WWE’s Randy Orton Reportedly Told By Doctors Not To Wrestle Again

It’s been a while since Randy Orton was last seen in a WWE ring, but his injury troubles might be more serious than originally presumed. In an interview with WrestleBinge with Sportskeeda, his father, Bob Orton Jr., revealed that medical professionals may have encouraged “The Viper” to retire from the squared circle, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that Orton plans on listening to them.

“He’s training, so we’ll see what happens; I don’t know. If he feels like going back or he feels like he’s ready to go back, I think he might. Then again, he’s pretty well taken care of. I don’t think he needs to. And I think the doctors have told him not to. But Randy will do what Randy wants to do.”

Orton has been sidelined with a back injury since November of last year. It’s been reported that he underwent surgery to fuse his lower back, but the procedure in question means that he’ll be out for a long period of time. A recent health update revealed that Orton is nowhere close to returning to WWE, though his father’s revelation has created doubts on if he’ll ever step into the squared circle again.

That being said, Orton Jr. said that his son’s determination to return reflects the mindset of many wrestlers who find it difficult to call it quits before they feel their time is up. “Wrestling, you know when you get in there and you got some people going crazy, you just love it. So it’s hard to leave,” he said.

However, while his son’s in-ring career appears to be in the balance for now, Orton’s old man said that he has a good family life. “He’s got two beautiful daughters and his wife’s a lovely lady.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to Sportskeeda WrestleBinge

“Superstar” Billy Graham Placed On Life Support

WWE Hall of Famer Superstar Billy Graham is on life support after months of health issues while in the hospital. 

The infection in his ears has caused him to be deaf. 

Valerie Coleman, the wife of the WWE Hall of Famer Superstar stated he is on life support after undergoing a recent surgery. The following was posted on his Facebook page: 

“From Billy’s wife Valerie: Please urgent prayers needed for my husband. The doctors wanted to remove him from life support tonight, I refused. He’s a fighter and his will is strong even if his body isn’t. God is our hope.”

Source: eWrestlingNews

Backstage News On Why Sami Zayn Is Going To Saudi Arabia For WWE Night Of Champions

It was announced this past Friday night on “WWE SmackDown” that Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens would defend the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championship against Roman Reigns and Solo Sikoa of The Bloodline at Night of Champions on May 27 in Saudi Arabia. According to Dave Meltzer on “Wrestling Observer Radio,” Zayn, who is of Syrian descent, decided to travel to the Kingdom with WWE for the first time since 2014 following the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria; relations were suspended in November 2011. Additionally, the report indicated that Owens opted to go to Saudi Arabia after Zayn decided he would travel for Night of Champions.

Zayn’s most recent visit to Saudi Arabia came in 2014 when he participated in a three-night house tour in Riyadh. On the opening night, which was Zayn’s debut match in the country, the former WWE Intercontinental Champion defeated Damian Sandow in a singles match. The following evening, Zayn was defeated by Cesaro – now ROH World Champion Claudio Castagnoli. The final night of the tour saw Zayn defeat Heath Slater.

Meanwhile, Owens will be heading to Saudi Arabia with WWE for the first time later this month. In the past, the former WWE Universal Champion had decided against performing on a major WWE event in the Kingdom, seemingly as a result of his longtime friend Zayn not being able to participate because of strained relations between Saudi Arabia and Syria. It was reported in 2019 that Owens’ family did not want him to travel to the Middle Eastern country. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/12/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN.

  • World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Triple Threat Matches: Edge vs. AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio and Bobby Lashley vs. Sheamus vs. Austin Theory. The winners will square off in the main event later in the night. The sole winner will then move on to face Seth Rollins at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 27.
  • Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman to appear.
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez (c) vs. Damage CTRL’s Bayley and Dakota Kai
  • Cameron Grimes vs. Baron Corbin

Robert Roode Undergoes C4-C5 Cervical Fusion Surgery

Robert Roode took to Instagram earlier today to reveal that he underwent C4-C5 cervical fusion earlier this week on Thursday. This follows his C5-C6 neck fusion surgery in November last year.

Roode has been away from the ring since June 25th, 2022, when he suffered a loss against Omos at a WWE live event in Texas. The last time he appeared in a televised match was during SmackDown just before WrestleMania, where he participated in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Right around that time, he was a regular feature on Raw and NXT alongside then NXT Champion Dolph Ziggler.

Source: eWrestlingNews

WWE NXT Preview 5/9/2023, WWE Reveals Brackets For NXT Women’s Title Tournament

WWE NXT on the USA Network this evening at 8/7c from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

  • Eddy Thorpe vs. Damon Kemp
  • Duke Hudson vs. Javier Bernal
  • Ilja Dragunov vs. Dijak
  • Bron Breakker vs. Trick Williams
  • Josh Briggs and Brooks Jensen vs. Hank Walker and Tank Ledger
  • Tyler Bate vs. Charlie Dempsey with NXT North American Champion Wes Lee and Drew Gulak in their corners
  • Nathan Frazer hosts his second Hard-Hitting Home Truths segment
  • NXT Tag Team Champions Gallus defend against The Dyad

The WWE NXT Women’s Championship Tournament kicks off tonight.

