Tag: WWE

Precautions Were Put In Place In Case Brock Lesnar Didn’t Return To WWE SmackDown

After bombshell news of Vince McMahon’s retirement hours before WWE “SmackDown” went on air, several questions were left unanswered. How would the hierarchy of the company change with his exit? How would it affect the WWE superstars, if at all? Reports indicated that one top WWE talent that has been with the company on and off for two decades was heavily impacted by Vince’s announcement: Brock Lesnar.

Shortly after Vince revealed the big news on social media, it was reported that Lesnar walked out of “SmackDown” and was “pissed off,” stating something to the effect of, “If he’s gone, I’m gone.”

Due to the events, “Fightful Select” notes in a new report that a behind-the-scenes source reacted to the situation by calling it “overblown” but admitted they were unsure if he’d end up actually appearing on the blue brand. Creative even produced another script for the show that didn’t feature “The Beast Incarnate” whatsoever, which was reflected in the rundown released before they went live. They decided to leave the last segment of the night open in a way that Lesnar could make his return and be involved if that’s what he chose to do.

The night’s main event saw The Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos and Theory team up to face The Street Profits and Madcap Moss. The Profits and Moss were awarded a disqualification victory after Theory used his Money in the Bank briefcase to strike Moss in the head. Theory then continued to attack Moss after the match, but Brock Lesnar would make the save, planting Theory with an F-5 to end the episode.

It appears that Lesnar challenging Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing title match at SummerSlam on Saturday, July 30 is still scheduled to occur. The show will take place from the Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennesse.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brock Lesnar Makes Shocking Appearance On WWE SmackDown After Reportedly Walking Out

A night of speculation over the whereabouts and future of Brock Lesnar in WWE ended in spectacular fashion when he made a shocking, surprise appearance to close out Friday night’s episode of “SmackDown”.

The main event of Friday’s “SmackDown” saw the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos and Theory team up to face The Street Profits and Madcap Moss. The Profits and Moss were awarded a disqualification victory after Theory used his Money in the Bank briefcase to strike Moss in the head.

Theory continued to attack Moss after the match. That’s when Brock Lesnar’s music played and “The Beast” made his way to the ring, where he planted Theory with an F-5.

Seeing Lesnar live on Friday’s “SmackDown” was a shock, considering the reports from backstage that surfaced starting earlier in the evening.

News broke shortly before 5 PM ET that Lesnar had walked out of “SmackDown” and was “pissed off”. Details later emerged that Lesnar’s walkout was in response to Vince McMahon’s retirement announcement. Lesnar reportedly said something to the effect of, “If he’s gone, I’m gone.” Promotion for Lesnar’s appearance on “SmackDown” was pulled from WWE’s website, although an email to WWE fans sent out around 5:30 pm ET still mentioned Lesnar would be on the show.

All appears to be back on track for Lesnar to challenge Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns in a Last Man Standing title match at SummerSlam on Saturday, July 30.

McMahon is retiring from his roles as WWE Chairman, CEO, and Head of Creative amid an investigation into a series of hush money payments. McMahon allegedly paid former female employees to silence potential accusations of harassment, misconduct, and abuse against both McMahon and former Head of Talent Relations John Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis has now been removed from his position, with Paul “Triple H” Levesque officially taking over his duties on Friday. Creative duties are now being overseen by Bruce Pritchard.

https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1550661702278156288
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Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon Announces His Retirement, Thanks WWE Universe, Stephanie McMahon Opened Up SmackDown (video)

WWE founder Vince McMahon has announced his retirement.

Vince McMahon has officially announced his retirement at the age of 77. The founder of WWE took to social media on Friday, July 22 to break the news and thank the WWE Universe.

“At 77, time for me to retire. Thank you, WWE Universe,” McMahon tweeted. “Then. Now. Forever. Together.”

https://twitter.com/VinceMcMahon/status/1550572700959121408

“As I approach 77 years old, I feel it’s time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE,” McMahon later elaborated in a statement released by WWE. “Throughout the years, it’s been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you. I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand. Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment. I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment.“

WWE also confirmed that Stephanie McMahon and Nick Khan would be assuming the roles of co-CEOs of WWE, effective immediately.

