Scheduled for tonight’s WWE NXT on the USA Network:
- NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. Brooks Jensen
- Gigi Dolin vs. Arianna Grace
- Shawn Spears vs. Ridge Holland
- Thea Hail & TBA vs. Kiana James & Izzi Dame
- Trick Williams to appear
Tag: WWE
WWE RAW Preview 3/11/2024
WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) vs. Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark
- WWE Intercontinental Championship No. 1 Contender Gauntlet Match: Ricochet vs. JD McDonagh vs. Sami Zayn vs. Chad Gable vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Bronson Reed
- Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan
CM Punk Will Return To WWE RAW This Month In Chicago
CM Punk has been announced for the March 25th episode of WWE RAW. WWE issued the following:
CM PUNK RETURNS TO MONDAY NIGHT RAW IN HIS HOMETOWN OF CHICAGO ON MARCH 25
New Seating Sections Released To Meet Demand
STAMFORD, Conn., March 11, 2024 – WWE®, part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO), today announced that CM Punk will make a sensational return to Monday Night Raw at Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois, on Monday, March 25.
The sold-out show will now have brand new seating sections opened to meet demand. Fans are invited to visit www.ticketmaster.com from 10.00am CT / 11.00 a.m. ET to purchase the final remaining tickets.
This will mark CM Punk’s first return to Chicago’s Allstate Arena since he shocked the world back in November with a stunning return to WWE at Survivor Series, garnering more than 71 million record-breaking views across social media platforms.
His last appearance on Monday Night Raw on February 5, 2024, saw him reveal an injury sustained at Royal Rumble that would force him to miss WrestleMania XL. Questions remain around what the self-proclaimed “Best In the World” will have to say when he addresses the WWE Universe in-person on Monday, March 25.
Muhammad Ali Named To 2024 WWE Hall Of Fame Class
With only a few weeks remaining before WrestleMania 40 weekend in Philadelphia, the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class is beginning to take shape, with Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, and The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda) being announced last week. Now, the trio will be joined by one of the biggest sports icons in history and a man who was involved with the first WrestleMania back in 1985.
Variety reports that the fourth member of the 2024 WWE HOF class is none other than Muhammad Ali. WWE themselves confirmed the news on social media and their official website.
A pioneer in both boxing and the civil rights movement, Ali was inspired by wrestling from an early age, modeling his trash-talking persona after early wrestling legend Gorgeous George. He would later get involved in the business several times, including facing Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in an exhibition fight in June 1976. The fight was preceded by Ali attending a WWE show earlier that month, where he took part in an angle with Gorilla Monsoon.
Nine years later, Ali would return to the wrestling world at the inaugural WrestleMania, where he served as one of two special guest referees for the main event tag match between Hulk Hogan & Mr. T and Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff. Ali would later become involved in the infamous Collision in Korea wrestling events held in North Korea in 1995, attending the events as its “guest of honor.”
Source: Wrestling Inc.
U.S. Express To Be Inducted To The 2024 WWE Hall Of Fame
The U.S. Express, the tag team of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham, are entering the WWE Hall of Fame. The news was first reported by the website The Ringer, with a video posted by WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque on social media of him sharing the news with Rotunda and Windham.
In the video, Levesque discussed Windham and Rotunda’s roles at the inaugural WrestleMania, where they defended the then-World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championships against The Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Levesque acknowledged their significant contributions to WWE’s success before informing them of their induction into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“It’s been a great journey, you know,” said a teary-eyed Rotunda. “I mean, watching WWE grow, so it’s pretty damn cool to be part of it in any aspect.”
In the early 1980s, Rotunda and Windham, the respective father and uncle of deceased WWE superstar Bray Wyatt, were one of wrestling’s hottest acts. The duo was especially popular in Florida, where they first debuted before steamrolling their way into WWE as the U.S. Express in 1984.
Under the tutelage of legendary manager Capt. Lou Albano, Rotunda and Windham won the company’s historic tag team titles on two occasions. They first dethroned the team of Dick Murdoch and Adrian Adonis. Windham and Rotunda claimed the titles a second-time months after they dropped them to the Sheik and Volkoff at Madison Square Garden during the inaugural WrestleMania.
The brother-in-law combo will join Paul Heyman and Bull Nakano as part of the 2024 Hall of Fame class. For Windham, this marks his second induction, having been previously honored in 2012 as part of the Four Horsemen stable.
The induction ceremony will take place after the April 5 SmackDown at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center, just before night one of WrestleMania at Lincoln Financial Field.
Source: SB Nation
WWE SmackDown Preview 3/8/2024
WWE SmackDown airs live tonight on FOX from the American Airlines Arena in Dallas, Texas.
- The Rock to appear
- Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins will give their answer to The Rock and Roman Reigns on The Rock’s WrestleMania 40 challenge
- Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross
- WWE United States Champion Logan Paul returns
Haku Rumored For WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024
According to Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, Haku is one of the rumoured names for the 2024 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. 2024 will be the first class chosen by Paul “Triple H” Levesque as opposed to Vince McMahon.
