While this is a live SmackDown TV taping, WWE revealed this morning that both RAW and SmackDown Superstars will be featured.

WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns took to Twitter this morning and commented on both RAW and SmackDown stars being booked for the show.

“World’s Most Famous Arena. @TheGarden Both rosters. #WWERaw #Smackdown All there for the #TribalChief,” he wrote.

MSG is requiring fans over the age of 16 to have proof of their COVID-19 vaccinations for the show.

Stay tuned for more on WWE’s return to The Garden for Super SmackDown. You can see the related tweets below:

WWE SmackDown (July 23) To Air As Split-Site Broadcast From Rolling Loud Miami Hip-Hop Festival

WWE is headed to the popular Rolling Loud hip-hop festival.

It was announced today that the July 23 edition of SmackDown on FOX will feature matches from the Rolling Loud Miami 2021 festival.

WWE previously announced that the July 23 SmackDown will air from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, OH. Now that episode will feature a split-site broadcast with multiple matches at Rolling Loud from Hard Rock Stadium, and the remainder of the show held in Cleveland.

WWE touted how this marks the first-ever collaboration between the company and a major music festival, but WWE NXT has held matches at the UK’s Download Festival for a few years until the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Rolling Loud will be headlined by Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky. WWE Superstars will share the same stage with those rappers.

“What Matt Zingler, Tariq Cherif and the entire Rolling Loud team have built is spectacular,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development in a press release. “We couldn’t think of a better partner to deliver such a unique WWE experience to fans during the July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.”

“I grew up on Sweet Chin Music, mesmerized by the spectacle that Vince McMahon and co have built at WWE,” said Tariq Cherif, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud. “The idea of weaving our two storylines into one world, one must see event, is electrifying.”

“And I quote! If ya smell…what the WWE and Rolling Loud…is…cookin’! Give me a hell yeah!,” said Rolling Loud Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Matt Zingler.

Stay tuned for more on WWE and Rolling Loud. Below is the full announcement issued to us today:

WWE® FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN® HEADS TO ROLLING LOUD MIAMI 2021

STAMFORD, Conn., July 7, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Rolling Loud, the world’s premier rap festival, today announced a new partnership that brings Friday Night SmackDown to Rolling Loud Miami 2021 on July 23. The occasion marks the first ever collaboration between WWE and a major music festival.

Gracing the same stage as festival headliners Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky, WWE Superstars will compete in matches live from Rolling Loud Miami. The July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX will feature a split-site broadcast with multiple matches at Rolling Loud Miami, and the remainder of the evening held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

“What Matt Zingler, Tariq Cherif and the entire Rolling Loud team have built is spectacular,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. “We couldn’t think of a better partner to deliver such a unique WWE experience to fans during the July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.”

“I grew up on Sweet Chin Music, mesmerized by the spectacle that Vince McMahon and co have built at WWE,” said Tariq Cherif, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud. “The idea of weaving our two storylines into one world, one must see event, is electrifying.”

“And I quote! If ya smell…what the WWE and Rolling Loud…is…cookin’! Give me a hell yeah!,” said Rolling Loud Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Matt Zingler.

WWE has a rich history of integrating music into all aspects of its brand and collaborating with some of the most celebrated artists in the world. Over the years, world-renowned hip-hop artists including Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Three 6 Mafia, MGK, Wale and many others have performed at WWE’s biggest events.

Bringing 130 of the hottest acts in hip-hop to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., the sold out Rolling Loud Miami 2021 is a triumphant return for live rap music, and a coming out party for risers and new superstars eager to play in front of a festival crowd. The sixth Rolling Loud festival in Miami, where it started as a humble one-day event in Bayfront Park, Rolling Loud Miami 2021 will occur from July 23-25.

Friday Night SmackDown airs live on FOX at 8/7c and features Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rey and Dominik Mysterio, WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, Bayley, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and more.

Rolling Loud Miami is the first of three Rolling Loud festivals happening this year. On October 28-30, Rolling Loud returns to the birthplace of Hip Hop with Rolling Loud New York 2021, headlined by Travis Scott, J. Cole, and 50 Cent, taking place at Citi Field in Queens. The festival heads to the West Coast on December 10-12 for Rolling Loud California, headlined by J. Cole, Kid Cudi, and Future, from NEO Events Center in San Bernardino, Calif.

Stay tuned for more announcements about the Rolling Loud and WWE/Friday Night SmackDown partnership in the weeks leading up to the festival.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Zelina Vega Returns To WWE on SmackDown, Enters Money In The Bank Match

Seven months after being released, Zelina Vega returned to WWE television on the latest edition of SmackDown.

Zelina Vega is back on the WWE payroll seven months after she parted ways with the company.

