Tag: WWE

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/4/22, Pat McAfee – WrestleMania 38

The Road to WrestleMania 38 continues tonight as WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the FTX Arena in Miami, Florida.

It’s believed that there may be some sort of follow-up to Pat McAfee’s interview with WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon on tonight’s show, but nothing is official. McAfee vs. McMahon in some form is still rumored for WrestleMania 38, and while McAfee agreed to wrestle on The Grandest Stage of Them All during the interview, Vince said they would find him a worthy opponent.

WWE Has Terminated Its Russian TV Deal, WWE Network Also No Longer Available

WWE programming is no longer available in Russia in any form.

Last week, Russia began an invasion of Ukraine that has been raging on since as Vladimir Putin attempts to take control of the neighboring country’s major cities, causing unfathomable damage and killing and injuring countless civilians in the process. As the attacks continue, the rest of the world attempts to show support and solidarity with Ukraine in whatever way they can, and that now extends to WWE.

WWE issued a statement today revealing WWE programming is no longer available in Russia. WWE had a TV deal with Russian network Match which aired its weekly shows, including Raw, SmackDown, and NXT. That partnership has been dissolved effective immediately. People living in Russia can also no longer access the WWE Network, again, a change that has taken effect as of right now.

The statement issued by WWE is a short one that doesn’t actually make any mention of the conflict in Ukraine, nor does it outline the reason for canceling all of its televisual connections with Russia. “The move eliminates access in Russia to any WWE programming,” the statement reads, highlighting some of the content no longer available in the country as well as pointing out that Russian Network subscribers will no longer be able to watch WrestleMania 38.

Although the statement doesn’t clarify why WWE has made the move, doing so is an incredibly big deal. As Vince McMahon has proved countless times in the past, nothing motivates him more than money. Canceling a TV deal will undoubtedly take money directly out of McMahon’s pocket, as will revoking access to the WWE Network for an entire country’s worth of subscribers.

The move is actually a little surprising, even if other companies have been making similar moves to show their support for Ukraine. WWE has an ongoing relationship with Saudi Arabia and while the Middle Eastern nation isn’t currently engaged in an invasion that may well trigger World War 3, the partnership is a controversial one. That WWE is willing to show its support for Ukraine and take a financial blow in order to do that is a refreshing change.

Source: TheSportster

Backstage Notes On Randy Orton And What Happened With The Injury Scare On RAW

Randy Orton and Riddle were originally scheduled to defeat The Street Profits on last night’s WWE RAW.

As noted, RAW saw Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeat Randy Orton and Riddle after Ford performed a Frogsplash on Orton, leading to an awkward finish and a post-match conversation between the two teams and the referee. Orton was seen clutching his right shoulder on the way to the backstage area.

In an update, Orton and Riddle were originally scheduled to win the bout after a series of RKOs to The Profits, according to Fightful Select. Orton took the rough splash from Ford and because of his condition, the planned finish did not happen.

 Ford made a post-RAW tweet and indicated that Orton was OK, despite the injury concern. WWE officials planned on monitoring the situation as a lot could change with Orton’s condition overnight, but word now is that this was a case of Orton getting the wind knocked out of him, his ribs crushed, and not being able to move at first.

There is no backstage heat on Ford for the spot as it was considered to be a “s–t happens” situation.

Next week’s RAW is scheduled to feature RK-Bro vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens vs. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy, with the titles on the line.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 3/1/22

The Road to Stand & Deliver will continue on tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode.

Randy Orton Possibly Suffered An Shoulder Injury

Randy Orton may have suffered an shoulder injury during last night’s WWE RAW.

 The possible injury occurred when Montez Ford landed awkwardly on Orton’s shoulder while performing a frog splash, as seen in the GIF below.

As seen in the video below, Orton appeared to be in immediate pain after taking Ford’s splash. It looked like a false finish as The Viper’s foot was on the bottom rope as the referee counted to three. After the match, Orton remained on the mat, and was checked on by Riddle and the referee. As seen in another video below, Orton favored his right shoulder while walking to the back with the referee and Riddle.

A fan noted after the match how Orton, Riddle and a referee were seen walking off the side of the stage while everyone else went through the normal entrance-way to the Gorilla Position. Orton was seen favoring his right shoulder.

Next week’s RAW is scheduled to feature RK-Bro vs. Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens vs. RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy with the titles on the line. It remains to be seen if Randy Orton is pulled from the match due to his apparent injury.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 2/28/22

The Road to WrestleMania 38 will continue tonight as WWE RAW airs live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Backstage News On WWE’s Post-Title Unification Plans

WWE is set to unify the WWE and Universal Championship at WrestleMania 38 when Roman Reigns battles Brock Lesnar.

However, on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer noted that the deal will be similar to when WWE reunited the titles in the past. This is because the company still wants two champions, one for each brand.

Meltzer was told that it is not feasible in the modern wrestling environment for each show not to have a champion, given that they are on separate networks. But the match in April is still very much planned to be a unification bout after the contract signing took place on SmackDown last week.

Of course, there is still a chance that this particular bout may not happen at all. That is because Brock Lesnar is set to defend his WWE Championship at Madison Square Garden this weekend. Should the Beast get through that test, then he is on a collision course to face Roman.

