Tag: WWE

Dave Meltzer Addresses WWE Talents’ Frustrations With Dwayne The Rock Johnson

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had caused some frustration among network executives and WWE wrestlers because of his language during in-ring promos. A memo was reportedly sent out to talent recently, which said they must continue to adhere to the promotion’s PG guidelines when it comes to their promos. According to this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter, there have been discussions “among talent and outside” about a “double standard” involving the former WWE Champion. However, the report pointed out that there will always be that type of situation regarding someone with star power, like Rock.

Additionally, an unnamed individual told the Observer that nobody would question Rock because he’s a member of the TKO Group Holdings (parent company of WWE) board and generally does what he wants. Also, it was mentioned that Rock has a team of representatives, so he wouldn’t necessarily get involved with any issues. Meanwhile, there was said to be a feeling that “the era of Vince McMahon’s double standards for his handpicked stars” was over. However, since Rock’s return, that belief has changed.

Meanwhile, some talent has reportedly claimed they would be able to pick up more steam if the “handcuffs” were taken off their promos on television and social media. It’s said that despite Rock having significant freedom, stars like Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes have had to stick to the usual guidelines. “The Great One” recently responded to the complaints about his language and cursing on WWE programming, saying he’d “rather be real than not” and “talk from the heart.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

3 WWE Legends Reportedly Expected To Have Something At WrestleMania 40

With 10 matches already announced for WrestleMania 40, and perhaps several others still to be added, WWE fans in Philadelphia and across the world will have plenty to keep up with over the course of two nights on April 6 and 7. And now, according to Dave Meltzer, they can potentially look forward to three legendary names participating in some fashion as well.

In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Meltzer reports that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Undertaker, and John Cena “will have something at WrestleMania in some form.” The report also states there is no creative set in stone (specifically for Cena or Austin) currently or that, if there is, it could be a well-guarded secret. What any or all of these legends ends up doing is still predicated on several variables, including their willingness to participate and what the financial incentives might be. In Cena’s case, Meltzer says he is free from any movie obligations but “depending on what acting stuff he has and how quick after [WrestleMania] he’s filming would determine how much he can or can’t do for insurance reasons.”

Austin, of course, last appeared for WWE defeating Kevin Owens in a Street Fight at WrestleMania 38 Night One and then returned the next evening to dish out Stunners to Pat McAfee, Austin Theory, and Vince McMahon. Cena faced Theory in a losing effort at WrestleMania 39, and then returned to WWE full-time for a two-month run in late 2023, culminating in a loss to Solo Sikoa at Crown Jewel. Undertaker hasn’t officially competed in WWE since WrestleMania 36’s Boneyard Match win over AJ Styles, though he did appear on “WWE NXT” in October 2023, chokeslamming Bron Breakker.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ronda Rousey Says She Doesn’t Intend To Return To WWE

Ronda Rousey says she has no intent on making a return to the WWE ring. Rousey has been away from the company since she lost to Shayna Baszler at SummerSlam 2023. She has a new book, Our Fight, releasing on April 4th in which she is deeply critical of Vince McMahon and in a new interview with Never Before Told promoting the book, she was asked what kind of backstage information fans would learn from the book.

“How much of an absolute shit show it is at the WWE because they can’t hold the story over my head and hold me hostage with my own career,” Rousey replied (per Fightful). “I don’t need anything from them and I don’t intend on going back, so I can say everything that I think and feel while everybody else is still held captive by their organization.”

Rousey had two runs with the Smackdown Women’s Championship, one with the Raw Women’s Championship and one with the Women’s Tag Team Championship during her two stints in the company.

Source: 411Mania

WWE SmackDown GM Dealing With An Injury

It’s tough being an on-screen authority figure in WWE. A roster full of stars constantly getting into brawls in between segments, demanding things on the day of the show, and just being hard to deal with can be a real task. However, one figure in particular has been dealing with a very real problem.

PWInsider is reporting that “WWE Smackdown” General Manager Nick Aldis has been dealing with an injury as of late, with multiple WWE sources believing that he has a torn bicep that requires surgery. Another report was published later the same day by PWI confirming that Aldis not only had a torn bicep, but that he had undergone surgery for it, and everything went smoothly to the point that WWE doesn’t think Aldis will miss any upcoming appearances for the company.

Aldis later confirmed and commented on the injury via a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

“Yes, I just got out of surgery for a ruptured bicep tendon, and yes, the sheets had it within minutes. God bless ’em. Must be a slow news day,” Aldis wrote. “Anyway it was a freak accident, I’m on the mend, and I will continue to fulfill my obligations.”

Before his time as “Smackdown” General Manager, Aldis was best known for his work as Magnus in TNA Wrestling, where he would not only win two TNA Tag Team Championship, but the TNA World Championship as well. With TNA having working relationships overseas during his time there, Aldis would win tag gold in both New Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH before leaving the company in 2015. He would enjoy a lot of singles success in his post-TNA career, winning the Global Force Wrestling World Championship in 2015, before going on to hold the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship for over 1300 days between 2017 and 2021. Aldis would make a brief pitstop back in TNA (then known as Impact Wrestling) before joining WWE as a backstage producer in August 2023 and being revealed as the Smackdown General Manager a few weeks later.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 3/19/2024

Tonight’s WWE NXT on USA Network from the Performance Center in Orlando Florida.

  • Trick Williams vs. Noam Dar
  • Tag Team qualifier: Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson vs. Hank Walker & Tank Ledger
  • Tag Team qualifier: Axiom & Nathan Frazer vs. No Quarter Catch Crew
  • Heritage Cup Championship: Riley Osborne vs. One member of No Quarter Catch Crew (c)
  • Roxanne Perez vs. Tatum Paxley
  • Sol Ruca vs. Brinley Reece
  • We’ll hear from NXT North American Champion Oba Femi
  • Tony D’Angelo to speak

WWE RAW Preview 3/17/2024

WWE RAW will air live tonight on the USA Network from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC.

