Tag: WWE

Randy Orton’s WWE Return Rumored To Be Imminent

Randy Orton has been out of action for over a year now, but there’s been more buzz recently regarding his return.

Within the last week, WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle mentioned on his podcast that Orton has recovered from the lower back fusion surgery he had in November and he believes “The Viper” will be back in action soon now that he’s feeling better and has been more active on social media.

To add to that, WRKD Wrestling tweeted that Orton is nearing his return and listed Saturday’s Money in the Bank premium live event as a possibility for his first appearance. It should be noted that there’s been no other indication that this is for certain.

For what it’s worth, Dave Meltzer reported in April that Orton was “nowhere close” to stepping back in the ring despite reports of him contacting his boot maker to have new boots ready. The multi-time world champion was also said to be at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles, although that has not been confirmed either.

Orton’s last match took place on the May 20, 2022, episode of “WWE SmackDown” where he and Matt Riddle lost the “Raw” Tag Team Championship to The Usos in a unification match. The tag team titles have remained unified ever since, while Riddle transitioned over to singles competition. “The Original Bro” had his own hiatus that lasted a number of months, but he is now set to challenge GUNTHER for the Intercontinental Championship in London.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Trying To Vince-Proof Bookings From Last-Minute Changes

Vince McMahon has been making increasing changes to WWE RAW and SmackDown in recent weeks, thereby frustrating people in WWE to such an extent that there were recent attempts to minimize those changes.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, McMahon has generally avoided making changes to advertised matches. As such, WWE has been advertising some matches weeks ahead of their planned air dates to “Vince-proof” them.

McMahon reportedly requested new match orders, match times, and additional segments for the June 5th episode of WWE RAW.

However, McMahon’s influence was more significant during the June 19th edition of RAW, as he reportedly made changes to an important storyline segment and WWE World Championship match within the first half hour of the show.

In addition, several matches on the June 23rd episode of SmackDown were changed at McMahon’s command, marking the first time that the blue brand has seen any major alterations since Vince’s return to WWE’s Board Of Directors.

McMahon’s incessant tampering with creative plans has reportedly caused significant frustration throughout WWE.

Source: eWn

WWE NXT Gold Rush: Night 2 Preview 6/27/2023

WWE NXT Gold Rush Special Night 2 in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

  • NXT Championship: Carmelo Hayes (c) vs. Baron Corbin
  • NXT Women’s Championship: Tiffany Stratton (c) vs. Thea Hail
  • NXT Tag Team Championship: Gallus (c) vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe
  • NXT Heritage Cup: Nathan Frazer (c) vs. Dragon Lee
  • Gigi Dolin vs. Kiana James

Vince McMahon To Become More Involved In WWE Creative

While Vince McMahon has been working remotely since WrestleMania 39, he often makes last-minute changes to the RAW and SmackDown TV tapings.

According to a report from Pwinsider, Vince McMahon’s role in creative is expected to grow in the coming weeks. There were said to have been significant changes made to last week’s RAW and SmackDown TV tapings.

Additionally, it was noted that last night’s episode of RAW would have a lot of “Vince McMahon fingerprints” on it. The belief among some in the company is that this is directly related to WWE’s acquisition by Endeavor.

Finally, it was noted that Vince McMahon would not be n Savannah, Georgia, the site of last night’s WWE RAW TV tapings.

Source: eWn

WWE RAW Preview 6/26/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia. Tonight’s Raw is the red brand’s go-home show for this Saturday’s Money in the Bank

  • WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins will provide an update on his condition after he was attacked by Finn Balor on Night One of last Tuesday night’s NXT Gold Rush episode.
  • Women’s Money in the Bank Summit with competitors Trish Stratus, Becky Lynch, Bayley, IYO SKY, Zoey Stark, and Zelina Vega  
  • Dominik Mysterio will address Cody Rhodes

People In WWE Trying To Prevent Vince McMahon From Making Creative Changes

Vince McMahon changed several things on last week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, including the open challenge by World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. 

After he changed several things on last week’s SmackDown, it left many people in the company frustrated. Matches advertised, such as Bayley vs. Shotzi, Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin, and Santos Escobar vs. Butch vs. LA Knight were all nixed. 

On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer confirmed Fightful’s report that many were left frustrated with McMahon making last-minute changes to the shows.

Meltzer added that there are people in WWE attempting to figure out a way to prevent McMahon from making the changes, but that’s easier said than done.

Source: eWn

Liv Morgan Returned On SmackDown

Liv Morgan has returned to WWE.

During Friday night’s episode of WWE SmackDown, Ronda Rousey & Shayna Baszler defeated Isla Dawn & Alba Fyre to become the new Undisputed WWE Women’s Tag Champions. Following the match, Rousey asked why Raquel Rodriguez was at ringside when she didn’t have a partner.

As Rousey and Baszler mocked Rodriguez, the latter revealed that she did in fact have a partner. This brought out Liv Morgan, who made her return after suffering a shoulder injury back in May.

Rodriguez and Morgan have demanded a rematch against Baszler and Rousey.

WWE SmackDown Preview 6/23/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX from the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA .

  • WWE and NXT Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler vs Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre
  • Bayley vs. Shotzi. If Bayley loses, she must give up her spot in the Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match to Shotzi.
  • Cameron Grimes vs Baron Corbin
  • The Bloodline saga continues – Jey sided with Jimmy last week and laid out Roman with superkicks

Backstage Update On Gable Steveson’s Development In WWE, NXT Appearance

Gable Steveson was drafted to “Raw” during last year’s WWE Draft but has remained almost completely absent from WWE programming. According to “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Steveson is still very busy with amateur wrestling.

Gable Steveson appeared last night in a segment on WWE NXT. Steveson offered to help train Eddy Thorpe for his Raw Underground match against Damon Kemp — Steveson’s real-life brother.

While WWE has yet to confirm Steveson’s involvement in the match, the Raw Underground bout between Kemp and Thorpe is set for the July 4 episode of “NXT.”

Earlier this week, a report from “FloWrestling” suggested that Steveson was interested in a return to NCAA Wrestling, following his return to freestyle wrestling at the US Open and Final X this spring. Although Steveson had previously retired from NCAA and Olympic wrestling, he still has one year of NCAA eligibility left, meaning his return to the mat in 2024 is a real possibility. 

Furthermore, Steveson has expressed his desire to capture another gold medal for his country at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, telling “MMA Fighting” earlier this year that he intends to “become one of the best American amateur wrestlers ever” and still has “a lot more left in the tank” with regards to amateur wrestling. According to “The Wrestling Observer,” Steveson’s return to the Olympic stage would be incumbent upon WWE clearing him and allowing him to take time off pro wrestling.

Before his return on Tuesday, Steveson was last seen on WWE programming on the December 9 episode of “WWE SmackDown” where he celebrated Kurt Angle’s birthday by hosing down Alpha Academy with a milk truck.

“He’s got stuff he wants to do and now it’s a question of WWE clearing him,” Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer said.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Gold Rush: Night 1 Preview 6/20/2023

Week one of the two-week NXT Gold Rush special edition of WWE NXT goes down tonight at 8/7c on USA Network from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

  • WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Bron Breakker
  • NXT North American Championship (with Mustafa Ali as special guest referee): Wes Lee (c) vs. Tyler Bate
  • Dana Brooke vs. Cora Jade
  • NXT Tag-Team Title No. 1 Contender Match: Brooks Jensen & Josh Briggs vs. Tank Ledger & Hank Walker vs. Malik Blade & Edris Enofe
  • NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes and Baron Corbin going face-to-face
  • Thea Hail Pep Rally