Tag: WWE

Doctor Says Big E’s Wrestling Career Might Be Over

Big E broke his neck on SmackDown and may never be able to wrestle again.

Big E suffered a pretty scary injury on Friday night’s episode of SmackDown, breaking his neck as the result of a botched belly-to-belly Suplex from Ridge Holland.

The former WWE Champion had to be stretchered out and was taken to hospital. He has since updated fans, revealing he won’t need surgery, which is obviously good news. However, he did confirm his C1 and C6 vertebrae were fractured.

David Chao, who spent 17 years as the team doctor of the San Diego Chargers and is currently part of the medical team at OASIS in San Diego, has published an article on Outkick.com suggesting E’s wrestling career might be over, though he points out recovery typically only takes three months in such a case.

“The C1 fracture is most dangerous as the top cervical vertebrae is a ring and is commonly associated with immediate death or complete paralysis. Thankfully the fracture was not displaced and he will not need surgery. However, this type of fracture often heals incompletely and it may mean the end of his wrestling career,” Chao wrote.

“The C6 fracture is likely a compression injury to the vertebral body. This likely requires immobilization but not surgery. One would anticipate a minimum of three-month recovery with return to full function and activities for this lower cervical injury.

“Previously, I had worked regularly with WWE as a consulting physician for events and performing surgery. I can assure you the stunts that are executed are real and come with risk, even though some consider the sport to be “fake.”

“We continue to send our best wishes to Big E and wish him a full and complete recovery from this horrible injury. Also, please do not send any hate towards Ridge Holland for the incident, as accidents happen in wrestling.”

Big E’s injury came as a terrible development for the industry and, based on the above, the 36-year-old is lucky to even be alive.

As it pertains to a return to the ring, Kurt Angle was able to have a great wrestling career after breaking his neck, there’s a lot of encouragement that could be drawn from that.

Source: TheSportster

WWE 2K22 Available Now

WWE 2K22 is officially available for purchase today, allowing fans to take control of their favorite WWE Superstars and legends. The video game is the latest installment into the franchise of WWE games and is playable on all major platforms.

Below is the full press release from 2K, revealing comments from the President at Visual Concepts. It also explains some of the brand new game modes fans can anticipate:

2K today announced WWE® 2K22, the newest installment of the flagship WWE video game franchise developed by Visual Concepts, is available now for PlayStation®4 (PS4™), PlayStation®5 (PS5™), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. Featuring Rey Mysterio® on the cover in celebration of his 20th anniversary as a WWE Superstar, the game features a top-to-bottom overhaul, including a redesigned engine and gameplay, the most stunning WWE 2K graphics to date, intuitive and accessible controls, multiple new game modes, and an immersive presentation and camera angles throughout. WWE 2K22 also features a diverse soundtrack curated by Executive Soundtrack Producer Machine Gun Kelly, who will be available in a future downloadable content pack* as a playable character.

“The last two years have been full of focus and passion from an incredible team at Visual Concepts who set out to create a WWE experience that delivers what fans have been asking for,” said Greg Thomas, President at Visual Concepts. “WWE 2K22 and all its achievements are a direct result of this team’s energy and hard work on building a massive game with a long and storied history. I’m very proud both of what we have been able to accomplish with this release, and what it signifies for the bright path ahead for the WWE 2K series.”

Game Modes Galore

WWE 2K22 features the return of several popular game modes, as well as the introduction of several new additions:

  • 2K Showcase Starring Rey Mysterio: Players will relive the iconic moments behind Mysterio’s most famous matches spanning his 20-year WWE career and beyond. Documentary-style interviews with Mysterio frame each match. And new Slingshot Tech allows for a seamless transition from gameplay to live-action footage. As players complete objectives to live out some of his most iconic historical moments;
  • MyGM: In this new, fan-requested mode, players will select one of five GMs or create their own, draft a roster, manage budgets, sign free agents, choose various match types, arena locations, production elements and more, with the goal of beating a rival GM in weekly ratings battles and culminating at WrestleMania;
  • MyFACTION: A new, single-player take on a classic team-building mode in which players collect, manage, and upgrade an array of WWE Superstars and Legends to create their ultimate four-person factions. Managers and Side Plates boost performance, while Logos, Wallpapers, and Nameplates allow for creative customization. Additional rewards can be earned in every MyFACTION sub-mode, including Weekly Towers and Faction Wars. Where exciting, limited-time rewards refresh on the first of every month. New themed card packs will also roll out frequently. Offering players a legion of current Superstars and beloved Legends to add to their collections;
  • MyRISE: Players chart their own paths to superstardom, from the humble beginnings of a Rookie at the WWE Performance Center to the challenge of becoming a Superstar, to being immortalized as a WWE Legend. With unique men’s and women’s division storylines available, players will encounter an array of WWE Superstars and Legends as they embark on the journey;
  • Universe: Offers players the ability to fully customize their WWE experiences down to the smallest details. From taking control over brands, premium live events, match results, rivalries, and more. Universe includes both the Classic and Superstar sub-modes. In Superstar Mode, players follow their chosen Superstar through matches each week. Develop rivalries, start a tag team, create a custom match, compete in a championship match, and more;
  • Creation Suite: The industry-leading creation suite returns with all new cross-platform community creations, a featured creator section that highlights players and their content, community creation upvoting, a Create a Superstar wizard for quicker creation, and more. Players can create themselves or be someone entirely different with a myriad of in-depth options to choose from.

