Tag: The Undertaker

The Undertaker Vs. Goldberg And More Announced For WWE Super ShowDown In Saudi Arabia

WWE has announced The Undertaker vs. WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg for the first-time ever at the upcoming WWE Super ShowDown event.

Super ShowDown, which is the same name that WWE used for the big event from Australia last year, will take place on Friday, June 7 from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

WWE has also announced a 50-man Battle Royal and Triple H vs. Randy Orton for their return to the Kingdom.

Below is the full announcement on the event:

Undertaker, Goldberg to clash for first time ever at WWE Super ShowDown

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA — The Saudi General Sports Authority will host WWE Super ShowDown at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7, at 9 p.m. AST, and feature the first-ever match between WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg and Undertaker. In addition, the event will include Triple H vs. Randy Orton, as they create another chapter of their storied rivalry, and a 50-Man Battle Royal — the largest in WWE history.

WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar are also scheduled to compete at WWE Super ShowDown, which will stream live on WWE Network and be available on pay-per-view outside of the Middle East.

Additional details on the event’s matches and regional broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.

Goldberg, Brock Lesnar And The Undertaker Officially Announced For WWE Return To Saudi Arabia

Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker will be a part of WWE’s next event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

WWE today officially announced that they will return to the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7th at 8 p.m. AST. In addition to Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker, WWE announced Roman Reigns, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins and AJ Styles for the event.

No matches have been announced as of this writing, although The Undertaker is rumored to be wrestling Elias. If Goldberg faces Brock Lesnar, it would be their fourth meeting on pay-per-view. Goldberg won the first two matches at WrestleMania XX and Survivor Series 2016. Lesnar, who recently announced that he would not be returning to the UFC, defeated then-WWE Universal Champion Goldberg for the title at WrestleMania 33 in 2017 in Goldberg’s last match for the company.

It will be WWE’s first event in Saudi Arabia since the controversial Crown Jewel show last November in Riyadh. WWE held the event despite backlash after Saudi Arabia was believed to have ordered the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

You can check out WWE’s full announcement below:

WWE Superstars return to JeddahRIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn. — The Saudi General Sports Authority, in partnership with WWE, will host an event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. AST. The event will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, and stream live on WWE Network.

Additional details on the event’s matches, ticket availability and pricing, and regional broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker And Kurt Angle Pulled From Starrcast II

WWE is reportedly “exercising its right to withhold talent from any events deemed not in the company’s best interests” by pulling The Undertaker and Kurt Angle from Starrcast II.

Event organizer Conrad Thompson told Sports Illustrated a deposit was made to Undertaker before announcing his inclusion in the event back in February. Shortly after, however, he was contacted by The Dead Man’s management team who told him WWE said he couldn’t appear at the event.

Taker’s deposit was returned after the two sides spoke.

“I had a friend discuss the situation with Vince McMahon, and I was assured the ‘heat’ wasn’t on me or my event but rather that The Undertaker shouldn’t be doing personal appearances outside of WWE,” Thompson told Sports Illustrated. “I was assured that damages would be covered, a suitable replacement offered, or some sort of compromise to make everyone happy.”

Adding, “I suggested Vince McMahon, Hunter, or Stephanie McMahon … and I said I would donate 100 percent of the proceeds to Conor’s Cure and match the donation personally, which would turn a negative into a positive for everyone involved.”

Unfortunately, Thompson was told he couldn’t book main roster Superstars. He then tried to book Shawn Michaels, but HBK reportedly backed out due to “the close proximity of Starrcast and AEW.”

“I asked to keep Kurt Angle and announce Shawn Michaels as the replacement for The Undertaker,” Conrad explained. “I offered to book everyone ‘through the office.’ I wanted to play by the rules but I felt like I already had, since each of these guys were actively marketing themselves for outside appearances via booking agents or their own social media. I have checked in daily for a week now and nothing is changing.”

According to SI, Kurt Angle and Undertaker both signed new WWE deals after taking the booking which allowed their employers to keep them from appearing at Starrcast II.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage News On The Undertaker’s WWE Status

The Undertaker’s working relationship with WWE is an interesting situation these days.

Things between the two sides changed greatly when Taker was announced for the upcoming Starrcast II convention, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The Observer also notes that people in WWE were at first saying there was no way Taker would appear at Starrcast, but he is making the appearance likely to due to contracts.

Taker reportedly thought his WWE career was over after the matches in late 2018 – the No DQ loss to Triple H at WWE Super Show-Down in October and the tag team match at WWE Crown Jewel in November, which saw Taker and Kane lose to WWE Hall of Famers Shawn Michaels and Triple H, and that’s when he started booking non-WWE paydays. Vince McMahon was upset when the Starrcast appearance was announced, but WWE reportedly made Taker an offer he couldn’t refuse, financially, once things calmed down between the two sides. Part of that new contract was an agreement that Taker could no longer work the outside dates, except for the ones he had already booked.