Ahead of tonight’s NXT on USA show from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL., the company has released the official brackets for the tournament designed to crown a new NXT Women’s Champion, as former champion Indi Hartwell vacated the title last week before moving up to the WWE main roster.

The tourney brackets are as follows:

FIRST ROUND (LEFT BRACKET)
* Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton
* Roxanne Perez vs. Jacy Jayne

FIRST ROUND (RIGHT BRACKET)
* Lyra Valkyria vs. Kiana James
* Fallon Henley vs. Cora Jade

Things get started with tonight’s episode of WWE NXT, as the first two quarterfinal matches (Gigi Dolin vs. Tiffany Stratton and Lyra Valkyria vs. Kiana James) will take place.

Next week’s NXT on USA show will feature the other two quarterfinal bouts, with Roxanne Perez vs. Jacy Jane and Fallon Henley vs. Cora Jade.

Things continue with the WWE Battleground go-home show on May 23, with the Dolin or Stratton winner taking on the Perez or Jayne winner, and the Valkyria or James winner taking on the Henley or Jade winner.

Finally, the tourney wraps up with the NXT Women’s Champion being crowned when the finals take place at WWE NXT Battleground on May 28, 2023 at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Source: Rajah.com

WWE Talent Reportedly Hoping To Make Puerto Rico Permanent Home Of WWE Backlash

Fans in attendance at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot for last Friday’s “WWE SmackDown” and Saturday’s Backlash event certainly made a strong case for WWE to bring more major shows to San Juan, Puerto Rico in the future. According to PWInsider Elite, WWE performers are hoping that the promotion will make San Juan “a permanent home” for Backlash because of the crowd reactions received this past weekend. Wrestlers in the locker room felt the atmosphere was on a similar level to WrestleMania, which in turn made the first premium live event after “The Show of Shows” more significant than it had been in several years. 

Wrestlers and fans took to social media to praise the crowd in San Juan following “SmackDown” and Backlash, including Damage CTRL’s Bayley, who also complimented the Paris, France crowd from a recent house show. She posted, “In just a one week span, #DamageCTRL performed in both Paris and Puerto Rico. Two of the absolute greatest crowds and shows I’ve ever been a part of and I am so proud of that. Thank you @ImKingKota and @Iyo_SkyWWE.”

Backlash was co-headlined by Cody Rhodes battling Brock Lesnar and Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny going up against The Judgment Day’s Damian Priest in a San Juan Street Fight. It was revealed yesterday that the premium live event had broken several records, including becoming the highest-grossing and most-viewed Backlash of all time. The first televised WWE events in San Juan since January 2005 – “SmackDown” and Backlash – drew a combined 34,800 fans. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Becky Lynch Hits WWE Backstage Producer Who Cut Her Off Early With Her Music

One of the great things about, and pitfalls of, live TV is that anything can happen. And that was the case last night for Becky Lynch, who made her triumphant return to “WWE Raw,” only to find herself being interrupted by her own theme music while trying to cut a promo. Fortunately, Lynch dealt with the situation quickly backstage. Posting a video on her Instagram, the former WWE Women’s Champion was seen confronting the culprit who played her music too early. While the problem seemed resolved, an angry Lynch proceeded to nail the sound guy with a forearm, sending him flying back into his seat.

It’s understandable why Lynch was so upset, given that this was her first appearance on “Raw” in nearly a month. “The Man” hasn’t been seen since she was betrayed by Trish Stratus on April 10, following her and Stratus dropping the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Despite being champions with Lita, Lynch defended the titles with Stratus after Lita was unable to compete due to a backstage attack, which Stratus later confessed to. While Lynch has returned to TV, Lita has not been seen since.

Since the betrayal, Stratus has made several appearances on “Raw” making harsh comments towards Lynch, including last night when she brought up Lynch’s two-year-old daughter. While no match between Stratus and Lynch has been announced, it would appear the two are well on their way to colliding in the ring in the near-distant future.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 5/8/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the ystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL.

  • Fallout from Backlash
  • The launch of the new Raw roster, which was established in this year’s 2023 WWE Draft.
  • The World Heavyweight Championship tournament is set to begin. Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, The Miz, Finn Balor, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Damian Priest will be featured in the tournament matches.
  • The social media storyline between Chelsea Green and Sonya Deville is expected to continue.
  • Possibly see more on the feud between Beck Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Trish Stratus

The 12 Competitors For WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament Revealed

We now know the 12 competitors who will be taking part in the upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship Tournament, which begins on tonight’s episode of RAW.

The tournament will feature six Superstars from RAW, and six from SmackDown.

Raw

  • Cody Rhodes
  • Damian Priest
  • The Miz
  • Finn Balor
  • Seth Rollins
  • Shinsuke Nakamura

SmackDown

  • Edge
  • Rey Mysterio
  • AJ Styles
  • Sheamus
  • Austin Theory
  • Bobby Lashley