WWE 2K22 Editions and Pre-Order Bonus

WWE 2K22 features four editions of the game: Standard Edition, Cross-Gen Digital Bundle, Deluxe Edition, and – in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the New World Order faction – nWo 4-Life Digital Edition:

  • The Standard Edition is available for $59.99 on previous-gen platforms (PlayStation® 4, Xbox One consoles and PC) and for $69.99 on current-gen consoles (PlayStation® 5 and Xbox Series X|S) in both physical and digital formats;
  • The Cross-Gen Bundle is available for $79.99 and includes the digital Standard Edition and the Starrcade ’96 Rey Mysterio Pack across previous and current-gen within the same PlayStation and Xbox consoles**;
  • The Deluxe Edition is available for $99.99 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S in both physical and digital formats, and on PC in digital format. The Deluxe Edition includes the Standard Edition plus the Undertaker Immortal Pack; a Season Pass to all five post-launch DLC content packs; the MyRISE Mega-Boost and SuperCharger packs; limited edition WWE® SuperCard content*** (included in-box for physical copies only). Players who purchase the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S edition will also receive the Starrcade ’96 Rey Mysterio Pack;
  • The nWo 4-Life Digital Edition will be available for $119.99 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Celebrating 25 years of the faction that turned the sports entertainment world on its head, in addition to the Standard Edition, and all bonus content included in the Deluxe Edition, the nWo 4-Life Edition comes with MyFACTION EVO Cards and alternate nWo attires for Hollywood Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Syxx plus a playable Eric Bischoff character, WCW Souled Out 1997 and WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 arenas, and the nWo Wolfpac Championship;
  • Pre-Order Bonuses: Players who pre-ordered the Standard Edition and Cross-Gen Digital Bundle will also receive the Undertaker Immortal Pack, which includes three additional Undertaker personas, MyFACTION EVO cards for Undertaker, plus MyFACTION Perks and Bonuses, including an Undertaker MyFACTION Logo Card, Undertaker MyFACTION Wallpaper Card, and Undertaker MyFACTION Nameplate Card****. This pack is also included in the Deluxe Edition and nWo 4-Life Edition at launch.

WWE NXT Level Up Preview 3/11/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT Level Up was taped earlier this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida and will air on Peacock and the WWE Network.

  • NXT Level Up will feature the in-ring debut of Brooklyn Barlow tonight. She will go up against Ivy Nile. WWE noted that this is a highly-anticipated debut. Real name Brooke Vawter, Brooklyn was signed at the WWE SummerSlam tryouts in Las Vegas last year. She is the third woman to debut on TV from those tryouts, following the debuts of Nikkita Lyons and Tatum Paxley. Brooklyn has been featured in several recent NXT 2.0 segments as an extra, but not named. She is a former Strongman competition competitor, and a three-time NQ NPC Bikini competition competitor
  • Trick Williams vs. Guru Raaj

WWE SmackDown Preview 3/11/2022

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Alabama as the Road to WrestleMania 38 continues.

It’s believed that new WWE Intercontinental Champion Ricochet will appear tonight for a follow-up on last week’s title win over Sami Zayn. Speaking of Zayn, he and Jackass star Johnny Knoxville have continued their WrestleMania 38 feud on Twitter this week, so it’s possible that we will see more from them on SmackDown tonight.

WWE is teasing a confrontation between Ronda Rousey and SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, but nothing has been announced. Rousey is advertised by the WWE Events website, but not announced for any segment or match.

WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is also advertised by the WWE Events website, but he has not been announced for any match or segment. Lesnar will be on the show to continue his WrestleMania 38 feud with WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Backstage Update On Cody Rhodes’ Contract Talks With WWE

WWE has reportedly been pushing to sign former AEW wrestler and EVP Cody Rhodes. Here is the latest.

