WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network and will emanate from the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
This episode of Raw is the go-home for this weekend’s WrestleMania.
WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
-Cody Rhodes vs. Ludwig Kaiser
-LA Knight vs Rey Mysterio
-The build to WrestleMania 39 continues
WWE is encouraging “WWE NXT” talent to ask their friends and family to come to tapings in hopes of building up more enthusiasm among the live audience, according to a new report. In the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, it’s reported that WWE sent a memo to the talent on its developmental “NXT” roster ahead of last Tuesday’s taping requesting that they “strongly encourage their friends and family in the central Florida area to attend “NXT” tomorrow evening at the Performance Center to help bring energy to the crowd in the final shows leading up to Stand and Deliver.”
The memo was reportedly sent out in response to lackluster crowds at “NXT” tapings in recent weeks, something that irked WWE officials. Tickets are free to “NXT” tapings, but fans need to request spots in the audience ahead of time online. “NXT” Stand and Deliver, the developmental promotion’s annual WrestleMania weekend premium live event, will take place next Saturday in Los Angeles. The event will be headlined by an “NXT” Championship match between current title holder Bron Breakker and challenger Carmelo Hayes, while several other key figures including Dragon Lee and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s daughter Ava, will be making their highly anticipated in-ring debuts for the promotion.
The card will also include the return of former “NXT” Champion Johnny Gargano, who is set to face off against Grayson Waller, as well as several other title matches to be announced on this Tuesday night’s go-home show.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Alexa Bliss hasn’t appeared on WWE TV since the Royal Rumble, and her status has been widely speculated due to her absence from WrestleMania storylines.
The former Women’s Champion revealed on Twitter that she had a spot on her face that became worse, and that after a biopsy, she was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma. You can check out her tweets below:
“Thank you! Don’t worry, short healing time. Always get your skin checked! Esp if you are in the sun or use tanning beds! Lol”
“There was a spot on my face yes- that had gotten worse. So went to get biopsy. Was basal cell carcinoma. During my procedure doc also found other squamous cells. Was a quick and easy procedure. Glad I always get my skin checked 😊”
Source: PWMania
It’s been two weeks since “WWE NXT” Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez mysteriously “collapsed” after her successful title defense against Meiko Satomura at the Roadblock special, a clear homage to the November 1995 angle where “NXT” booker Shawn Michaels collapsed during a match with Owen Hart due to what was claimed to be post-concussion syndrome. There have been conflicting reports as to whether this was a cover for any kind of real-life health issue, and WWE has been building to a ladder match for the title at Stand & Deliver during WrestleMania weekend, but officially, Perez is still champion. On Tuesday, hours after Dave Meltzer reported that Perez was cleared to return from whatever was keeping her on the sidelines, she shared an update on Twitter.
“I can’t thank the @WWENXT Universe enough for all the thoughts and prayers over the past two weeks,” she wrote in the presumably in-character tweet. “The outpouring of support fills my heart. I wish I had better news, but the doctors are saying we’re no closer to finding out what happened to me at RoadBlock. I’m very frustrated, but I promise I’ll be back, stronger than ever, but I just don’t know when!”
Perez —as Rok-C — was the first wrestler to hold the rebranded Ring of Honor Women’s World Championship, winning a tournament final in September 2021. After Sinclair Broadcasting announced the restructuring of ROH shortly thereafter and offered releases to all contracted talent, she took them up on it and dropped the title to Deonna Purrazzo before jumping to WWE. Perez has held both women’s titles on the “NXT” brand, winning the singles title from the departing Mandy Rose in December and briefly holding the tag titles with Cora Jade in between them defeating Toxic Attraction and Jade turning heel in July.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT from Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network:
NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez has been medically cleared.
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez has been medically cleared after a mysterious issue that kept her sidelined.
A few weeks ago, WWE did a collapsing angle following her latest title defense that reminded fans of a similar segment Shawn Michaels did in the mid-nineties. It was reported that there was concern within WWE about Perez as she was dealing with an issue that was keeping her from in-ring action and wasn’t an injury.
WWE announced a ladder match for Stand & Deliver for the NXT Women’s Championship, although Perez has not been stripped of that title.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that Perez is now cleared to compete again and is expected to appear on NXT TV soon. There’s still no word yet on what the issue was.
Source: eWrestlingNews
WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network and will emanate from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
Variety reported today that WWE will be inducting Andy Kaufman into this year’s Hall of Fame class. It’s unclear who will induct him into the honorary class.
Kaufman was a comedian in the 70s and 80s, most notably known for his part in the “Taxi” series from 1978 until 1983.
Wrestling fans know him for his feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler in Memphis. He would sometimes wrestle women who he picked out of the crowd, causing him to get heat. He took a piledriver from Lawler, leading to them doing a segment on David Letterman’s NBC Late Night show where Lawler slapped Kaufman.
It was covered in the “Man on the Moon” movie with Jim Carrey portraying the role of Kaufman.
Source: eWrestlingNews
UPDATE:
WWE Officially announced Andy Kaufman for the 2023 WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE issued the following:
Andy Kaufman will join Rey Mysterio and The Great Muta in the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2023.
A gifted comedian who gained fame for his absurdist standup routine and appearance on hit shows like “Taxi” and “Saturday Night Live,” Kaufman’s love of sports-entertainment led him to Memphis where he became a thorn in the side of WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.
The rivalry between Lawler and Kaufman became national news leading to a legendary exchange on “Late Night with David Letterman.” The interaction would later be memorialized in the 1999 movie biopic “Man on the Moon,” where Lawler appeared alongside Jim Carey as Kaufman to recreate the iconic moment.
Kaufman’s interactions with Lawler transformed the business and opened up pathways for future cross-over Superstars such as Johnny Knoxville who honored the comedian with his WrestleMania 38 ring gear.
Sadly, Kaufman passed away in 1985 at the age of 35, but his legacy remains an important party of wrestling history.
WWE congratulates Kaufman on his inclusion into the WWE Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Friday, March 31, streaming on Peacock in the United States and WWE Network everywhere else immediately after SmackDown.
WWE has been planning to do Wyatt against Bobby Lashley at WrestleMania 39, but the match is now up in the air.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported on Sunday Night’s Main Event Wyatt is currently sidelined with an illness.
Meltzer didn’t specify the exact illness and doesn’t know the status of Wyatt’s WrestleMania match as he didn’t get an answer when asked. Meltzer said he thinks the match is up in the air due to Wyatt’s illness.
Source: Wrestling Observer via eWrestlingNews
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