Tag: WWE

WWE Officially Announces King And Queen Of The Ring Event In Saudi Arabia

Last month, it was reported that the WWE King and Queen of the Ring tournaments would be coming back on May 27. Later that week, it was all but confirmed that these tournaments would take place in Saudi Arabia. After all, that’s where the money is. This past week on “WWE Raw,” it was made official — the King and Queen of the Ring tournaments are set for May 27 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

“This May, live from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it’s all happening in Jeddah. All hail!” the official announcement read.

The last time a King and Queen of the Ring were crowned was back in October 2021, also in Saudi Arabia, at Crown Jewel. Xavier Woods defeated Finn Balor in the men’s final to turn a lifelong dream into a reality, while Zelina Vega made WWE history by becoming the first to win the Queen’s Crown after defeating Doudrop in the women’s final.

The location of these events may come as no surprise, as this announcement also comes during a time in which WWE is exploring a potential sale. Ever since Vince McMahon returned from retirement, talks have ramped up. While previous reports of the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund purchasing the promotion were ultimately proven false, it was reported as recently as last month that Saudi Arabia is still interested in buying WWE.

That said, however, they don’t appear on the latest betting odds, with Comcast currently tipped as favorites, while the likes of Disney, Amazon, Endeavor, and even Netflix trail behind them. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Trish Stratus Coming Out Of Retirement For Match At WWE WrestleMania 39

Trish Stratus will officially come out of retirement at WrestleMania 39, joining forces with WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Becky Lynch and Lita in a six-woman match against Damage CTRL. The match was made official on this week’s “WWE Raw” where Lita and Lynch thanked Stratus for helping them even the odds in their rivalry against Bayley & Co. 

Stratus stepped out and told Lita “I’ll always have your back” and that it was a pleasure to watch her win gold with “The Man.” At this point, Damage CTRL confronted the three women in the ring.

“You two [Lita and Stratus] are legitimately the reasons why we are in this ring right now,” Bayley said, thanking the Hall of Famers for their contributions to the business. “That said, the three of us [Damage CTRL] are going to be the reasons you never come back!”

At this point, Stratus referenced her promo from “Raw” last August, where she teased stepping out of retirement. 

“I warned I could go real quick from ‘I am retired’ to ‘I was retired,'” Stratus reiterated. “I couldn’t think of a better place to shut your mouth up than at the Grandest Stage of Them All!”

Stratus then looked at the WrestleMania sign and issued the challenge to Damage CTRL.

Bayley immediately accepted the challenge, something that seemed to upset IYO SKY and Dakota Kai. Thereafter, Stratus and Lita delivered tandem offense to throw SKY and Kai out of the ring, leaving Lynch and Bayley to come face-to-face in the ring. The segment ended with an upset Damage CTRL retreating from the ring.

It remains to be seen if Damage CTRL implodes at WrestleMania 39, seeing as WWE teased some tension between the trio on Monday’s show.

Stratus had previously retired following her loss to Charlotte Flair at SummerSlam 2019 in her hometown of Toronto. Subsequently, Stratus teased the possibility of unretiring for a match against Lynch, especially when Lynch was portraying her “Big Time Becks” heel persona. Stratus would also get physical at a pair of WWE live events last August, coming to the aid of Alexa Bliss and Asuka during their rivalry with Damage CTRL. As such, the news of Stratus coming out of retirement has been widely expected and is not surprising in the least.

Besides the aforementioned six-woman match, the confirmed lineup for WrestleMania 39 includes Roman Reigns vs. Cody Rhodes, John Cena vs. Austin Theory, Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair, Asuka vs. Bianca Belair, Brock Lesnar vs. Omos, and Logan Paul vs. Seth Rollins. Other rumored matches include Bobby Lashley vs. Bray Wyatt, Edge vs. Finn Balor, Rey Mysterio vs. Dominik Mysterio, and Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs. The Usos. 

Source: Wrestling Inc.

John Cena Accepts Austin Theory’s Title Challenge For WrestleMania 39

John Cena made his much anticipated WWE return last night on RAW and accepted a major challenge from reigning United States Champion Austin Theory for a title match at WrestleMania 39.

Cena hit the ring and as he was about to speak, Theory popped up, interrupted The Champ, and issued a challenge to face him for the WWE United States Title at WrestleMania 39.

Cena initially rejected the challenge and roasted Theory on the mic, noting that the latter didn’t believe in himself and lacked any heart or soul. This led to Theory asking Cena where his “Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect” have been.