Vega made her surprise return on the most edition of SmackDown after Sonya Deville revealed that Vega would be entering the upcoming Women’s Money In The Bank ladder match.

As you might recall, Zelina Vega was released by WWE in November of 2020 following a dispute regarding her personal Twitch channel which occurred soon after the company introduced new policies regarding employees’ use of third-party sites.

“I’m sad and I’m completely heartbroken,” Zelina said of her release shortly after it was made official. “Obviously, this isn’t the last that you are gonna see of me…I love you all though and I’m really really thankful to every single one of you. If I go down as someone who stood up for themselves, so be it. I’m still thankful, I’m not angry. I’m just heartbroken because doing this, being a wrestler is all I ever wanted to do. I don’t really know what to say, there’s so many things I want to say but I don’t know how.”

Following her release, there were rumors that Vega could be heading to AEW, which heated up after AEW’s president Tony Khan confirmed that he had been waiting for her 90-day non-compete clause to lapse before reaching out to her.

Vega’s real-life husband Tommy End (aka Aleister Black) was released by WWE last month as a result of budget cuts necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vega, real name Thea Trinidad Büdgen, started out on the independent and had a stint with Impact between 2011-2013. She made sporadic appearances for WWE before signing a contract in 2017. She performed on the NXT brand as an in-ring performer as Andrade’s manager. Andrade captured the NXT Championship under Vega’s guidance.

Vega has signed a long-term deal with WWE.

PWInsider has since revealed more details regarding Vega’s deal and how it came about. Apparently, the returning star has penned a long-term deal and won’t just be sticking around for a little while providing all goes to plan. She was also backstage on SmackDown last week but not used. Kudos to WWE for managing to keep Vega’s imminent return under wraps.

Vega has since tweeted a reaction to her own return. “I’m back. I’m going to be in the MITB ladder match. ..and I will win. Period. Everything else is irrelevant,” Vega tweeted. Presumably a message to anyone who might want to know the finer details of how her return came about and how long it has been in the works that she isn’t going to be talking about it publicly.

Vega was spotted at the WWE Performance Center two months ago, fueling rumors that she might have struck up a new deal with the company. However, her husband Aleister Black has been released since then and there has been no mention of a Vega return since, official or otherwise. Clearly, Black’s release didn’t sour the repaired relationship between WWE and Vega.

While it was never confirmed that a disagreement over the new regulations was why Vega left, that’s assumed to be the case as Vega tweeted that she supported unionization as news of her release made headlines. That is now all water under the bridge and it will be interesting to see if Vega’s work on Twitch continues now that she is once again under a WWE contract.

Source: The Sportster

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/2/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature more build for the upcoming Money In the Bank pay-per-view.

WWE has announced a Last Man Standing Money In the Bank qualifier for tonight’s show with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. The winner will join Big E as the second blue brand entrant confirmed for the Men’s MITB Ladder Match. There will be two spots open for the men’s match after that. RAW Superstars confirmed for the match are Riddle, Drew McIntyre, Ricochet and John Morrison.

WWE Hall of Famer Edge will also be on tonight’s show as a follow-up to last week’s attack on WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

WWE noted that Reigns will respond to Edge’s return during tonight’s show. Edge vs. Reigns has been announced for Money In the Bank, with the title on the line.

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/25/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature fallout from last Sunday’s Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/18/21 – Reigns vs. Mysterio (Hell In A Cell Match)

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will be the Hell In a Cell go-home edition of the show.

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/11/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place with more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

WWE has announced just one match for tonight’s show and that’s The Street Profits vs. Alpha Academy.

WWE is also teasing that SmackDown Tag Team Champion Rey Mysterio will be out for revenge on WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns on tonight’s show. Reigns attacked Rey and Dominik Mysterio last week in their main event title defense against The Usos, and it’s believed that Rey vs. Roman will be announced for Hell In a Cell.

The Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens feuds are also expected to continue tonight.

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/4/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature two big title matches.

WWE has announced that SmackDown Tag Team Champions Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio will defend against The Usos on tonight’s show. Jimmy and Jey defeated The Street Profits last week to earn tonight’s title shot.

WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews will also be defending his title tonight. He will face Kevin Owens with Commander Azeez banned from ringside.

It’s believed that the first Hell In a Cell match will be announced for the blue brand on tonight’s show, but that has not been confirmed.

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/28/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature more build for the upcoming Hell In a Cell pay-per-view.

WWE has announced just one match for tonight’s show and that’s The Usos vs. The Street Profits.

Tonight’s match will be the first time The Usos have teamed up since the March 27, 2020 SmackDown episode.

It’s believed that the first blue brand match for the Hell In a Cell pay-per-view will be announced on tonight’s show as well.