Tag: WWE

Alexa Bliss Alerts Authorities To Fan Threatening Her And Her Husband

Alexa Bliss has dealt with her fair share of crazed fans over the years. On Tuesday night, Bliss exposed another such person for threatening to shoot her and her husband Ryan Cabrera.

As seen in the screengrab below, Bliss responded directly to the fan, informing him that she had turned in screenshots of their direct messages to the authorities.

In response, the fan seemingly laughed off the idea of Bliss wanting to impose a restraining order on him. Through several other posts, the fan claimed he speaks regularly to Buddy Matthews, Bliss’ ex-fiancé, on Twitch, and that he burned all of Bliss’ merchandise.

Bliss’ original Instagram post was an invitation to a fundraiser IG live session on Friday, May 27. The session intends to raise money for “Saving Huey Foundation,” a nonprofit organization that specializes in the rescue of abused animals. The session will also celebrate the life of Larry-Steve, Alexa Bliss’ former pet pig that passed away last May.

“Let’s celebrate my Angel piggy in heaven Larry-Steve by raising money for animals in need,” Bliss wrote in her post.

On this week’s Raw, Bliss continued her momentum with another singles victory over Nikki A.S.H. Bliss has now won three consecutive matches since her return on the May 9th episode of Raw. Bliss returned earlier this month from a three-month hiatus dating back to the “Elimination Chamber” event in February.

https://twitter.com/WrestleOps/status/1529311335757975552

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 5/24/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 broadcasts live from the WWE Performance Center.

The following line-up is announced for tonight:

  • NXT Champion Bron Breakker vs. Duke Hudson
  • NXT Women’s Champion Mandy Rose vs. Indi Hartwell
  • NXT Tag Team Champions Pretty Deadly vs. Roderick Strong & Damon Kemp
  • Edris Enofe & Malik Blade vs. Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo & Troy “Two Dimes” Donovan
  • Alba Fyre vs. Elektra Lopez
  • Wes Lee vs. Sanga

WWE RAW Preview 5/23/22

WWE RAW takes place tonight from the Ford Center in Evansville, In.

Possible WWE Contract Ramifications For Sasha Banks And Naomi

WWE reportedly has the option of freezing both Sasha Banks and Naomi’s contracts while they are suspended by the company.

According to Dave Meltzer on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, this is due to the wording of the contracts both wrestlers signed. Because the former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions were suspended for failing to perform when they walked out of the building prior to last week’s “Raw,” WWE has the option to freeze their deals. This would mean that the time frame of their contracts would be paused, and they would be stopped from progressing rather than continuing to roll towards expiration. This is normally done when talent is unable to perform, as WWE doesn’t want to lose out on potential dates.

Right now it is unknown whether or not WWE will actually be freezing Banks’ or Naomi’s contracts, but the company has done this in the past when it comes to talent going out with injuries, including cases like Bryan Danielson and Rey Mysterio. Both women’s deals are reportedly set to expire in the near future, though Naomi, at least, was supposedly working on a contract extension prior to the walk-out.

As for Banks, she was spotted this weekend at a Steve Aoki concert, and she has received support online from her cousin, Snoop Dogg. But on Sunday, the WrestleVotes Twitter account, which has provided reliable information in the past, claimed this situation “is going to get worse before it gets any better.”

On WWE “SmackDown” last week, Michael Cole officially announced that Banks and Naomi had been stripped of their Women’s Tag Team Championship and were suspended and that a tournament will be held to crown new ones. No tag teams have been officially announced for the tournament, and no date has been set for it, nor is there any indication as to how long Banks’ and Naomi’s suspension will go on.

Neither Banks nor Naomi has made a public comment since they chose to walk out during WWE “Raw” last week, for what is currently believed to be creative issues. The company had reportedly been planning on Naomi challenging for the “Raw” Women’s Championship at WWE Hell In A Cell, while Banks would get a shot for the “SmackDown” Women’s Title. Both women were set to lose their respective matches.

WWE has also removed both ladies from the, ‘Then. Now. Forever.’ graphic that the company uses before the shows, with Cody Rhodes taking their place. On top of that, online merchandise for them has been removed from WWE Shop, but they were still available physically at live events over the weekend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Some Current WWE Stars ‘Wish They Had The Guts To’ Walk Out Like Naomi And Sasha Banks [Reports]

The WWE locker room is divided after the Women’s Tag Champs upped and left – but some are thinking of following suit.