Paul Heyman was announced as the first inductee into the 2024 class of the WWE Hall of Fame on Monday, March 4 and earlier today Triple H announced Japanese women’s wrestling legend Bull Nakano for the WWE Hall of Fame. The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony takes place ahead of WrestleMania and the 2024 edition of the Shows of Shows will emanate from Philadelphia, a city synonymous with Extreme Championship Wrestling. Heyman owned ECW for several years until the promotion shuttered in 2001.
Known as one of the toughest men in professional wrestling, Haku had a long pro wrestling career. He performed in WWE as King Tonga and then Haku from 1985 until 1992, returning to the company in 2001 for a brief run. He also performed as Meng in World Championship Wrestling from 1994 until 2001.
Haku later spent time in New Japan Pro-Wrestling as part of Bullet Club with sons Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa. He helped take out The Elite back in 2018 as part of the Bullet Club civil war. Haku made a brief appearance in All Elite Wrestling in 2021, accompanying his son Hikuleo to the ring at Fight for the Fallen.
Tama Tonga is believed to be WWE-bound following the end of his run with New Japan. He is reportedly not expected to debut before WrestleMania 40, however.
Source: Cultaholic
Triple H Announces Women’s Wrestling Legend Bull Nakano For 2024 WWE Hall Of Fame Class
Following the news earlier this week that Paul Heyman would be part of the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class, the company’s Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque has now announced the second performer set to be recognized — former All Japan Women’s Pro-Wrestling star Bull Nakano. Levesque revealed the news on X and recognized the retired wrestler for her contributions to the industry.
“An unbelievable talent with an unforgettable look, and a mean streak a mile long,” Levesque said. “Bull Nakano isn’t just one of the best women’s wrestlers of all time — she’s one of the best of all time, period.”
Nakano began her wrestling career in the early 1980s when she was still a teenager. She captured the AJW Championship before the age of 18 and promptly held onto the title for more than three years. In the early 1990s, after years at the top of the promotion, Nakano left AJW.
In addition to her main body of work in Japan, Nakano made various appearances for both WWE and WCW, primarily from 1994 to 1996. Throughout this time, Nakano had a lengthy rivalry with Alundra Blayze (AKA Madusa). The two feuded in WWE in 1994 and 1995, including a match at WWE SummerSlam 1994, and Nakano later won the WWF Women’s Championship for a time. Both Nakano and Blayze wound up leaving the WWF for WCW in 1996 and their feud continued there.
After retiring due to injuries in 1997, Nakano spent some time as a professional golfer. She would later come out of retirement twice for very brief spots in gauntlet matches. It was also recently announced that Nakano would serve as the onscreen commissioner for Sukeban, a United States-based promotion that focuses on Japanese women’s wrestling.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE NXT Roadblock Preview 3/5/2024
Tonight’s WWE NXT special Roadblock on USA Network from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando Florida.
- Number one contender’s match for NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes vs. Tony D’Angelo
- WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Kabuki Warriors (c) vs. Lyra Valkyria & Tatum Paxley
- WWE NXT Tag Team Championship: Baron Corbin & Bron Breakker (c) vs. Chase U
- Asylum match: Dijak vs. Joe Gacy
- Shawn Spears to appear
Paul Heyman To Be inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2024
WWE announced Paul Heyman as the first inductee into this year’s WWE Hall of Fame.
Below is the announcement on WWE.com:
As first reported by the Associated Press, Paul Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024.
The outspoken, brusque New Yorker first gained enemies under the guise of Paul E. Dangerously in WCW. Managing Steve Austin, Arn Anderson and Rick Rude in a stable he dubbed his Dangerous Alliance, Heyman used a Big Apple attitude and an oversized 1980s cell phone to help his charges run through the likes of Sting and Ricky Steamboat.
After WCW released the hothead in 1993, Heyman found an opportunity in failure, turning a modest Philadelphia-based independent promotion called Eastern Championship Wrestling into the notoriously daring Extreme Championship Wrestling. Inspired by alternative rock music and MTV, the innovator took ECW from public access to national pay-per-view by endorsing brutal bouts showcasing the rare combination of misfit warriors alongside cutting-edge athletes.
Credited with inspiring WWE’s landmark “Attitude Era,” the controversial brand became the third-largest wrestling company in the world before it was crippled by financial problems in 2001. Heyman joined WWE as Jim Ross’ broadcast partner, but it wouldn’t be long before the nonconformists of ECW reemerged in WWE as part of the infamous “Invasion.” Aligning himself with Stephanie and Shane McMahon, Heyman came frighteningly close to overthrowing WWE but ultimately failed to bring down his competition.
Time and again, however, Heyman was able to find his way back in, forming alliances with Superstars like CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Big Show and Kurt Angle.
Since the summer of 2020, Heyman has been firmly entrenched as the Special Council to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, where he lends his opinion and uses his outspoken nature to advise one of the most impressive title reigns in WWE history.
Heyman’s influence on sports-entertainment has become immeasurable, as his brash, in-your-face attitude has paved the way for multiple generations of managers and Superstars. With a resume that is unmatched, Heyman now takes his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.
Congratulations to Paul Heyman on becoming a WWE Hall of Famer!
Source: WWE
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