According to journalist Brandon Thurston, Vince will be retiring from all of his WWE duties, including the creative ones.

https://twitter.com/BrandonThurston/status/1550582194657165313

On Friday, July 8 The Wall Street Journal published a report which claimed McMahon paid off as many as four women going back 16 years. Those payments apparently total $12 million, with one of the four unnamed women included in the report being paid $7.5 million by McMahon. Last month, reports surfaced that McMahon paid a former WWE paralegal $3 million in hush money after the two had an affair.

Source: TheSportster

New Co-CEO of WWE, Stephanie McMahon opened up Friday night’s “Smackdown”, live from TD Garden in Boston, MA. She opened the show just hours after her father, Vince McMahon announced he is retiring. WWE broke the news of Stephanie opening up “Smackdown” just shy of an hour before the blue brand went live on FOX.

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Big Update On Triple H’s Backstage WWE Position

Triple H is back in the WWE in a big way. “The Game” wasn’t lying when he told the WWE Performance Center that he was excited for what’s to come regarding his future, as it was announced by the company today that Paul Levesque will resume his executive position as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, replacing John Laurinaitis.

“I look forward to returning to my prior position as head of Talent Relations,” Levesque said in WWE’s official announcement. “I’m healthy, fired up, and ready to take charge.” He added on Twitter that he was “Proud and honored to work with the best talent in the world.”

https://twitter.com/TripleH/status/1550485402166988806

Levesque originally took the position as EVP of Talent Relations back in 2011 before being promoted in 2013 and eventually becoming EVP of Global Talent Strategy & Development. He was also the head executive and creative mind behind “NXT,” but was forced to step away after suffering a “cardiac event” in 2021 that was later found to be a genetic heart condition. As a result, he was forced to announce his retirement from in-ring competition by leaving his boots in the ring at WrestleMania. Although his continued role in company remained something of a mystery for the following months, Levesque remained the figurehead for WWE’s “Next In Line” program.

Laurinaitis, meanwhile, was on leave from the position following a Wall Street Journal report alleging that the former Johnny Ace played a role in Vince McMahon’s “hush money” payments. Longtime WWE executive Bruce Prichard temporarily stepped in the role over the course of the last month, and Brandon Thurston of Wrestlenomics has noted that Laurinaitis is still considered on administrative leaving following the allegations. McMahon himself stepped down as WWE CEO and Chairman while the company’s board investigates the Wall Street Journal allegations, with his daughter, Stephanie McMahon — who is also married to Levesque — taking up those duties in the interim.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/22/22

WWE SmackDown, tonight at 8/7 C on FOX.

WWE Officials Are Unhappy With The SummerSlam 2022 Card [Report]

According to a report, WWE officials “don’t like” the current SummerSlam 2022 card. The show is now just 11 days away.

WWE higher-ups aren’t exactly thrilled with the SummerSlam 2022 match card, according to a report.

A source in WWE informed WrestleVotes that “they really don’t like the SummerSlam card.” Interestingly, it was noted by WrestleVotes that “They” refers to the people who constructed the match card. Whether or not they end up making drastic changes to the event remains to be seen, but with the show just 11 days away, the clock is ticking.

This is certainly an interesting report for a variety of reasons. If WWE officials aren’t pleased with it, then why did they construct it as such? The long-term plans should have been heavily mapped out following WrestleMania 38 weekend, which occurred more than three months ago.

Also, the card looks very strong on paper. Whether fans like it or not, Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar in the main event for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship is going to be a massive draw. The other main event matches will include Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch for the Raw Women’s Championship and Liv Morgan vs. Ronda Rousey for the SmackDown Women’s Championship.