The Observer notes that Taker had no legal way to get out of the Starrcast deal, but for the UK deal with Inside The Ropes, they didn’t have the king of legal resources to fight WWE on it. Regarding those ITR appearances on April 29, April 30 and May 1, Taker was originally scheduled to meet fans for autographs and photos, plus a Q&A session. That was changed last week, and it was announced that WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley would be doing the Q&A part of the show, while Taker would be appearing for just the signings. This is because of the new WWE deal that Taker was signed as the company wanted to bring him back into the fold. Taker reportedly “pushed really hard” to keep the Inside The Ropes appearances, despite people in WWE not wanting him to go at all. The promoters would have had to refund all tickets and it could have really hurt them moving forward, and Taker did not want to do that. That’s when the compromise was made with Foley coming in to discuss his history with Taker each night. The Observer adds that Taker pushed to make sure he still came for at least the signings with fans.

There was a feeling that WWE believed Taker would never take bookings with people the company didn’t want him doing dates with, and WWE didn’t realize the large amount of money that some promoters would offer Taker for their events. It was reported in February that Taker was charging $25,000 per hour, and that he would have no trouble finding dates.

One source involved in booking non-WWE appearances noted to The Observer that the $150 per person price to get a photo and autograph with Taker was actually too low as WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin charged $316 for his VIP package at WrestleCon in New Orleans last year during WrestleMania 34 Week, and they had so many requests at that price that they were overwhelmed and had to cut sales off. There was a feeling that Taker could have had a similar demand at WrestleCon during WrestleMania 35 Week this year. Taker was approached by promoters for WrestleMania 35 Week appearances, including WrestleCon, but he had already agreed to do the post-WrestleMania RAW appearance.

It was also noted that it’s still not clear if Taker’s new WWE deal is to wrestle, but he’s expected to return to the ring at the next Saudi Arabia event, believed to be on Friday, June 7. A match with Elias has been rumored after their recent run-in on RAW, but that could have been changed now that Elias was moved to SmackDown in the Superstar Shakeup. Taker is also scheduled for a signing appearance that Sunday, June 9th at the Niagara Falls Comic Con in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

The Undertaker Makes Surprise Appearance On The “Raw After Mania”, Silences Elias

The Undertaker made his return to WWE TV on tonight’s post-WrestleMania 35 edition of WWE RAW from Brooklyn.

Taker made his return during a performance by Elias, who was still upset over John Cena interrupting his WrestleMania 35 performance with the “Dr. of Thuganomics” rap. Elias made a comment on the next person to interrupt him, whether it was a Legend of a Hall of Famer, they would be a “dead man” because he was tired of the interruptions. That’s when Taker returned and did his grand entrance. He faced off with Elias, blocked off an attack and then left Elias laying after a chokeslam and a Tombstone piledriver.

This was The Dead Man’s first WWE TV appearance since Crown Jewel back in November, where he teamed with Kane for a loss to WWE Hall of Famers Triple H and Shawn Michaels. Taker did not work WrestleMania 35 on Sunday, but he is expected to wrestle during WWE’s return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in early May.

The Undertaker – WWE WrestleMania 35 Weekend Update

The Undertaker is scheduled to be in New Jersey for WrestleMania 35 this weekend, according to PWInsider.

There’s no word yet on what Taker is coming to town for, but it sounds like he is being brought in by WWE. It remains to be seen if Taker will have any kind of role in front of the crowd at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, but it’s worth noting that he is in town for the biggest show of the year.

It’s been reported that Taker has agreed to work WWE’s return to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Friday, May 3, but we’ve heard nothing in regards to a return to the ring for The Dead Man at WrestleMania 35. We also know that Taker and wife Michelle McCool were teaching at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando during late March.

As noted last Friday, Taker took to Instagram and said the reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. He also revealed that he has dropped 25 pounds after making some lifestyle changes in an attempt to offset the years of physical abuse his body has endured while wrestling for WWE.

Taker wrote, “The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!! I’ve made some serious lifestyle changes in an attempt to offset the years of physical abuse my body has endured. One of the major changes was losing 25lbs. Goal reached! I wanted to thank @nutritionsolutions for the meal prep! I really appreciate the help getting my diet dialed in. #iaintdoneyet #neverstopworking #rentsdue #restinpeace #goals #wwe #deathvalley #makeithappen #goodfood”

For those who missed it, you can see Taker’s full post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvmMC6qgFYL/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_locale_test

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker Shows His Recent Weight Loss

The Undertaker took to Instagram today and said the reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated.