Their match has been confirmed for night two of WrestleMania 38. On night one the Raw Women’s Championship match between Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair will take place. Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey’s contest for the SmackDown Women’s Title is also set for night one.

It has recently been reported that WWE Chairman Vince McMahon could also end up stepping into the ring to compete at ‘Mania this year. He is set to appear on The Pat McAfee Show this week, which could be done to set up a storyline, with the former NFL star being rumored to be Vince’s opponent.

WrestleMania 38 will take place on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3 from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Below is the current announced card:

Night One: SmackDown Women’s Title Match

Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair (c)

Night Two: Winner Takes All Match

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns

Night One: RAW Women’s Title Match

Bianca Belair vs. Becky Lynch (c)

Logan Paul and The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio and Dominik Mysterio

WWE Hall of Famer Edge vs. TBA

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Reportedly Planning On “Smoke And Mirrors” For Vince McMahon Match Against Pat McAfee At WrestleMania 38

Vince McMahon vs. Pat McAfee is reportedly listed in the internal schedule for WrestleMania 38.

Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer reports that although the 76-year-old WWE Chairman will be advertised for a match at the Showcase of Immortals, he is not expected to take any bumps in what will be a “complete smoke and mirrors event.”

Meltzer noted that the match “was confirmed to be on the books for the [WrestleMania] lineup” as on Sunday evening. The seeds for the match will reportedly be planted when McMahon appears on The Pat McAfee Show this Thursday.

With McMahon unlikely to take any bumps in the match with McAfee, there is speculation among fans on social media that Austin Theory will wrestle on behalf of the WWE boss. Theory has been in an on-screen storyline with McMahon for several months.

The news of McMahon starting a storyline with McAfee was first reported by John Pollock of POST Wrestling last Friday. Vince McMahon’s last match was at WrestleMania XVI, where he lost to WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Steve Austin To Host Event In Texas During WrestleMania Week

Stone Cold’ Steve Austin will be at an event in Fort Worth, Texas two days before WrestleMania 38.

Amid rumors that he will return for a match at WrestleMania 38, we at least know that “Stone Cold” Steve Austin will be in his home state two days before The Show of Shows.

WWE is reportedly trying to bring The Texas Rattlesnake back for a match at WrestleMania 38. The event will be held on the Apr. 2-3 weekend at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas — Austin’s home state.

On his Instagram page, the WWE Hall of Famer announced that he’ll be appearing at Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth on Thursday, Mar. 31 to debut the new Broken Skull American Lager beer. Austin noted that people who are attending WrestleMania 38 weekend should come to the Broken Skull Beer Bash.

Kevin Owens has hinted at a match with Austin several times over the last two weeks. WWE reportedly reached out to Austin over the possibility of a WrestleMania match several weeks ago, but it’s unclear at this time if Austin will actually do so.

Austin’s last WWE match took place at WrestleMania 19 back in 2003, where he fell to The Rock. Austin retired from in-ring competition soon after. He has made occasional appearances on WWE programming over the last few years, including the “Raw 25” anniversary special, the Raw Reunion special on July 22, 2019, the Sept. 9 edition of Raw two months later and the Mar. 16, 2020 episode of Raw.

Even if Austin doesn’t wrestle at WrestleMania 38, an appearance of any kind would make the event far more exciting. Fans always pop when the Hall of Famer shows up. A Stone Cold Stunner to a heel Owens would be more than enough to electrify the crowd.

WWE has used Austin at several WrestleMania events in recent years, too. He opened the show with The Rock and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 30. Two years later, Austin, Shawn Michaels and Mick Foley attacked Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, King Barrett and Rusev at WrestleMania 32 following their win over The New Day. So we really shouldn’t be surprised if Austin is involved at WrestleMania 38, one way or another.

Source: TheSportster

Bobby Lashley Trying To Get Medically Cleared For WrestleMania

Bobby Lashley could still have a match at WrestleMania 38 despite very serious injury.

Former WWE Champion Bobby Lashley is reportedly racing to get fit and medically cleared for WrestleMania 38.

Lashley suffered a very real shoulder injury during his match vs. Brock Lesnar at last month’s Royal Rumble that might require an operation and would keep him out for at least four months. However, WWE kept advertising him for their Elimination Chamber match that took place in Saudi Arabia on February 19 before he was eventually removed.

He was also being advertised for the live event set for next Saturday at Madison Square Garden and references to him were only pulled a few days ago.

Per the Wrestling Observer Newsletter: “WWE Live: Road to WrestleMania is set for Madison Square Garden on Saturday, March 5, a show that was originally advertised as being headlined by Brock Lesnar defending the WWE Championship against Lashley. The advertising has been changed to simply state that Lesnar will defend the WWE title on the show, with all references to Lashley removed.”

According to Ringside News (H/T WrestleTalk), the All Mighty is trying to get medically cleared for both the house show and WrestleMania.

Lashley is understood to have received consultation on the shoulder from WWE doctors in Birmingham, Alabama and WrestleVotes has reported that things are still very fluid as it pertains to the plans for WM38.

WWE could be keeping the door open should the superstar get cleared in time. Whether he is able to get clearance to perform sooner rather than later remains to be seen. It would take quite an effort.

Source: TheSportster