While Naomi and Sasha Banks are getting trashed by commentary on RAW and SmackDown for walking out of the company following a booking dispute, reports suggest that there are those who wish they could do the same.

The Women’s Tag-Team Champions weren’t happy with the creative direction for their titles exacerbated by the booking of a Six Pack Challenge to main event Monday Night RAW, that would see the tag-team used more as singles wrestlers going forward – something neither Naomi, nor Banks approved of.

Although they have received the backing of many fans online, the duo have been slated by the company. Since it happened Corey Graves and Michael Cole have criticized the pair for their actions. WWE even released a statement completely breaking kayfabe which labeled the women unprofessional for not wanting to work with other Superstars.

Despite the slating they’ve received from Vince McMahon’s business, Wade Keller made a recent PWTorch.com audio update and indicated that the locker room is divided on how it feels about the situation and how it was handled.

I can say there are people who in that locker room – colleagues of theirs [including] active wrestlers, and otherwise, who are disappointed and not sympathetic to the way Sasha and Naomi handled this,” Wade Keller said. (h/t Sportskeeda)

Clearly some current stars are aggrieved at their colleagues for walking out, but Keller would go on to say that others are supportive and some even wish they could do the same thing.

He added: “And there are others who, yes, think this is a cool thing that they did. And they sort of wished that they had the guts to do something like that and take a stance.”

The situation between Naomi and Sasha Banks and WWE is ongoing.

Source: TheSportster

Triple H’s WWE Office Duties Have Reportedly Changed

In the wake of Stephanie McMahon’s shocking announcement that she was taking a leave of absence from WWE yesterday, many have been wondering what this means for the status of her husband, retired WWE star and Executive Vice President of Global Strategy & Development Triple H, with the company. The answer is he’s still around, in a way.

A new report from Fightful Select noted that Triple H is officially back working at WWE offices full time following his cardiac event last year that forced him to retire. But despite his return and retaining his current corporate role, sources told Fightful Select that Triple H’s current duties are drastically different than they were before his absence. It was not reiterated further what that means.

It should be noted that Triple H was part of WWE’s annual meeting with shareholders yesterday, where he took questions on WWE’s NIL (Next In Line) program and WWE’s overall approach to developing talent. He also stated that WWE was continuing to explore plans to expand the WWE Performance Center, both domestically in the US and abroad.

WWE sources also denied to Fightful Select that marital issues played any part in Stephanie McMahon’s decision to take a leave of absence from her duties as WWE Chief Brand Officer. Rumors had emerged of potential marital strife between McMahon and Triple H, who have been married since 2003 and have three daughters, after photos of McMahon without her wedding ring from WrestleMania 38 weekend emerged on the internet recently. One of which, featuring GCW owner Brett Lauderdale, can be seen below.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Sasha Banks & Naomi Suspended Indefinitely, Women’s Tag Team Titles Now Vacant

Last night’s edition of “Smackdown” included a huge announcement regarding Sasha Banks, Naomi, and the future of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.

At the announce desk, Michael Cole stated that Banks and Naomi had “let us all down”. He recounted the statement WWE had put out on social media earlier this week. He says the pair have both been suspended indefinitely and a tournament will be held in the coming weeks to crown new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions.

Banks and Naomi had walked out of “Raw” on Monday night. The pair were reportedly not pleased about the creative plans for them. A “6 Pack Challenge” match was announced at the beginning of “Raw”, which included Banks and Naomi.

WWE said Banks and Naomi walked out during the broadcast. According to WWE’s statement, they went into Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis’ office, gave him the women’s tag team titles, and left the arena.

The main event match was hastily changed to a one-on-one match between Asuka and Becky Lynch. Asuka won the match to earn a title shot against “Raw” Women’s Champion Bianca Belair at the upcoming “Hell In A Cell” event.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 5/20/22

A title unification match that’s been anticipated for weeks is being promoted for tonight’s WWE “SmackDown”.

Raw Tag Team Champions RK-Bro (Randy Orton and Riddle) will face the SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos. The match is being promoted as “winners take all”.

The match was first announced for the WrestleMania Backlash event. However, Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre were later added to the match, making it a 6-man tag team contest. Reigns and The Usos went on to win the match.

RK-Bro reissued their challenge for a title unification match during the show-closing segment on last Friday’s SmackDown. The Usos accepted and the match was officially announced.

