Tag: WWE

WWE NXT’s Roxanne Perez 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 Preview 3/20/2023

WWE Raw airs live tonight on the USA Network and will emanate from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Andy Kaufman To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame

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.

Bray Wyatt Reportedly Sidelined With An Illness

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

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/17/2023

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on FOX and emanate from the T-Mobile Center, Kansas City, Missouri.

  • Intercontinental Championship Number One Contenders Match: Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus. The winner will go on to challenge Gunther for the Title at WrestleMania 39.
  • Sami Zayn to confront Jey Uso after he attacked Zayn last week.

Jay White In Talks With AEW & WWE

Jay White is still a free agent after finishing up with NJPW. 

White has interest from both promotions but has yet to make a decision about his wrestling future. He lost a ‘loser leaves Japan’ match to Hikuleo, followed by a ‘loser leaves NJPW’ match against Eddie Kingston.

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that White is in talks with AEW and WWE. 

“Regarding Jay White, we are told that White has been talking to WWE but has not signed. He is also talking to AEW. From someone familiar with the situation they described it as 50/50 which side he would go with,” Meltzer wrote.

Source: eWrestlingNews

WWE Will Make Cutbacks To WrestleMania 39

WWE WrestleMania 39 from Hollywood will have some cutbacks regarding staff.

This comes after Vince McMahon returned as the Chairman of the Board position in January to oversee a potential sale. 

Dave Meltzer reported in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the company is looking to maximize the profit margin of the show as McMahon explores a potential company sale. 

“There are going to be cutbacks to the show, but not in ways that any fan would notice. Less personnel will be brought in and some of the foreign language announcers that had been brought in previously will be announcing via remote, which is also something that a lot of sports teams and networks are doing more of. The idea is to increase the profit margin of the show in getting the company ready for a sale,” Meltzer wrote.

WWE WrestleMania 39 takes place on April 1 and 2, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA on Peacock.

Source: eWrestlingNews

Kofi Kingston To Undergo Ankle Surgery Today

Kofi Kingston will need surgery following a recent injury.

The New Day member took to Twitter on Thursday evening to announce that he’ll be undergoing surgery on his ankle later today (Friday) in Birmingham, Alabama. The injury took place on an episode of WWE SmackDown earlier this month.

Kingston wrote:

“***Long post ahead. Y’all that don’t like to read, this ain’t for you lol***

Alabama folks are so kind. Earlier today instead of waiting 15 min for an Uber to take me to the YMCA Shades Valley to workout, I opted to take one of those electric street scooters. Big mistake. Half the trip was uphill and on semi highway roads! And I was wearing my air cast walking boot!

I got within a mile of the @BirminghamYMCA, and the scooter wouldn’t go further for some reason. Also, the Y was out of the drop off range, so I then had to call an Uber anyway, lol.

30 min later after 2 others canceled, one finally came to pick me up. I had him stop at target…I needed lotion (yes I was still ashy from this morning).

Finally got to the Y and the woman at the desk told me that in order to buy a guest pass, a member had to bring you as a guest… “but you can be my guest,” she said. And she vouched for me to workout. So kind of her to do for a stranger. I really wanted to move around a bit before I’m unable to do so after surgery tomorrow.

After the gym, I stopped at a stir fry spot called “Yummefy”. Tons of vegan options. The maps app said they were closed, but I was in luck! Nice lady gave me the best recommendations… I ordered all of them!

When I got my food, I went to inform the lady that the maps app said they were closed and they should probably fix their hours. She said, “oh we are closed. We just made that food for you anyway.”

My jaw dropped in disbelief. It was 15 minutes past the closing time! I thanked her profusely. So kind of her to go out of her way so that I could eat.

Anyway, a long message that can be summed up by saying that I am very grateful for the people I’ve come across here in Birmingham today.

Tomorrow, we march forward and into the hands of the best in the world at what he does! Let’s get this ankle right!”

Source: eWrestlingNews

Conflicting Reports Emerge Regarding Roxanne Perez Situation In WWE NXT

Last week on the “WWE NXT” Roadblock special, “NXT” Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez successfully defended her title against Meiko Satomura. Following the momentous victory, Perez suddenly collapsed, and WWE have been providing updates ever since, including when she was discharged last Friday night. While the injury gives every indication of being storyline, separate outlets are reporting conflicting things as to its legitimacy.

Today on Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the situation was vague and that hopefully nothing is wrong, but there might be. He also suggested that until they know what the situation is, WWE has to be vague about it. However, Fightful Select were a lot more direct, reporting that Perez is fine and that her “injury” is and always has been for storyline purposes. It should be noted that WWE has not shied away from discussions or replays of the incident on “NXT” programming, which would suggest it is kayfabe.

In perhaps continuing with said storyline, WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels announced this week that with Perez’s health in question, “NXT” needed to take steps to potentially crown a new women’s champion at Stand and Deliver, beginning with a series of qualifying matches this past Tuesday. “With Stand and Deliver in less than three weeks I have the obligation to announce we possibly have to crown a New NXT Women’s Champion,” he tweeted

Tuesday night’s “NXT” saw both Zoey Stark and Gigi Dolin qualify for the Ladder Match at Stand & Deliver, which is slated for April 1 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Perez, meanwhile, has held her title since defeating Mandy Rose on the December 13 episode of “NXT.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

The Great Muta To Be Inducted Into 2023 WWE Hall Of Fame, Announced By Ric Flair On The Bump

The Great Muta’s induction into WWE Hall of Fame has now been officially confirmed via Ric Flair on “The Bump.”

Keiji Muto, aka The Great Muta, will enter the WWE Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2023. Ric Flair officially announced Muto’s on WWE’s “The Bump.” It remains unknown whether Flair will induct him during the ceremony, which will stream on Peacock directly after “WWE SmackDown” on March 31. 

Muto will be the second 2023 Hall of Famer announced so far, following Rey Mysterio, whose entry was announced on Monday’s “WWE Raw,” and reportedly preceding Stacy Keibler, who is believed to be another 2023 entrant. WWE is said to be keeping the list of inductees smaller than usual, with a shorter broadcast planned compared to years past. As of now, it’s unknown how many individuals will be part of the 2023 class. Last year saw the induction of The Undertaker, Vader, Queen Sharmell, and the Steiner Brothers, along with Shad Gaspard receiving the Warrior Award.

Despite his status as a legendary figure in professional wrestling, Muto’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is slightly curious, as he’s never competed in the company over the course of his lengthy career. Still, it’s impossible to deny the impact of The Great Muta on the industry, and the company clearly thought highly of the performer; they recently gave permission for WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura to compete at a Pro Wrestling NOAH event on Muto’s farewell tour. Nakamura wrestled Muto there and walked away with a victory. Muto’s final match took place on February 21, with NJPW’s Tetsuya Naito defeating Muto after nearly 30 minutes.

Flair and Muto shared a rivalry in NWA, wrestling a number of times on both PPVs and at live events. Their feud culminated in a steel cage match featuring Flair, Arn Anderson, and Ole Anderson taking on The Great Muta, Buzz Sawyer, and Kendo “The Dragon Master” Nagasaki. Flair has been open about his high regard for Muto as an opponent, and the 16-time world champion is a natural fit to induct Muto into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Source: Wrestling Inc.