Report: Becky Lynch’s WWE Contract Weeks Away From Expiration With No New Deal Signed

If WWE is planning to re-sign reigning Women’s World Champion Becky Lynch, they might want to do it soon. A new report from Fightful Select on Saturday claims Lynch has approximately three weeks left on her current deal, and as of this writing, she has not signed a new one.

The news comes less than a month after Lynch won the vacant Women’s World title in a 14-woman battle royal on “WWE Raw” and eight days after it was reported that Lynch’s husband, former World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, signed a lucrative new contract with WWE. Lynch had previously confirmed that her deal was up this summer and that she hadn’t been approached about a new one, but WWE’s new leadership under the auspices of TKO Group Holdings has been getting a lot of last-minute contracts drawn up lately, re-signing Rollins, Finn Balor, and Drew McIntyre over the last few weeks. Fightful reports that talks between Lynch and WWE have been ongoing, but nobody has put pen to paper yet.

Given Lynch’s stature in the company — she’s arguably the most popular female star in WWE history and the winner of the first women’s WrestleMania main event — one would assume WWE will make keeping her under contract a priority in the coming days. It’s also worth noting that Lynch is scheduled to defend her championship against Liv Morgan at King & Queen of the Ring on March 25, days before her deal expires.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Another QR Code Airs On SmackDown

Another QR code aired on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

During Naomi’s match with Nia Jax, a QR code flashed on the screen that led you to a video that states the following,

“They put us in the cave. Told us behold the glory. We watched in awe. Consumed their lies. We were never the chosen ones. Left in a cave to rot. To be forgotten. But he set us free. Now we understand. We follow the prophecy. The words of the red. Soon you will understand. The tears we shed watered our antipathy and blossomed a garden of revulsion. There is no safe space. Only my family.”

Source: eWn

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/10/2024

Tonight’s WWE Smackdown live on FOX from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

TKO Earnings Report Reveals Who Will Broadcast WWE Raw During Final Quarter Of 2024

For the first time in the show’s history, “WWE Raw” will air exclusively online from the beginning of 2025. WWE struck a deal with streaming giant Netflix at the beginning of 2024 worth $5 billion that will see “WWE Raw” air live each week on the platform from January 2025, with the rest of WWE’s programming following over time. However, there was one lingering question: WWE’s current deal with USA Network expires in October 2024, meaning that there was a possibility “Raw” might not have a home for three months.

Fortunately for WWE, that won’t be the case. In the TKO Earnings Report for the first quarter of 2024, it was revealed that WWE has agreed to a deal worth $25 million with NBCUniversal to continue airing “Raw” on USA Network until the end of 2024. This means that for the fourth quarter of the year, USA Network will have both “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown” on their network, as “SmackDown” is set to join the network when the show’s current deal with Fox expires in October. Analysis by Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics suggests the deal represents something of a bargain for USA, as their current “Raw” contract amounts to about $66 million per quarter.

While the United States will only experience “WWE Raw” on Netflix, various other locations across the world will be able to experience virtually everything that WWE produces as places like the United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America are set to get all of WWE’s weekly programming on Netflix, as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, and potentially the company’s extensive tape library which includes other promotions WWE has bought out like WCW and ECW, though that last has yet to be confirmed by WWE.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/7/2024

Tonight’s WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network: 

  • WWE NXT Women’s Championship: Roxanne Perez (c) vs. Chelsea Green
  • Wes Lee vs. Josh Briggs
  • Supernova Sessions with NXT Champion Trick Williams
  • NXT Women’s Combine
  • Karmen Petrovic vs. Shayna Baszler
  • Michin vs. Arianna Grace

Another QR Code Airs On WWE RAW

We saw another QR code air on this week’s episode of WWE RAW.