There are two other highly-anticipated title matches on the card: Bobby Lashley vs. Money in the Bank winner Theory for the United States Championship and The Usos vs. The Street Profits for the Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships with Jeff Jarrett as the special guest referee.

WWE still has time to make the already stacked card more exciting. Edge and Bayley are both reportedly close to returning, so perhaps we’ll see them at SummerSlam. Drew McIntyre, AJ Styles, Alexa Bliss, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are among the notable talents who haven’t been announced for SummerSlam yet, after all.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 7/19/2022

Tonight on WWE NXT 2.0 at 8 pm ET on USA Network:

The 20 participants being promoted for the battle royal are Alba Fyre, Amari Miller, Arianna Grace, Cora Jade, Elektra Lopez, Fallon Henley, Indi Hartwell, Ivy Nile, Katana Chance, Kayden Carter, Kiana James, Lash Legend, Nikkita Lyons, Sarray, Sloane Jacobs, Tatum Paxley, Tiffany Stratton, Valentina Feroz, Wendy Choo, and Yulisa Leon.

Bayley Returning To WWE Very Soon

Former Raw, SmackDown and NXT Women’s Champion Bayley has been out of action for over a year as she recovers from a torn ACL. It sounds as though she’ll return very soon.

Bayley has been out of action since July of last year, when she unfortunately suffered an ACL tear while training at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. After undergoing surgery, WWE announced that the 2019 women’s Money in the Bank ladder match winner would miss roughly nine months of action.

In an update, Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com reports that Bayley “is scheduled to be in Nashville for” the SummerSlam 2022 weekend. It wasn’t noted if she will actually wrestle at the show, but at least she’ll presumably be at The Biggest Party of the Summer that will run inside Nissan Stadium on July 30.

Earlier this month, Johnson also reported that Bayley was at the Performance Center. That’s obviously a strong indicator that she’s getting very close to an in-ring return. It shouldn’t surprise anyone if WWE decides against announcing Bayley’s return ahead of time. Recent history suggests it’ll be come as a “surprise”, after all.

Bayley may not be the only other notable star who will return soon. WWE reportedly has plans for Edge to return for the go-home SummerSlam edition of Raw next week. The Rated-R Superstar has been off of television since being betrayed by his Judgment Day allies on the June 6 show.

Belair will defend her Raw Women’s Championship against Lynch, and Liv Morgan will try to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Ronda Rousey. SummerSlam would be the perfect time and place for Bayley to make her WWE return, as she could confront and/or challenge the winner of the Belair-Lynch or Morgan-Rousey match. Bayley has spent ample time in the main event scene, so don’t be surprised if WWE decides to push her immediately following her return to television.

Source: TheSportster

WWE Raw Preview 7/18/22

WWE Raw will air live tonight on the USA Network, from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Jeff Jarrett Named Special Guest Referee For Usos vs. Street Profits At SummerSlam

WWE has announced that Jeff Jarrett will be the special guest official for the Usos vs. Street Profits match at SummerSlam.

On Friday night, fans learned the identity of the special guest official who will be enforcing the rules between The Street Profits and The Uso at SummerSlam. That special guest official, is none other than Hall of Famer and Sr. Vice President of Special Events for WWE, Jeff Jarrett.

It’s a fairly random choice considering all of the options WWE could have gone with. He’s got no real connection to either team, nor does he have any experience as a WWE official. The best guess as to why WWE chose him was because SummerSlam is taking place in Nashville and they wanted to connect a known Nashville hometown celebrity to the bout. WWE seems to have gone with someone they figure the live fans will cheer at the event. It probably doesn’t hurt that the company had easy access to him as he’s likely on the road and traveling with the roster on a close-to full-time basis.

What’s so intriguing about the decision was that when Adam Pearce made the announcement to close the show, Jarrett wasn’t even on-site. A video package of his greatest moments in WWE — most of which were of him smashing people with his guitar to show he doesn’t mess around — was played. When it ended, The Usos and Street Profits continued to brawl as the show went off the air. Four officials couldn’t break them up.

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