Tag: WWE

QR Code Leads To More Clues, ‘Coming Soon’ Video On 4/22 WWE RAW

Another week, another set of clues on “WWE Raw,” seemingly teasing the return or debut of a mysterious figure or figures. While most predictions center around Uncle Howdy (Taylor Rotunda, FKA Bo Dallas) perhaps in some sort of new stable, there haven’t been any clear-cut giveaways to that end just yet.

Tonight, as Chad Gable took the ring to address his actions after an Intercontinental Championship match with Sami Zayn last week, similar images to others we’ve seen in previous weeks — the glyph of Pluto and, an image of a raven — hit the screen, followed by a QR code. That link led to an interactive landing page at the wwe.com/55555, where the text “You will bear witness. Begin the endless crawl. Type the number of sense organs. And you shall behold all.” Entering the number five renders more text, “Preparing your invitation,” and the a call-to-action to “Proceed.” That button takes the user to another page, wwe.com/invitation, where a video is hosted.

The video leads with various old school graphics saying, “Coming soon,” before cutting to a shot of a creepy house, where a figure throws a note on the front porch that says, “Remember who you are.” The figure (seemingly holding the camera) then retreats before another series of images — different variations of the glyph and the raven, plus a shrouded figure and a lot else that is difficult to see clearly. In numerology, the number five, prominent on that first landing page and the answer to the question leading to the second page, often represents freedom, curiosity, and change but beyond that, the clues don’t seem to be meant to be too revealing at this point, all still very reminiscent of the buildup to the late Bray Wyatt’s 2022 return.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NXT Star Von Wagner Among Recent Releases

Following a recent report of talents being released from WWE, Fightful Select has confirmed that Von Wagner was also let go from the company.

Wagner signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2019 and was a fixture of the NXT brand in recent years.

The son of Wayne Bloom (Beau Beverly) had his last NXT match on 4/2, facing Lexis King in a rematch from the 2/27 edition of the television program.

Source: WrestleView

WWE RAW Preview 4/22/2024

Tonight’s WWE Monday Night RAW live on USA Network from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, OH.

  • World Tag Team Championship: Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) (c) vs. DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa)
  • Battle royal for the vacant WWE Women’s World Championship: Becky Lynch, Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Maxxine Dupri, Ivy Nile, Chelsea Green, Piper Niven, Natalya, Tegan Nox, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Indi Hartwell, Candice LeRae, Shayna Baszler, Zoey Stark
  • Judgment Day’s Dominik Mysterio and JD McDonagh vs. Andrade and Ricochet
  • Former Intercontinental Champion Gunther to appear

New QR Code Teaser Shown On WWE SmackDown

During the 4/19 edition of WWE SmackDown, a QR code appeared on screen as Triple H was making his way to the ring.

When scanned, the code links to a secret page on the WWE website, with an image that appears to contain a hidden link to another page entirely.

I SET THEM FREE

OUT OF THE MIRY CLAY

OPENED THEIR EYES

WHILE YOU DID NOTHING.

There is plenty of speculation that this is another tease for the return of Uncle Howdy, following a similar tease on RAW.

The end of the Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal documentary on Peacock showed a glimpse of Wyatt’s lantern, along with the figure of Howdy standing behind it.

Uncle Howdy, who was portrayed by Bo Dallas in late 2022 and early 2023, debuted in the company alongside Bray Wyatt following a series of similar teases, in what would be Wyatt’s final appearances before his tragic passing last October.

Source: WrestleView

Seth Rollins Undergoes Knee Surgery

Seth Rollins underwent surgery on his knee earlier this week.

While appearing on a talk show in Ireland, Becky Lynch revealed that her husband underwent knee surgery on Tuesday for his torn meniscus. The injury occurred prior to WrestleMania 40.

Back in January, we reported that Rollins suffered the partial meniscus tear during a match with the now-released Jinder Mahal on RAW. While he opted to rest so he could still work WrestleMania 40, he clearly wanted to have the surgery done for the longevity of his career. As of this writing, there’s no word on how long he’ll be out of action.

Source: eWn

WWE SmackDown Preview 4/19/2024

WWE SmackDown airs live tonight on FOX, from the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, PA.

  • Undisputed WWE Universal Championship number one contender’s match: LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
  • WWE Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi
  • SmackDown Tag Team title number one contender’s match: The Street Profits vs. Pete Dunne & Tyler Bate vs. Angel & Humberto vs. The Authors of Pain

Erick Rowan Believed To Be Returning WWE

Erick Redbeard, previously known as Erick Rowan, sparked discussions among fans when it was revealed that he had withdrawn from various independent bookings, including one for East Coast Pro Wrestling (ECPW). The reason cited was “new contractual obligations,” leading to speculation that he might be returning to WWE.

Later reports indicated that Rowan had been in Pittsburgh recently, a common city where WWE sends talent for medical evaluations before signing them.

