Tag: WWE

Details On Roderick Strong’s WWE Departure, Surprise AEW Debut

AEW shocked the wrestling world on Wednesday night with Roderick Strong’s surprise debut on “Dynamite” in Sunrise, Florida. He had requested his WWE release last May, hadn’t been seen on WWE programming since August, and as of mid-March, was reportedly still under contract. So for him to show up on “Dynamite” to run in and save Adam Cole from the Jericho Appreciation Society was something almost no one saw coming. Very quickly, Fightful Select reported some details to try to help give context to what was a very left-field debut.

The most recent information that Fightful had was that the AEW talents they spoke to were “pleasantly surprised” that Strong had signed. On the WWE side, the newest information was that 2K Games had been told not to include Strong in the “WWE 2K23” video game, that other WWE talent had never been updated on his status, and he had not been at the WWE Performance Center “in quite some time” even though he was fully cleared to wrestle. The report also noted that Strong’s WWE run started its downward slide when Paul “Triple H” Levesque lost power in “NXT,” as he was behind Strong’s push as the center of a revitalized cruiserweight division.

Strong has been wrestling since 2000, breaking into the business when he was 16 years old after years of training under Jim Neidhart. After initially getting on the map for his work in the IPW promotion in Florida, he made a name for himself in Ring of Honor, where he was a mainstay for over a decade before signing with WWE in 2016.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Braun Strowman Reportedly Out Due To A Concussion

According to PWInsider Elite and then confirmed by Fightful, WWE Superstar Braun Strowman is currently out of action due to a concussion.

As of this writing, it is not known how long Strowman will be out of action.

Fightful notes that Strowman was scheduled for house shows on April 22 and 23, but was pulled.

The concussion happened during the April 21 episode of SmackDown when Strowman had teamed up with Ricochet against the Viking Raiders.

Strowman noted on Twitter that he “misjudged things” with the spot that saw him toss Ricochet into the ring, trying to hit the Viking Raiders in the April 21 match. He then fell to the apron after he left the ring.

https://twitter.com/Adamscherr99/status/1649807082680401921

Source: WrestleView

WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ Preview 4/25/2023

The annual WWE NXT Spring Breakin’ themed event goes down tonight at 8/7c on the USA Network from the Capitol Wrestling Center inside the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

Vince McMahon reportedly made changes to Monday’s WWE Raw

According to F4WOnline, although Vince McMahon was not at tonight’s Raw in Chicago, he has still made major changes to Monday’s show.

PWInsider said they were told there had been some major changes to Monday’s Raw script, which were done remotely at Vince McMahon’s request.

PWInsider in their Elite subscription section said that McMahon changed finishes on several matches. The report also notes the match between The Street Profits and Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin was added to the show after McMahon’s changes. 

Fightful reported that Piper Niven and Candice LeRae were scheduled for a backstage segment, then a match, but that The Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin was done instead.

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1650664551774314503

PWInsider Elite and Fightconcluded by noting It was also reported that “a number of segments” with the female talents were cut from the show. That would include a backstage segment that was planned with Candice LeRae and Piper Niven. There reportedly was another segment cut that involved Adam Pearce, Sonya Deville, and other female talent. The decision to cut that segment was reportedly made so that they could spend more time on setting up the six-woman tag team match with Damage CTRL. It is interesting that LeRae and Niven were cut because they were also cut at the last minute on the Raw after Mania. Vince McMahon was backstage and running that show.

Source: WrestleView

Details On CM Punk Visiting WWE Raw, Reaction Internally And In AEW

CM Punk was backstage at “WWE Raw,” but fans shouldn’t expect to see him return to his former company anytime soon.

According to PWInsider Elite, Punk met several WWE talents and employees while they were on the same flight. After finding out that “Raw” was being held at the Allstate Arena, which isn’t far from Punk’s home in Chicago, he visited the venue and hung out in the common area for around 20 minutes. He wasn’t hidden, nor was his visit expected.

The report states that Punk had conversations with employees such as Paul “Triple H” Levesque and The Miz. Furthermore, his chat with Miz supposedly led to them clearing the air after having heat with each other. The overall impression was that people were happy to see Punk and many of them greeted him in a positive manner. Those who didn’t were more confused to see him than anything. Punk was asked to leave by WWE security shortly after arriving, and he did so respectfully.

Of course, Punk’s appearance has led some people to believe he may have been gauging interest for a WWE return. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio revealed that people within AEW are under this impression; however, the PWInsider notes that he still has a lot of time left on his AEW contract and was merely there to visit some people and clear the air. 