On this week’s show, a QR code led fans to a new video and puzzle. The video had a crow at the bottom of it that led to a puzzle, which reads:

“YOU KNOW NOTHING
HELL IS ONLY A WORD
REALITY IS MUCH
MUCH WORSE”

Source: eWn

Dave Meltzer Explains Why WWE Finally Cut Gable Steveson

Olympic Gold Medallist Gable Steveson was one of many performers to be released by WWE in April 2024. Steveson signed a contract with WWE in 2021 following his successful run to Olympic Gold at the Tokyo games, and was immediately positioned as a potential successor to someone like Kurt Angle. He appeared at WrestleMania 38, was officially drafted to “WWE Raw,” and even had a brief run in “WWE NXT” in 2023. However, his career in WWE never reached the heights of his freestyle career.

According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Steveson was released by the company for a very simple reason; he wasn’t that good. “His contract was a very big money contract, and he wasn’t cutting it.” Steveson arrived in WWE already having allegations of sexual abuse to his name, something that WWE fans were not high on, but according to Meltzer, it was Steveson’s ability in the ring that cost him his spot, as the company had full knowledge of the allegations against him.

“He did have the sexual assault claim from his freshman year in college, WWE signed him with full knowledge of that and it was not an issue in amateur wrestling, wasn’t an issue in college wrestling, like once he was cleared, he was good to go … it was an issue with wrestling fans. However, it probably had to do in a great degree with him getting booed with Baron Corbin, in the one match that people saw that he had at that one ‘NXT’ show.” Meltzer went on to say that he watched a number of his dark matches, some of which were against recently released star Cameron Grimes, and said he wasn’t impressive, had no charisma, and got little to no reaction from the fans.

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to Wrestling Observer Radio

WWE RAW Preview 5/6/2024

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the XL Center in Hartford, CT.

Fallout from Backlash

2024 Draft roster changes take effect

  • First-Round King of the Ring Tournament Matches:
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Finn Balor
  • Kofi Kingston vs. Rey Mysterio
  • Ricochet vs. Ilja Dragunov
  • Gunther vs. Sheamus
  • First-Round Queen of the Ring Tournament Matches:
  • Zoey Stark vs. Ivy Nile
  • Shayna Baszler vs. Zelina Vega
  • Lyra Valkyria vs. Asuka
  • IYO SKY vs. Natalya

Backstage Update On Potential Members Of WWE’s New Bray Wyatt-Themed Faction

Over the last few weeks, WWE has guided fans on a cryptic treasure hunt, with the final prize rumored to be a new faction led by Uncle Howdy (fka Bo Dallas), the real-life brother of the late Windham Rotunda (aka Bray Wyatt). WWE’s latest clue revealed a QR code at WWE Backlash that linked to a phone number and an audio file indicating that several “missing” people have come together to form a new family in WWE.

QR code hit the screen that sent viewers to the WWE-hosted landing page www.wwe.com/porte_ouverte. (That slug, “port ouverte,” is French for “open door.”)

On the page, an audio file is hosted, along with what appears to be a phone number, 888-280-3999 — the same number that, in 2022, revealed an audio clip of Bray Wyatt’s doctor revealing his (in character) mental health diagnosis, ending with a tease of his return. When playing the audio on the page, a distorted female voice says, “You think you’re so close to finding him but you don’t even know what you’re looking for. He’s not what you think. He just wants to help. That’s all he ever wanted. He opens up his arms and makes you feel like you matter; like you belong. He doesn’t change you. He, he reminds you. He wants to know, ‘Why did you forget about them?’ He says he opened the door and the time of secrets has come to an end.”

The familiar phone number now hosts a different message, mentioning “the ones that had gone missing,” and going on to say, in part, “None of you cared. Their families didn’t care. Their friends didn’t care, but I set them free. They are my family now and we will do anything to protect our family. I can’t wait for you to see what we’ve become. It’s beautiful.”