This has caused fans to speculate Rowan is returning to WWE to be aligned with Bo Dallas when he portrays Uncle Howdy. Dave Meltzer reported the following in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“Joseph Ruud, 42, who has been wrestling on indies as Erick Redbeard, but best known as Erick Rowan, pulled out of all his upcoming dates citing signing a new contract that would prevent appearing. The natural speculation would be WWE, with the idea of a connection with the returning Bo Dallas. WWE did not confirm that as they wouldn’t officially but within the company there was that expectation.”

Backstage Update On Drew Gulak’s WWE Status

No Quarter Catch Crew has been missing a member as of late, as faction founder Drew Gulak has been missing from WWE programming, and presumed dead in storyline. Even his name has disappeared from the No Quarter Catch Crew entrance graphics on “WWE NXT.” On the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Dave Meltzer said the reason for his absence is Ronda Rousey’s recent allegations that the former WWE Cruiserweight Champion put his hands on her clothing without her consent.

“What I was told was that there was no conclusive thing,” Meltzer said. “The witnesses were not conclusive…but Gulak was bad publicity, so he got whacked.” Rousey alleged that Gulak grabbed the drawstring on her sweatpants, while Gulak is adamant he merely missed a handshake and tried to turn the awkward situation into a joke. As it stands, Gulak is still with the company, though Meltzer thinks that could change soon.

“I don’t know that he’s been fired but when I asked it was like ‘Well, if he hasn’t been, he probably will be,'” Meltzer chuckled. “It’s not looking good for him.”

No Quarter Catch Crew is currently feuding with The D’Angelo Family, with Tony D’Angelo claiming the Catch Crew hired The Family to take out Gulak and never paid for the hit. Gulak wasn’t just pulled from “WWE NXT,” as the former 24/7 Champion was also pulled from various WrestleMania Weekend events, including the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, where Gulak was reportedly set to sit near a friend of Rousey’s.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Janel Grant Spokesperson Buries Two High Profile WWE Names For Vince McMahon Association

After he resigned from WWE this January, very little regarding the happenings of former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon had emerged. That changed Wednesday, when an NBC news story gave a glimpse at McMahon’s life since his resignation, particularly in how he’s handling Janel Grant’s lawsuit against him, a lawsuit that accused McMahon of sex trafficking and abuse. The story also shined a light into McMahon’s private life, including the revelation that McMahon has remained in contact with two key WWE figures in the form of John Cena and TKO board of directors member Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Shortly after the story on McMahon emerged, a spokesperson for Grant reached out to Wrestlenomics’ Brandon Thurston with a statement regarding Johnson and Cena maintaining a relationship with McMahon. Posted on X, the statement called Johnson and Cena “shameful” for maintaining a relationship with McMahon despite the allegations against him, and that “behind-the-scenes support is louder than any public statement could ever be.”

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1780697405152719142

The statement, as well as the revelation of Cena and Johnson’s continued association with McMahon, comes shortly after both wrestlers played integral parts in WrestleMania 40, an event seen by many as an attempt by WWE to distance itself from McMahon. Appearing as a regular through WrestleMania season, Johnson competed at Night One of WrestleMania 40, teaming with Roman Reigns to defeat Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins, before interfering during Rhodes and Reigns’ match on Night Two. Cena also interfered during the match and even briefly confronted Johnson moments before Rhodes emerged as the victor.

While Johnson hasn’t publicly acknowledged McMahon since the latter’s resignation, Cena has spoken about McMahon’s ongoing situation in both 2023 and 2024, receiving criticism both times for showing McMahon support. Neither Johnson nor Cena have responded to the statement from Grant’s spokesperson at this time.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Update On Former WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley’s Injury

While the company is still riding a wave of momentum from WWE WrestleMania 40, last night’s “WWE Raw” opened with Rhea Ripley making the unfortunate announcement that she was vacating the Women’s World Championship due to injury. Many speculated that the injury came about during last week’s angle with Liv Morgan, with the latest “Wrestling Observer Radio” offering some insight into what may have occurred.

“She suffered [an] AC joint sprain in the brawl with Liv Morgan last week on ‘Raw,'” Bryan Alvarez said. “She was thrown into the wall and boom — there goes the shoulder. An injury like that, [it will take] probably four to six weeks to gain mobility and then usually about three months to be back in action.”

Alvarez and co-host Dave Meltzer interpreted last night’s segment as a double-turn, with Morgan becoming a heel while Ripley was turned into a babyface due to the circumstances. It’s not clear if this was the definitive intent of the segment, but it’s undeniable that the crowd was behind Ripley last night and keeping her as a villain upon her return would likely be a difficult task.

“She suffered [an] AC joint sprain in the brawl with Liv Morgan last week on ‘Raw,'” Bryan Alvarez said. “She was thrown into the wall and boom — there goes the shoulder. An injury like that, [it will take] probably four to six weeks to gain mobility and then usually about three months to be back in action.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.