Tag: WWE

WWE RAW Preview 12/18/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Wells Fargo Center in Des Moines, Iowa.

  • WWE Undisputed Tag Team Championship Match: The Judgment Day’s Finn Balor and Damian Priest (c) vs. The Creed Brothers
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Chelsea Green and Piper Niven (c) vs. Katana Chance and Kayden Carter 
  • WWE International Championship Match: Gunther (c) vs. The Miz – If Miz loses, he will not be able to challenge for the title as long as Gunther is champion.
  • Seth Rollins will address Drew McIntyre

Backstage Update On Omos, Dexter Lumis, And Odyssey Jones WWE Absences

Omos, Dexter Lumis, and Odyssey Jones all seemingly vanished from prominent spots on WWE TV, leaving fans with little indication of their futures.

Fightful Select is reporting that Omos is off TV to keep the giant superstar’s appearances special so that he can transition into an attraction role like Brock Lesnar or in the past Big Show. Omos currently works on select Live Events against talent like Akira Tozawa. There are reportedly few pitches if any headed his way. Omos last worked a notable program with Brock Lesnar, which culminated in the opening match of Night 2 of WrestleMania 39.

Dexter Lumis is currently not injured, but not on tour. The popular NXT star is said to be ready to go whenever Creative has plans for him, but like Omos there are no plans at the moment.

One superstar that has been the subject of pitches is Odyssey Jones. Jones has reportedly been pitched as an addition to the faction of Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, though there have yet to be any developments past the pitch stage. Jones has been on the road, working tag matches with Cameron Grimes against Austin Theory and Grayson Waller at Live Events.

Jones has actually been mentioned by Omos in the past as someone that he would like to wrestle. The future special attraction said that he feels a responsibility to his fellow giant wrestlers to help them learn to adapt to life on the road, which is often not friendly to people of their size.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces Charlotte Flair Will Be Out 9 Months

Charlotte Flair appeared to suffer a knee injury during her match against Asuka on Friday Night SmackDown last week, as she was spotted yelling “my knee” at Charles Robinson who was tending to her after the match. We’ve been waiting for any kind of diagnosis in the meantime and the first bit of official news to come out is not good.

Indeed, WWE announced during this week’s show that Flair did indeed suffer a knee injury on a spot coming off the ropes and she will have to miss nine months of action.

According to a report from Pwinsider, Flair suffered a torn ACL, a torn MCL and a torn meniscus after falling from the top rope. Additionally, it is believed that she suffered a strain to her neck. While the surgery has not taken place just yet, it is expected to happen in the near future.

The timing of this couldn’t be worse, considering we’re just before the holidays and WWE is gearing up for its biggest time of the year, the Royal Rumble to WrestleMania 40 push. Flair was undoubtedly going to be a major part of both.

Source: SB Nation

Injured WWE Star Liv Morgan Arrested For Drug Possession

Former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Liv Morgan was arrested in Florida for drug possession after a traffic stop. According to PWInsider, the 29-year-old was arrested for possession of marijuana and possession of drugs, possibly that of a synthetic cannabinoid, on Thursday evening. The injured star was arrested after a Sumter County sheriff’s deputy saw the Jeep she was driving cross over the white and yellow lines of the road. 

When the deputy approached Morgan’s vehicle, they smelled marijuana, according to the arrest report. According to PWInsider, a small plastic bag of marijuana and a vape pen that “held an oil-like substance” that later tested for marijuana were found in the vehicle. Morgan bonded out of jail and was released Thursday night around 10:00 p.m. WWE has yet to either comment to the outlet or release a statement.

According to a report from Fightful Select, there is no heat on Morgan within WWE following her arrest. It is worth mentioning that although marijuana is included in the Wellness Policy, WWE has not conducted tests for it in recent years.

A WWE staff member said, “Liv has not been on TV, did not alter creative plans, and was honest about the situation. There are no issues with her whatsoever.”

A top wrestler said, “Everybody liked Liv before, everybody still likes Liv. We’ll get our jokes off, and she’ll get hers off, and nobody will be thinking about it soon enough.”

Morgan has been out of action since suffering an injury on a July episode of “WWE Raw” that saw WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley attack her before their advertised match, an angle to write her off television. Morgan had just returned to the ring from a previous shoulder injury before suffering another, reportedly to her opposite side. The initial injury led Morgan and tag team partner Raquel Rodriguez to vacate the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.

Sources: Wrestling Inc. and eWn

AJ Styles Returns, Attacks Roman Reigns (But Also LA Knight) On WWE SmackDown

After LA Knight defied Randy Orton’s wishes, expressed near the beginning of Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown,” by coming down the ramp to thwart an attack from Solo Sikoa, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns took matters into his own hands, smashing Knight and hitting the ring to attack Orton.

