Cora Jade has gone under the knife to surgically repair a torn ACL.
During the main event of a WWE NXT live event earlier this month, Jade’s match against Lyra Valkyria for the Women’s Title had to be stopped due to an injury.
Jade posted the following on Twitter, confirming the news:
“WWE NXT” has a new sheriff in town, and her name is Ava Raine.
Tuesday’s episode of “NXT” marked an important meeting for 22-year-old Ava Raine, as she was seen standing outside the office of Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels. A returning William Regal then emerged from the office, sharing the news that Raine had been named as the new General Manager of “NXT,” making her the youngest general manager in WWE history.
As Raine thanked Regal for sitting in on their meeting, Regal noted that while this role is often a thankless job paired with long hours, he is confident that Raine can keep up with its demands. Regal also reminded her that he is always a phone call away if she needs advice along the way.
Regal previously took on the on-screen General Manager duties for “NXT” in 2014, serving in this role until his eventual release from WWE in January 2022. Following his exit from WWE, Regal joined All Elite Wrestling, serving as a managerial figure for the Blackpool Combat Club. The veteran performer later requested his release from AEW, which was then granted in December 2022, on the condition that he could not appear on WWE television in 2023. With his non-compete clause now over, Regal is free to resume any on-screen duties that WWE may have for him, including tonight’s new “NXT” GM unveiling.
Raine isn’t the only member of the Samoan dynasty to receive an authority position this week. Earlier today, WWE revealed that her father, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, was appointed to the board of directors at TKO Group Holdings.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Former WWE Champion John Cena has become more and more of an honorary figure in WWE, his in-ring appearances dwindling with each passing year, leading many to wonder when the pro-wrestler-turned-Hollywood star will finally be calling it a career in sports entertainment. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Cena made it clear that the end is near.
“I never wanted to go out there just for the sake of going out there,” Cena said on the press tour for his latest film, “Argylle.” “I’m gonna be 47 this year. I feel great. So inside I feel great, but I know what it takes to be a WWE performer night in and night out and I don’t ever wanna just go out there and do it to do it. I wanna have the passion — the same passion as the fanbase — and I wanna give them exactly what they give me. The miles on this odometer say, ‘Hey, that’s gotta be done before 50.'”
Cena reiterated that he can’t perform in the ring while shooting films for insurance reasons, meaning that outside of extenuating circumstances (like the SAG-AFTRA strike that led to his most recent run) there’s no chance of him returning to WWE full-time.
“As long as the phone keeps ringing and we’ve had some good opportunities here, I’ll kind of preserve that for as long as I can,” he said. “But even coming back for these one-at-a-time things or short three-month periods, it takes its toll more and more, and I’ve just had an incredibly fortunate run with my health. I feel great. I just want to continue to feel great the rest of my life.”
When asked if he would be in Philadelphia for WrestleMania 40, Cena played coy, saying he may or may not be free that weekend. He also left things somewhat unclear about what exactly the end of his WWE career would look like. On the one hand, he was firm in his determination to continue his streak of 23 straight years with at least one WWE match even after retirement, saying “I’ve never missed a year, and as long as I can perform, I don’t intend to miss a year.” But he also wants to make room for those coming up behind him.
“When I say I’m done — in WWE, they say never say never and a lot of people retire and come back — I’m just being honest with myself,” Cena said. “There’s such a great new generation now as well. It’s time to pass the electric energy on to the folks that can be there every day.”
Accordingly, Cena’s role as of late has seemingly been to usher in the new generation of WWE stars. His last in-ring appearance was a loss to The Bloodline’s Solo Sikoa at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia, after which he was brutally beaten down by the rising star. Before that, he put over LA Knight after their tag team victory at WWE Fastlane and lost a WWE United States Championship match to then-champion Austin Theory at WrestleMania 39.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network:
Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw” kicked off in a familiar way with Seth Rollins’ music and the crowd joyfully singing along, but things quickly took a somber tone, with Rollins announcing that an MRI showed that he suffered a Grade 2 MCL tear and a partially torn medial meniscus in his left knee. With surgery, that would mean a 3-4 month recovery period, which would cause Rollins to miss WrestleMania 40 — although it sounded like Rollins hadn’t committed to the doctors’ prescribed timeline as far as that goes.
Before the champion could detail his plan of action, he was interrupted by GUNTHER’s music and the WWE Intercontinental Champion hit the ring with his Imperium allies. After a promo from GUNTHER, Rollins said Imperium should have let him finish, because he “doesn’t give a damn what the doctors tell [him]” and he intends to keep his promise to take the title into WrestleMania, and do everything in his power to walk out with it. GUNTHER made it clear that he plans on winning the Royal Rumble and announced his intentions to choose Rollins as the titleholder that he would then go after.
The news was not a total surprise, as Rollins’ injury during last week’s title defense against Jinder Mahal was spotted in real time, with his legs taking more of the impact on a moonsault than he would have liked. Word got around soon after that it was indeed a legitimate injury, and we awaited word from the man himself tonight to see where things would go. As of this writing, whether WWE actually keeps the World Heavyweight Championship around Rollins’ waist in hopes that he’ll be back in time for the Showcase of the Immortals remains to be seen.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE has announced this morning that “WWE Raw” — the promotion’s weekly flagship show — will move to Netflix in January 2025. The new long-term partnership will see the red brand show initially broadcast on the streaming platform in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Latin America. More countries will be added in the future. Additionally, Netflix will become the home of all weekly WWE shows, as well as premium live events such as WrestleMania, for international fans.
The WWE-Netflix deal is reportedly worth $5 billion over ten years. It means that WWE, owned by TKO Group Holdings, will earn $500 million a year from the new media rights agreement. “Raw’s” current deal with USA Network, which will expire in October, is said to be worth up to $260 million per year. Meanwhile, the new partnership with Netflix will see “Raw” leave linear television for the first time since the show began airing in 1993.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
It is still undecided where RAW will air between the end of the current USA deal and the start of the Netflix deal.
WWE RAW airs live tonight on the USA Network from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins reportedly did not suffer an ACL tear when he was injured during his title defense against Jinder Mahal on Monday’s episode of “WWE Raw,” but he did sustain a torn MCL and partially torn meniscus, according to Fightful Select, which cited sources near Rollins. It’s not currently known if the injuries will require surgery or how WWE will alter creative plans going forward.
The champion was reportedly pulled from the lineup for this weekend’s WWE live events in Alabama and Mississippi and replaced by Randy Orton.
WrestleVotes posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday that Rollins will address his health and future as champion on the January 22 episode of “Raw,” the last Monday before the Royal Rumble.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
Grayson Waller gained attention for his appearance on an Australian talk show alongside LA Knight today.
During their interview on the Sunrise news show, things took an unexpected turn when one of the hosts asked Knight to demonstrate his signature move on someone who was leaving that week. However, Knight declined the request and instead offered the opportunity to Waller. In a playful manner, the person raised his fists. However, Waller’s mood quickly changed when John Cena’s music suddenly started playing in the studio.
Waller made it clear that he wouldn’t fake a punch. Instead, he warned that the police might need to be called to the studio because he was about to deliver a real punch.
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