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship Match contract signing with Gunther and Sami Zayn for WrestleMania 40
  • Last Woman Standing Match: Becky Lynch vs. Nia Jax
  • WrestleMania 40 Tag Team Match 6-Pack Ladder Qualifying Match: The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. Alpha Academy (Otis and Akira Tozawa)
  • WrestleMania 40 Tag Team 6-Pack Ladder Qualifying Match: DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Creed Brothers (Julius and Brutus Creed)
  • WrestleMania Tag Team 6-Pack Ladder Qualifying Match: The Miz & R-Truth vs. Indus Sher (Veer Mahaan and Sanga)

Raquel Rodriguez Pulled From Active WWE Roster

Raquel Rodriguez revealed in January that she had been diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS), which caused her to take a break from WWE TV. Individuals with MCAS experience allergic symptoms like hives, swelling, low blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and severe diarrhea.

Although Rodriguez made a comeback in February, she almost missed the WWE Elimination Chamber 2024 pay-per-view event due to a flare-up of her condition.

According to a report from Pwinsider, Rodriguez has now been removed from the active WWE roster. It was mentioned that she is currently listed internally alongside other talents who are currently inactive.

Source: eWn

WWE Releases Trailer For Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal

Last year, WWE star Windham Rotunda, known onscreen as Bray Wyatt, died of a heart attack at the age of 36. As the wrestling world continues to mourn the late performer, WWE is preparing to release a documentary focusing on Rotunda’s career, titled “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal.” The first trailer offers a glimpse at what audiences can expect to see.

The doc is set to include interviews from Paul “Triple H” Levesque, John Cena, Braun Strowman, Rotunda’s partner Joseann “JoJo” Offerman, and more. Additionally, Mark Callaway, better known as The Undertaker, will narrate the feature. “Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal” is also set to include never-before-seen footage and interviews with the late performer.

“Becoming Immortal” is scheduled to debut on Peacock on April 1, 2024 — just a few days before the annual WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Wyatt is rumored to be included as an inductee into the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class, but his inclusion has yet to be officially confirmed by the promotion.

Levesque, WWE’s booker and Chief Content Officer, took to social media to comment on the upcoming Wyatt documentary.

“Windham Rotunda had a brilliant mind,” Levesque said. “There was no wall he wouldn’t break down in the name of storytelling. You had no choice but to believe in him. He was just that good. It’s time for his story to be the one that’s told.”

Rotunda — whose father, grandfather, uncle, and younger brother were all wrestlers — first signed with WWE in 2009. The documentary will detail Rotunda’s rise as the Wyatt character as well as some of the struggles he faced throughout his time in the promotion.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Asuka Reportedly Injured During Latest SmackDown

It hasn’t always been the smoothest road to WrestleMania 40, with plans involving The Rock, Cody Rhodes, and Roman Reigns changing a few times, while an injury to CM Punk also led to an audible regarding the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match. Now, another injury has emerged to potentially throw a monkey wrench into WWE’s plans for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.

PWInsider reports that Asuka, one-half of the Women’s Tag Champions with Kairi Sane, suffered an injury to her knee on “SmackDown” this past Friday night. The news will not come as a huge shock to viewers, as Asuka could be seen limping during the closing angle of “SmackDown,” where she, Kairi, Dakota Kai, and WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY attacked Bayley following the latter’s match against Kai.

Asuka was subsequently pulled off the road this weekend, as a precaution, and is expected to undergo medical tests to determine the severity of the injury. At this time, it remains to be seen whether Asuka will be able to wrestle through the injury, or if she will be forced to take significant time off. It would be Asuka’s second notable injury in three years, after she was forced to miss 9 months of action from July 2021 to April 2022 due to an arm injury.

While no match had been announced for Asuka and Kairi at WrestleMania, it was expected that the duo would put their titles on the line on either Night One or Night Two of the event. Should Asuka be forced to miss significant time, she would become the second WWE women’s star forced off of Mania this year due to injury, joining Charlotte Flair, who suffered an injury wrestling Asuka back in December and is expected to be out till later this year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Update On WWE Allowing Shayna Baszler To Work Bloodsport X Event For GCW

Details have emerged regarding the recent announcement that WWE star Shayna Baszler will appear at GCW’s Bloodsport X event on April 4. In an update posted to F4WOnline, Dave Meltzer said he was told the decision came from WWE CCO Paul “Triple H” Levesque, and that he has a different view on WWE talent appearing with other promotions than did Vince McMahon. 

Baszler’s appearance at Bloodsport won’t be the first time WWE sends talent elsewhere this year either, having previously sent Charlie Dempsey to All Japan Pro Wrestling in January. The event has historically been hosted by Josh Barnett — except Matt Riddle’s Bloodsport in 2018 — and is promoted under the GCW umbrella. Barnett was Shayna Baszler’s coach early in her transition from MMA to professional wrestling. Bloodsport competition differs from traditional wrestling as it takes place in a ring without ropes or turnbuckles, and matches can only be won via submission or knockout. 

This event will be the tenth iteration, ahead of Bloodsport Bushido in Tokyo slated for June 22, and is also slated to feature Nic Nemeth — formerly Dolph Ziggler in WWE — as he faces “Speedball” Mike Bailey, due to be Bailey’s third Bloodsport outing. A whole slew of names are involved elsewhere, with Josh Barnett facing Johnny “Bloodsport” Hennigan, Minoru Suzuki vs. Royce Isaacs, and former “WWE NXT” stars Timothy Thatcher and Axel Tischer set to collide. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.