AJ Styles Returns, Attacks Roman Reigns (But Also LA Knight) On WWE SmackDown
Christian Bertrand/Shutterstock
BY JON JORDAN/DEC. 15, 2023 10:41 PM EST
After LA Knight defied Randy Orton’s wishes, expressed near the beginning of Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown,” by coming down the ramp to thwart an attack from Solo Sikoa, WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns took matters into his own hands, smashing Knight and hitting the ring to attack Orton.

And then AJ Styles’ music hit.

“The Phenomenal One” emerged through the WWE Universe, dressed all in black, and hit “The Tribal Chief” with a Phenomenal Forearm. But what looked to be a simple evening up of the numbers game — as well as Styles exacting revenge by association for Sikoa’s taking him out last we saw him — turned sideways when the leader of The OC turned his attention toward Knight, obliterating him with a clothesline. Styles then exited the ring and walked past the battered Bloodline, all of whom ogled him awkwardly as he went to the back without any further interaction.

Orton, who challenged Reigns earlier in the night for the Universal Championship, looked confused as most onlookers probably felt throughout these events and once Knight came to off the mat, he looked equal parts perplexed and livid while staring down the departing Styles. Though there’s no official answer as of yet to Orton’s challenge, it seems reasonable that an Orton/Reigns bout will take place at Royal Rumble and now possibly Knight and Styles as well.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 12/15/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Resch Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

  • Roman Reigns returns to handle tribal business
  • WWE United States Championship Tournament No. 1 First-Round Contenders Match: Kevin Owens vs. Austin Theory
  • WWE United States Championship Tournament No. 1 First-Round Contenders Match: Grayson Waller vs. NXT Superstar Carmelo Hayes

WWE NXT Preview 12/12/2023

Here is the lineup for tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Performance Center on the USA Network: 

  • Fallout from Deadline
  • Eddy Thorpe vs. Dijak
  • Meta-Four (Lash Legend, Noam Dar, & Oro Mensah) vs. Josh Briggs, Brooks Jensen, Fallon Henley
  • NXT Men’s Breakout Tournament begins
  • Nikkita Lyons appearance
  • Cora Jade likely to appear

Update On Charlotte Flair Following WWE SmackDown Injury

It seems last Friday’s episode of “WWE SmackDown” may be one Charlotte Flair will wish she could forget. During a match against Asuka, the 15-time women’s champion took a nasty spill off the top rope, hitting her head and landing awkwardly on her leg, leading to the match being quickly wrapped up. The injury has since been confirmed to be legitimate, and judging by WWE’s current reaction, it doesn’t appear Flair will be around any time soon. PWInsider reports that Flair has returned to her home in Florida and has been pulled off the road until further notice. As of this writing, it’s unclear how much time Flair will miss, though WWE is said to be moving quickly to determine the nature of the injuries she suffered during the match.

This will be Flair’s third absence in the past year and a half, having missed over seven months in 2022 and another two months earlier this year. However, neither absence appeared to be caused by injury — in 2022 it was attributed to her marriage to AEW star Andrade El Idolo, while her missed time this year seemed to be a planned break after her loss to Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania 39.

Should Flair miss a significant amount of time, it would throw a wrench in the current direction of the “SmackDown” women’s division, which has seen Flair, Bianca Belair, and Shotzi feuding with a revitalized Damage CTRL comprising Bayley, Dakota Kai, Kairi Sane, Asuka, and WWE Womens’ Champion IYO SKY. Alongside Becky Lynch, the trio recently defeated Damage CTRL in a WarGames match at the Survivor Series PLE.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Non-Compete Clauses Are Reportedly Almost Over For Several Released Former WWE Stars

One of the more unfortunate aspects of the WWE-UFC merger earlier this year was that it led to several within WWE, both in and out of the ring, losing their jobs this past September. And while the releases will surely still sting, with the end of December quickly approaching, many of the in-ring talents will finally have a chance to get back in the ring for another promotion.

PWInsider Elite reports that the bulk of talents let go by WWE in September are set to have their noncompete clauses expire next Thursday, December 21. Among the talents that would now be available to work for any promotion they choose are Dolph Ziggler, Mustafa Ali, Shelton Benjamin, Dana Brooke, Aliyah, Rick Boogs, Mace, Mansor, Riddick Moss, Top Dolla, Elias, Dabbo-Kato, Quincy Elliot, Yulisa Leon, Shanky, and Matt Riddle.

Many of the released WWE names have already been announcing future bookings, though so far all are for events one month after their noncompetes end. The includes Ziggler, who announced over the weekend that his first match outside of WWE would take place on January 20 in Puerto Rico, where he’ll work for the World Wrestling Council. Mace and Mansoor are set to compete at Effy’s Big Gay Brunch the same day, though they have already made one non-wrestling appearance for Deadlock Pro Wrestling this past weekend. Matt Riddle has also lined up future bookings for that month, with the controversial wrestler going down to Mexico to work for The Crash Lucha Libre on January 19.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 12/11/2023

Tonight’s WWE RAW on USA Network from the Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland, OH.

  • CM Punk to decide with which brand he will sign.
  • Cody Rhodes vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Drew McIntyre vs. Jey Uso