As of the time of tis posting, that is the only match announced for tonight’s “SmackDown”.

Stephanie McMahon Announces Leave Of Absence From WWE

In a shocking turn of events, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon announced yesterday that she is stepping away from WWE for the foreseeable future. McMahon released a statement on Twitter announcing the move, while also signaling she would eventually return to her post.

“As of tomorrow, I am taking a leave of absence from the majority of my responsibilities at WWE,” McMahon tweeted. “WWE is a lifelong legacy for me and I look forward to returning to the company that I love after taking this time to focus on my family.”

McMahon gave no reason for her leave of absence at this time, nor did she provide a timetable for her eventual return. It is unknown at this time who will fill McMahon’s role as CBO during her absence.

Stephanie McMahon began her business career in WWE as an Accountant Executive before becoming WWE’s head writer in 2000; she would eventually be promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of Creative Writing in 2006 and then later Executive Vice President of Creative in 2007. She would continue in that role until being promoted to Chief Brand Officer in 2013, which she held until this week.

McMahon’s husband, WWE legend and Executive Vice President for Global Talent Strategy & Development Triple H was forced to retire from wrestling and cut down his workload after he suffered a serious cardiac event last year. Whether Triple H’s health issues played a part in McMahon’s decision today is unclear. The couple has three daughters together, one of whom has already begun training for wrestling.

UPDATE:

Dave Meltzer reports that Stephanie’s leave of absence was absolutely her choice and the decision to step away from WWE for a while had been made some time ago. This is not something Stephanie decided to do yesterday nor does it sound like she was forced or pressured to relieve her duties.

Although Stephanie was contemplating taking a break for some time, it was also noted that virtually no one within WWE knew about Stephanie’s impending exit except for a few who remained tight-lipped until Stephanie released the info on Twitter. This echos reports from yesterday about who within WWE knew this was coming.

In Stephanie’s tweet, she mentioned that she was taking time away to focus on her family. Although that is a big part of the reason for her departure, it was also stated that there is likely more to it and the few people who knew weren’t saying much except that some of the basic reasons being given are not accurate.

As far as what Stephanie’s decision means for the future of WWE, at this point, there’s only speculation.

The newsletter also confirmed what Wrestlenomics reported last night, that WWE President & Chief Revenue Officer Nick Khan will be taking over most of Stephanie’s duties with immediate effect. Furthermore, all those who previously reported to Stephanie will now be reporting to Khan.

Stephanie McMahon has been the public face of WWE for nearly two decades. Besides being the CBO, she is a member of the WWE’s Board of Directors and aside from Vince McMahon, she remains the only original McMahon family member actively working for the company. Stephanie also owns 2.5 percent of the WWE stock which is valued around $116 million.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Details On Why WWE Won’t Fire Sasha Banks Or Naomi [Report]

A new report explains why we shouldn’t expect WWE to fire Sasha Banks or Naomi. Both talents walked out of this week’s episode of Raw.

WWE reportedly isn’t planning to fire Sasha Banks or Naomi despite their decision to walk out of Monday Night Raw together this week.

As previously noted, Banks and Naomi walked out of this week’s Raw taping due to unhappiness over the show’s main event plans.. WWE posted a statement on the matter, claiming that the two placed the Women’s Tag Team Championships on the desk in John Laurinaitis’ office. The statement added that Banks and Naomi “claimed they weren’t respected enough as tag team champions” before departing with suitcases in hand.

It’s easy to speculate that WWE will simply release one or both talents from their current contracts, but that apparently won’t be the case.

Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t Ringside News), Dave Meltzer explained that WWE won’t release Banks and/or Naomi with the obvious reason that they don’t want AEW landing either star. Meltzer also brought up the infamous title exchange incident between Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch, noting that The Queen wasn’t fired despite her actions

“If it was another time and another place, it’s very possible that they would have been fired, but it’s this time and this place,” Meltzer explained. “I remember when the Charlotte Flair thing happened with Becky Lynch and I was talking to people there and it was kind of, like, if it was another time and another place, yeah, they would have fired Charlotte Flair for what she did on live TV screwing up the angle on purpose. But it’s, like, do you want to send her to AEW? No. And essentially nothing happened and they don’t want to send either of them to AEW. Then you’ve got the whole Naomi married to Jimmy Uso…It’s just a waiting game to see what happens next.”

Source: TheSportster