Regarding his relationship with Tony Khan’s promotion, it’s been reported that Punk will return to AEW later this year and be part of the rumored Saturday show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Triple H Announces Revival Of WWE World Heavyweight Championship

On Saturday, May 27, a brand new WWE World Heavyweight Champion will be crowned. Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque teased a major announcement ahead of the April 24 edition of “WWE Raw,” and after praising the current reign of Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, he delivered on it by reviving and revealing a new incarnation of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. With the Draft set to return, starting this Friday on “SmackDown,” Levesque announced that Roman Reigns will take his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship to whichever show drafts him. As for the holder of the new title for the other show, that will be decided at the Night of Champions event in Saudi Arabia.

“This will be a champion you can be proud of,” Triple H declared. “This will be a champion you can respect, that you can admire. This will be a champion that will defend this championship anywhere, any place, any time, all over the world.”

Then, in a not-so-subtle dig at Reigns, he finished his announcement by saying, “This champion will not have to demand your acknowledgment. This champion will earn your acknowledgment, and will earn the title of World Heavyweight Champion.”

Originally, the latest editions of The King and Queen of the Ring tournaments were planned for late May in Saudi Arabia. It would’ve marked the first time since October 2021, when Xavier Woods defeated Finn Balor to become King while Zelina Vega won the first-ever Queen’s Crown tournament by toppling Doudrop (Piper Niven) in the final. Now with the WWE Draft right around the corner and the fact that almost every star from the main roster on down through “NXT” is eligible, it remains to be seen just how WWE will crown its new World Heavyweight Champion come May 27.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 4/24/2023

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network and emanate from the Allstate Arena in Chicago, IL.

  • The host of WWE Backlash Bad Bunny returns to Raw in search of payback
  • Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest
  • More build up for Backlash

WWE’s Decision To Change Saudi Arabia PLE Name Will Apparently Become Clear After Backlash

For WWE’s next travels to Saudi Arabia, the King and Queen of the Ring were set to return. That is, until those tournaments weren’t anymore, with the premium live event for late-May rebranded to revive Night of Champions — a show that, in the past, featured every single title in the WWE arsenal being defended. But why? According to the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter, while chalked up to a booking decision, the reasoning behind the change will become less foggy following Backlash and in the weeks leading up to the Saudi show. 

Backlash takes place in Puerto Rico three weeks prior and is set to be headlined by Cody Rhodes vs. Brock Lesnar. However, with Roman Reigns not slated to appear then, he may have no choice but to put his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship on the line at Night of Champions. Cody Rhodes has certainly demanded a rematch to their WrestleMania bout. However, it remains to be seen whether he’ll be given that opportunity here. Adding to the intrigue of the situation, Night of Champions happens on May 27, which also happens to be the exact day that Roman Reigns will hit the 1,000-day milestone for his long-running title reign. 

As for what that means for the idea of the King and Queen of the Ring returning, it legitimately remains to be seen. Obviously, WWE had ideas about the concepts returning, but with each put on the backburner with this change of plans, there is no telling if anything more will be done with either in the immediate future.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 4/21/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio.

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther (c) vs. Xavier Woods
  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Raquel Rodriguez and Liv Morgan (c) vs. Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green
  • Braun Strowman and Ricochet look for retribution against the Viking Raiders

Backstage Segments Reportedly Cut From WWE Raw As Locker Room Paranoia Increases

A new report suggests “several backstage segments involving female talents” were cut from this week’s episode of “WWE Raw,” leaving some talent who recently returned to the company nervous about seeing more potential changes now that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has been increasingly present backstage.

The new report, from PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, said that there has been “a slightly bubbling paranoia” in recent weeks, especially among the WWE talent who returned once Paul “Triple H” Levesque took over creative control last year. Those nerves come after numerous reports since WrestleMania 38 that have suggested some segments have been changed or entirely scrapped at the last minute, with many linking those instances to McMahon’s return.

In recent weeks, Bayley was reportedly “pulled” from a segment on “Raw,” while fans in attendance at the “Raw” After WrestleMania show reported that Seth Rollins was flustered and “walked out” of the show after his segment was interrupted by an apparently unexpected commercial break.

Many fans and pro wrestling personalities have shared concerns in recent months after McMahon dramatically returned to the company earlier this year, half a year after he “retired” and stepped down from his role as chairman. In the wake of investigations into McMahon’s alleged sexual misconduct and numerous hush money payments made to women, Levesque, his son-in-law, took over the promotion’s creative direction as its Chief Content Officer.

Shortly after Levesque stepped into the role, he rehired several former WWE stars who were previously released under McMahon’s tenure, including Bray Wyatt, Karrion Kross, and more.

Johnson reported Wednesday that several of the recently returned stars have been particularly worried about their WWE status since McMahon’s return. “We are told there’s been no edicts of that sort, but it hasn’t stopped talents from being concerned,” Johnson reported. “This sort of ‘walking on eggshells’ feeling has slowly picked up steam since McMahon returned.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.