Theory added that Cena would disappoint the WWE Universe if he refused to compete at WrestleMania, to which the 16-time World Champion declared that he was trying to protect Theory.

According to Cena, Theory wasn’t ready to face him at WrestleMania and would lose everything in such a high-stakes bout. Cena then asked the WWE Universe about their opinion, and the live audience cheered for him to wrestle Theory.

Ultimately, Cena accepted Theory’s challenge, and the match was made official.

Source: eWrestlingNews

WWE RAW Preview 3/6/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from TD Garden in Boston, MA.

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/3/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX, and emanate from the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC.

Jay White Officially A Free Agent, No Confirmation Of Upcoming Jump To WWE, AEW Possibility

Jay White is officially on the move, but where to seems to still be up in the air.

In the latest edition of the weekly Wrestling Observer Newsletter, veteran pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer confirmed that the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion is officially a free agent after his NJPW contract expired at the end of last month. 

Meltzer reported that all indications point toward White heading to WWE but “there has still been no confirmation of that.” He added, “If he is going to WWE, it’s not something well known within the company by many because multiple people who normally know haven’t heard his name mentioned.”

White’s tenure with NJPW has been seemingly wrapping up over the past two months. In January, the former Bullet Club leader dropped the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship to Kazuchika Okada in the main event at Wrestle Kingdom 17. 

Then last month, he lost two apparent farewell matches, first losing to his former stablemate Hikuleo in a “loser leaves Japan” match at The New Beginning in Osaka and then losing to Eddie Kingston in a “loser leaves NJPW” match at Battle in the Valley. After White’s loss to Hikuleo, the wrestler posted photos of his time in Japan on social media with the caption, “Peace. #SwitchbladeEra.” And after his loss to Kingston, his opponent bowed to him after leaving the ring and joined the crowd in applauding him.

Several reports have since indicated WWE has heavy interest in bringing White into the fold and that officials there are “confident” he’s coming, though a jump to AEW or the broader independent scene also remains possible.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Star Sonya Deville Was Arrested For Firearm Possession In February

WWE star Sonya Deville, real name Daria Berenato, was reportedly arrested last month for unlawful possession of a firearm in New Jersey. The incident allegedly took place on February 19 in Atlantic City, with Berenato being charged with possession of a handgun without a permit in the state of New Jersey.

According to a WWE spokesperson speaking to Wrestling Inc. on background, Berenato was granted an expedited permit to carry a handgun in her home state of Florida following a 2020 incident that saw a stalker break into her home, reportedly with the intent of kidnapping Berenato. Berenato, who recently announced her engagement, traveled to Atlantic City last week to celebrate the milestone. There, a mix-up with a valet attendant resulted in the attendant searching Berenato’s glove compartment in an attempt to identify the owner of the vehicle via registration. A handgun was found in the glove compartment and authorities were then contacted.

While Berenato hasn’t released any statement on the incident, an upcoming match between herself and Charlotte Flair is seemingly still on for a Madison Square Garden live event in New York City on March 12. The match was announced by the venue earlier today via Twitter, with Berenato retweeting the announcement.

Berenato is a regular personality on WWE television, having competed in five matches on TV or on premium live events so far in 2023. The WWE star last appeared on TV during the February 10 edition of “WWE SmackDown,” where she competed in a tag match alongside Chelsea Green against Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Since then, Berenato has wrestled at several live events, including after her alleged arrest.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 2/28/2023

Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network: 

Trish Stratus Returned To WWE On RAW, Helping Lita And Becky Lynch Win Women’s Tag Titles

Last night on RAW, Trish Stratus returned, helping Lita and Becky Lynch win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship from Damage CTRL’s IYO Sky and Dakota Kai.

Stratus took out Bayley, preventing her from interfering in the title match. Lynch put SKY in an armbar while Lita nailed Kai with a top-rope moonsault to dethrone Damage CTRL on the Road To WrestleMania.

Lita and Lynch are both in their first reign as WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, ending Damage CTRL’s second title run at 114 days. SKY and Kai won the titles from Alexa Bliss and Asuka at WWE Crown Jewel on November 5th, 2022.

WWE RAW Preview 2/27/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Match: Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and IYO SKY) (c) with Bayley vs. Becky Lynch and WWE Hall of Famer Lita
  • Asuka vs Carmella
  • Candice LeRae vs Piper Niven
  • Miz TV WrestleMania Goes Hollywood Edition
  • Will Brock Lesnar appear to accept Omo’s WrestleMania 39 Challenge?