Tag: WWE

Alexa Bliss Reveals Health Issue Amidst Her Time Away From WWE TV

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 😊”

https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1638283135480909825
https://twitter.com/AlexaBliss_WWE/status/1638520818773950464

Source: PWMania

Roxanne Perez Shares Message With Fans Amid Murky WWE NXT Status

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!”

https://twitter.com/roxanne_wwe/status/1638321201310253058
https://twitter.com/roxanne_wwe/status/1638321317815496706

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.

WWE NXT Preview 3/21/2023

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’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