Tag: WWE

Emma (Tenille Dashwood) returned to WWE on Friday Night SmackDown

Another former WWE star returned to the company tonight on Friday Night SmackDown.

As was noted last week, Ronda Rousey wanted to face all challengers and she issued an open challenge for this week. Before her match Friday night, Rousey was in full-blown heel mode as she talked about being an active champion. 

After Rousey’s promo, Tenille Dashwood was revealed as her opponent and she is back to using the name Emma. This is Emma’s first time in a WWE ring in almost 5 years. Emma was very competitive but after raking the eyes, Rousey won after hitting the Piper’s Pit and the armbar submission.

Emma took to social media and reacted to Friday night’s match.

“5 years ago today I was heartbroken feeling like my dream had come to an end. Today my heart is so full! I’m overwhelmed by the amount of support I have. You guys are the best. Now… I’ve got some unfinished business to take care of!” wrote Emma.

Before last night’s match, Emma’s last WWE match was on the October 23, 2017 edition of “Raw,” where she lost to Asuka. A day earlier, on October 22, she lost to Asuka at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.

Emma recently left Impact Wrestling after three years with the company. During her time there, she held the Impact Knockouts Tag Team Titles.

After her WWE release and before Impact Wrestling, Emma had a stint in Ring of Honor. She was part of the ROH Women of Honor Title 2018 tournament. A year later, Emma made her All Elite Wrestling debut at AEW All Out 2019. She was one of the participants in the Casino Battle Royale. The winner ended up being former AEW Women’s Champion Nyla Rose.

WWE is now interested in bringing back “several” more former WWE Women’s Superstars including Tegan Nox. Nox was released on November 18, 2021. 

Shinsuke Nakamura On Great Muta Match: “It’s A Real Forbidden Door”

Pro Wrestling NOAH announce this past weekend that WWE’s Shinsuke Nakamura was crossing over to the company as part of Keiji Mutoh’s retirement tour, with the former Intercontinental Champion announced as Mutoh’s opponent for its 1 January show, The New Year 2023. It’ll be one of the last times the 59-year-old works as The Great Muta before he draws the curtain on his wrestling career later that month – and something those involved had to work hard to make happen.

Tokyo Sports reports (via translation) that NOAH had earmarked Nakamura as somebody it wanted to book for Mutoh’s retirement run as soon as the legend made the decision to retire. Initially, they were met with disagreement from WWE, though “tenacious” negotiations continued once Vince McMahon stepped down as Chairman and CEO in July.

The two sides then reached an agreement on 26 October. Now, the bout is official.

Nakamura revealed he was spurred on by people within WWE, calling the situation “a real ‘Forbidden Door'”, nodding to AEW’s working relationship with NJPW:-

“There were people in WWE who pushed me forward. I opened a door that no one could break in. Hahaha…it’s a real ‘Forbidden Door’.”

Continuing, Nakamura called the bout a meeting of “fate”, adding that he worked hard to make it happen:-

“I think it’s really fate, and I worked hard to make it happen. I’ve fought Keiji Muto twice in the past, but this was my first encounter with Great Muta, the first and last. I definitely think that I am in the midst of the miracle of the times.”

Nakamura has not wrestled in Japan on a show promoted by a native company since January 2016, when he left NJPW for WWE. His last tie with Mutoh came in October 2008.

Source: WhatCulture

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/28/2022

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown is live from the Enterprise Center, St. Louis, MO at 8/7c on FS1. SmackDown is airing on FS1 due to the MLB World Series airing on FOX.

NJPW Reveals Karl Anderson Will Forfeit His Title If He Competes At WWE Crown Jewel

Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson returned to WWE earlier this month, backing up AJ Styles as he was seriously outnumbered by The Judgment Day. That raised a lot of questions regarding the tag team’s current status with NJPW. Not only is Anderson the promotion’s Never Openweight Champion, but he is slated to defend that title at Battle Autumn on November 5.

The plot thickened considerably when WWE announced The OC and The Judgment Day will clash at Crown Jewel, a WWE event taking place on the same day as Battle Autumn. In case it wasn’t clear, Anderson confirmed that despite his NJPW booking, he will be competing for WWE on November 5 and will not be in Osaka to defend his title.

After an initial reaction to that news from NJPW’s president, the promotion has now revealed a full statement (thanks, Fightful). “NJPW has for the past several days attempted to negotiate with Anderson, but has not been met with a response,” the statement reads. “Should Anderson decide to renege on his scheduled championship match, he will be required to vacate the NEVER Openweight Championship and return the title belt to NJPW immediately.”

https://twitter.com/SeanRossSapp/status/1585110853187416064

When Anderson confirmed he will be heading to Saudi Arabia on November 5 and not Japan, the Never Openweight Champion also claimed the title defense was booked without consulting him. NJPW denies that was the case, highlighting in the statement above that the match was booked on October 4, and that Anderson was complicit in that process.

What happens next remains unclear. What appeared to be an arrangement between WWE and NJPW when Gallows and Anderson first showed up on Raw now doesn’t seem to be an official deal at all. It now seems like Anderson won’t be at Battle Autumn, and that he will be stripped of the Never Openweight Title. As for returning the championship to the company, that might be a little tricky and could make the situation even more problematic.