Taker noted that he’s made some lifestyle changes in an attempt to offset the years of physical abuse his body has endured while wrestling for WWE. He noted that he has lost 25 pounds and gave credit to Nutrition Solutions for helping.

Taker wrote, “The reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated!! I’ve made some serious lifestyle changes in an attempt to offset the years of physical abuse my body has endured. One of the major changes was losing 25lbs. Goal reached! I wanted to thank @nutritionsolutions for the meal prep! I really appreciate the help getting my diet dialed in. #iaintdoneyet #neverstopworking #rentsdue #restinpeace #goals #wwe #deathvalley #makeithappen #goodfood”

There’s still no word yet on if Taker will be appearing at WrestleMania 35. We know that he and wife Michelle McCool were teaching at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando last week.

You can see Taker’s full post below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BvmMC6qgFYL/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jim Ross’ WWE Contract Comes To An End, Reveals An Undertaker Documentary Is In The Works

Earlier this month, WWE Hall of Famer, “Good Ol’ J.R.” Jim Ross, confirmed that he would be parting ways with the WWE when his current contract expired.

On his show, The Ross Report, J.R. mentioned that a lot of great opportunities are coming up even if his time with WWE has reached it’s conclusion.

“There [are] a lot of big things on the horizon,” Ross said. “I’ll leave you with that. There [are] so many rumors out there, ‘this is going to happen,’ ‘that is going to happen.’ All I can tell you is this: I’m not keeping any secret. My contract with WWE is up at the end of March. What happens after that is not up to me entirely. It takes two to tango on any front you go to. So, all I know is I’m not worried about any of it. I’m not worried about how to get my groceries in 2019. All is good.”

The last day of J.R.’s contract with WWE has arrived, and J.R. took to Twitter to comment on what today entails. Ross wrote, “Big day…it’s the final day of my contract with WWE after 26 years. A WWE camera crew arriving at my home today to record for an Undertaker documentary. I’m honored to be a part of it. Great way to exit.”

There’s no official word on what is next for J.R. We previously noted that despite being under contract with WWE until today, he has been in talks with AEW.

“I don’t know, [AEW and I are] talking,” JR said. “I just haven’t signed anything yet. My people and their people are doing their thing. The only agent I grew up knowing was a State Farm agent in Oklahoma, I got a real agent now, man. So, they’re working on it. I’d like to get into some voice-over work, I’d like to do some… I wouldn’t mind having a radio gig doing college football.”

You can read Ross’ full tweet below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Undertaker Reportedly Set For Upcoming WWE Show

It looks like we will be seeing a return to WWE TV from The Undertaker this spring, however, it may not be at WWE’s “Grandest Stage Of Them All”, WrestleMania.

Despite any issues between “The Deadman” and WWE that followed after he signed on to be a part of Starrcast 2 during Memorial Day weekend, Undertaker will still be performing at the Saudi Arabia show on May 3, 2019, according to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

With ‘Taker not yet retiring from WWE, it will be another huge payout to partake in the annual Saudi Arabia events that the company holds. By a wide margin, the two shows in Saudi Arabia are the biggest money draws of the year for WWE.

As previously mentioned, The Undertaker signed a deal and is scheduled to appear at the Starrcast 2 wrestling convention in Las Vegas from May 23-26. The convention falls on the same weekend as All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing event, but Starrcast is not an official AEW event.

On a recent edition of The Jim Ross Report, “good ol’ J.R.” was quoted as saying, “[Undertaker] has got to make a living, and if he’s at a point age-wise where WWE doesn’t want to use him in the ring, or if he doesn’t feel able good to compete in the ring and you want to keep him around, then you’ve got to pay him something! But you might not pay him the same if you can’t get the one, two, three matches a year out of him.”

There has been no word on if The Undertaker will be appearing at WrestleMania 35. However, Wrestling Inc. reported this week that his picture is on the WWE “WrestleMania 35” graphic below on one of the production trucks at last Monday’s RAW in Chicago:

 

Wrestling News Blog Podcast Episode One – Becky, Ronda, Memphis And More

Check out our new weekly podcast at the link below:

Segment One – WNB Podcast Mission

Segment Two – Recent Examples of Wrestlers Sharing Their Faith (Roman Reigns and The Undertaker)

Segment Three – Ronda vs Becky

Segment Four – “Blast From The Past” – The Original Concession Stand Brawl. Jerry “The King” Lawler and “Superstar” Bill Dundee vs Larry Latham (later Moon Dog Spot) and Wayne Farris (later Honky Tonk Man).

Wrestling News Blog Podcast is available on popular apps like Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts and Stitcher.