In the wake of this massive Easter egg, PWInsider is now reporting that this new group will soon present themselves on WWE television as a spinoff of sorts of the Wyatt Family. Moreover, this Bray Wyatt-themed faction will feature a few former associates of Wyatt’s, in addition to some new names, who have been subject to absences from WWE programming. The five names currently penciled into this reported group are Bo Dallas, Nikki Cross, Dexter Lumis, Joe Gacy, and Erick Rowan.

Like the aforementioned audio file alluded to, all members of this new faction have previous experience in other factions, or families, in WWE. Cross formerly served as a member of Sanity up until her stablemates Eric Young, Alexander Wolfe, and Killian Dain were called up to WWE’s main roster, while she remained in “WWE NXT” in 2018.   Similarly, Dexter Lumis was once a member of The Way alongside the likes of Johnny Gargano, Candice LeRae, and Indi Hartwell. While the latter three stayed in close proximity to each other on WWE’s main roster, Lumis abruptly disappeared from television last year, last wrestling on the June 1 episode of “WWE Main Event.” Erick Rowan, of course, was a member of the original Wyatt Family before the group disbanded in 2017.

For Gacy, his status as the leader of The Schism took a turn when Jagger Reid and Rip Fowler (Grizzled Young Veterans) departed from WWE in September 2023. As a result, Gacy later declared that Schism was “dead.”

As of now, there is no word on whether Alexa Bliss, who notably aligned with Wyatt’s alter-ego The Fiend from 2020 until 2021, will be part of this offshoot unit as well.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jerry “The King” Lawler Offers Positive Health Update After 2023 Stroke, Lawler’s WWE Broadcast Contract Has Expired

Over the last year, WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler has faced a few health concerns, most of which have been connected to a stroke he suffered in February 2023. While he continues to recover from his stroke, Lawler also notably underwent knee replacement surgery in March 2024. During a virtual signing with East Coast Autograph Auctions, Lawler provided a new update on his overall health following this recent knee operation.

“My health is great,” Lawler said (h/t POST Wrestling for the transcription). “I just [went] over to the doctors to get back on the road from my knee replacement and then of course, still some minor difficulties from the stroke. But all of that stuff is coming around fast.”

As Lawler alluded to, his 2023 stroke resulted in a few short-term mental and physical difficulties. According to WWE alumni Dutch Mantel, “The King” was struggling to complete his sentences and create artwork with his right hand in the months following his stroke. After reaching out to Lawler over the phone, journalist Bill Apter also noted that he was experiencing some memory troubles. Despite that, Lawler was said to still be in great spirits at the time.

Six months after his initial hospitalization, Lawler returned to WWE for a surprise appearance in front of his hometown crowd in Memphis, Tennessee. This outing came in the midst of a commercial break segment during “WWE Raw,” in which Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn brought Lawler out onto the entrance stage to wave “hello” to the fans in attendance. Lawler later appeared on the November 28 episode of “WWE NXT” by announcing two of the qualifying matches for the 2023 “NXT” Iron Survivor Challenge.

Lawler’s WWE broadcast contract has expired.

PWInsider reports that WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler is no longer with the WWE after his broadcast contract expired with the promotion “at the onset” of the year, with WWE choosing not to offer “The King” a new deal. WWE and Lawler’s association isn’t fully at an end, however, as Lawler is said to remain under a WWE Legend’s deal.

Lawler’s departure from WWE ends a 31-year relationship between him and the promotion, which began in December 1992. While he continued to wrestle sporadically for WWE over the years, “The King” became best known to WWE fans for his role as color commentator, most notably during the Attitude Era, where he called matches with fellow WWE Hall of Famer and long-time friend Jim Ross.

News of WWE declining to re-sign Lawler was slow to get out, largely due to Lawler’s retreat from the public eye following a stroke in February 2023. Due to his health issues, including a 2012 heart attack on “Raw” that nearly cost Lawler his life, some in WWE were surprised by his departure, with onne person going as far as to say that Lawler would’ve been kept around under the old regime of McMahon’s and that Lawler’s departure was a true sign that “the old company is dead.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.