Source: TheSportster

The Rock’s Daughter Ava Raine Revealed As Mystery Schism Member On NXT

The masked wrestler who has been aiding The Schism is Ava Raine.

Someone in a yellow mask has been appearing on NXT recently, and then that mysterious figure helped The Schism attack Cameron Grimes. Clearly, whoever they are, they have been better swayed by the group’s message than Grimes ever was. Schism’s leader Joe Gacy promised a reveal after Halloween Havoc, and that’s exactly what happened on Tuesday.

All three members of Schism were joined in the ring by their mysterious masked fourth. The unnamed fourth member then removed their mask, revealing themselves to be Ava Raine. Raine cut a short promo covering her appreciation for the group’s acceptance before the other three members of Gacy’s stable embraced her in the middle of the ring.

If you’re unfamiliar with Raine, well, there’s a good reason for that. Tuesday night was the first time she has ever appeared on NXT TV. If you do know Raine, that’s probably because she has received a little bit more attention than most other Performance Center recruits. That’s due to the fact she is The Rock’s daughter. Her real name is Simone Johnson, and she’s a fourth-generation Superstar.

Not only is Raine following in the footsteps of her movie star dad, but she also follows her grandfather Rocky Johnson into the wrestling business, and her great-grandfather Peter Maivia before him. Not to mention the countless other members of the Samoan Dynasty that have wrestled in WWE and beyond, and continue to do so to this day.

Raine has previously appeared at NXT live events but hasn’t actually wrestled her first match yet, at least not in front of fans. It remains unclear what exactly WWE has planned for her on that front. Whether she will aid Schism in tormenting other Superstars, or she will compete in matches right away. If The Bloodline is still around when she is eventually called up, perhaps the plans for her to be its first female member are already tentatively in place.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 10/25/2022

Tonight’s episode of WWE NXT in Orlando, Florida at the Capitol Wrestling Center on the USA Network at 8/7C. Fallout from Halloween Havoc.

NJPW President Addresses Karl Anderson Being Double Booked For November 5

NJPW President Takami Ohbari has taken to Twitter to address WWE Superstar Karl Anderson being double booked for November 5.

Anderson is scheduled to defend the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo at NJPW Battle Autumn, which is the same day he is scheduled to team with AJ Styles & Luke Gallows against The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio), at Crown Jewel on Saturday, November 5.

Back on October 4, NJPW announced Karl Anderson would be defending the NJPW NEVER Openweight Championship against Hikuleo on November 5 at NJPW Battle Autumn. Then on October 10, Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows made their surprise return to WWE on Raw, as a back up for for AJ Styles in his battle with The Judgement Day.

It was then announced during the October 17 episode of WWE Raw, it was made official for Styles, Anderson, & Gallows and The Judgment Day (Finn Balor, Damian Priest, & Dominik Mysterio) to have a six-man tag match at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 5.

In a video posted to Twitter on October 19, Anderson claimed NJPW never confirmed the NJPW November 5 date with his booking agent The Big LG – Doc Gallows. Anderson then said he will not be defending the NEVER Openweight Title at the Battle Autumn event. 

Source: WrestleView

WWE RAW Preview 10/24/2022

WWE RAW tonight live from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC at 8/7C on USA Network.

  • Raw Women’s Champion Bianca Belair will face Bayley in a non-title match.
  • Austin Theory, Bobby Lashley, Matt Riddle and WWE United States Champion Seth Rollins are advertised to appear.
  • WWE Hall of Famer JBL is expected to be back on the show with Baron Corbin.
  • Brock Lesnar is not advertised for the show.

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc 10/22/2022 (Results)

NXT NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP LADDER MATCH:
Wes Lee defeated Carmelo Hayes, Nathan Frazer, Oro Mensah and Von Wagner

Toxic Attraction pulls up to a haunted area where a zombie butler greets them. There’s a really cheesy haunted house vibe about the place, and the trio walks around the area looking for Alba Fyre. The trio splits up to find Alba, and she ends up taking Jacy. Gigi finds Chucky and has tea with him, then Alba attacks Gigi and fights her in the kitchen. Gigi smashes some plates on her face and hits her with the fridge door, but a demon comes out of the fridge and pulls her inside. Alba and Mandy are left, and Alba hits her in the stomach with a bat. Some masked guy runs in and slides across the ground, and Mandy tries to hit Alba with a bat. A pumpkin-headed guy stops her, then Alba knocks Mandy out and puts her in their car. Alba knocks Jacy and Gigi out, then drives away with Mandy.

(SPIN THE WHEEL, MAKE THE DEAL) CASKET MATCH:
Apollo Crews defeated Grayson Waller

WEAPONS WILD MATCH:
Roxanne Perez defeated Cora Jade

AMBULANCE MATCH:
Julius Creed defeated Damon Kemp
* Bonus Stipulation: If Damon Kemp wins, Brutus Creed must leave NXT *

NXT WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH:
Mandy Rose (c) defeated Alba Fyre

NXT CHAMPIONSHIP TRIPLE THREAT MATCH:
Bron Breakker (c) defeated Ilja Dragunov and JD McDonagh

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/21/2022

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown live from  the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA at 8/7c on FOX.

I’m sure there will be more on the feud between Drew McIntyre and Karrion Kross, plus more from Bray Wyatt.