The wrestling world continues to await the announcement of Cody Rhodes’ next professional wrestling chapter, but nothing appears to be imminent.

Last month, Cody and Brandi Rhodes parted ways with AEW after failing to reach agreements on new deals. Cody was an Executive Vice President in AEW, and Brandi worked as the company’s Chief Brand Officer. Both were instrumental in building up AEW as a major promotion, so their departures were massively unexpected

Many assumed that Cody would quickly strike a deal with WWE and return to the place where his pro wrestling career started. But fast forward three weeks after his AEW departure, and The American Nightmare remains a free agent.

In an update on the F4WOnline.com message board (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Dave Meltzer wrote that contract talks between Cody and AEW “hit a snag.” Meltzer reported that the 36-year-old wrestler “has multiple offers”, and that WWE would like him to make his decision “soon.”

Meltzer added that the “ball is in” Cody’s court. It should be noted that Cody isn’t under a non-compete clause of any kind, so he’s free to sign with another promotion whenever. WWE has done their part in trying to bring Rhodes aboard, and now the second-generation wrestler has to decide if he wants to sign on for a second tenure with the company.

It was previously reported that Cody was on WWE’s WrestleMania 38 internal documents, but that apparently is no longer the case. If WWE wants Cody to return before or at WrestleMania weekend on Apr. 2-3, the clock is ticking on that front.

WWE has had three weeks now to reach a deal with Cody Rhodes. Vince McMahon certainly isn’t one to go back-and-forth over a lengthy period with a specific wrestler when it comes to contract talks. WWE has made it clear how much they’d like Cody to come aboard. It’s now a simple waiting game as they await his decision.

Source: TheSportster

Stone Cold Steve Austin Accepts Kevin Owen’s WrestleMania 38 Invitation

Owens ended this week’s RAW by stating how he plans to host the biggest, most stupendous edition of The KO Show at WrestleMania 38, but because of where the event is being held this year, he knows his guest would have to be “some lowlife from Texas.”

Owens would then take shots at Texan pro wrestling legends such as WWE Hall of Famers JBL, Booker T, and Shawn Michaels, before calling out Austin. He stressed that nothing would make him happier than to beat the hell out of a specific person in his home state, give him a Stunner the world would talk about for years, and then pour a glass of milk over his lifeless body. Owens added that he doesn’t think this person has the guts to show up, before finally naming the man – Stone Cold Steve Austin.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1501047482238779396

Stone Cold Steve Austin has accepted Kevin Owens invitation to appear on the KO Show at WrestleMania 38.

Austin says:

“Nineteen years ago I wrestled my last match in a WWE ring,” Austin said. “After three Rock Bottoms, 1-2-3, I lost the match and for nineteen years I’ve had to live with that defeat, knowing my time was up. Kevin Owens, I want to thank you. I want to thank you for waking something up deep inside me that I’ve kept buried for nineteen years. Ever since you started running that damn mealy-mouth of yours, talking about the state of Texas, the great state of Texas, you got my attention, and why would you want to do that, Kevin? I can think of two reasons. One, you are one dumb son of a b—h, and two, you are fixing to get your ass kicked by ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. But if you want to call this The KO Show, a match, a fight, a brawl, whatever, I will guarantee you this – in Dallas, Texas, where I started my career, at WrestleMania, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin is going to open up one last can of whoop-ass on you, Kevin Owens, and that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.”

The Texas Rattlesnake’s promo ended with glass breaking.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1501242636543352836
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1501246558712614916

WWE NXT Roadblock Preview 3/8/22

The special WWE NXT Roadblock episode will air live tonight on the USA Network as the road to Stand & Deliver continues.

It’s also believed that the 2022 Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic will continue on tonight’s show.

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-finals (Unconfirmed)
Io Shirai and Kay Lee Ray vs. Kacy Catanzaro and Kayden Carter

Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Semi-finals (Unconfirmed)
Wendy Choo and Dakota Kai vs. Cora Jade and Raquel Gonzalez

Becky Lynch Reportedly Legitimately Injured

RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is reportedly suffering from a legitimate injury.

Lynch took to Instagram yesterday and announced that she would miss RAW due to Bianca Belair damaging her voice box during the main event of Sunday’s WWE live event in Allentown, which saw Lynch retain her title over Belair and Rhea Ripley. She posted a photo from what appeared to be a hospital room, but did not elaborate.

PWInsider reports that Lynch is legitimately hurt, and is expected to be out of action for around two weeks.

As long as Lynch is back in the expected timeframe, she will be able to make her WrestleMania 38 match with Belair, which takes place during Night One of the big event on Saturday, April 2.

While Lynch stated that she would not be at RAW, she was backstage at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland. There is no word yet on if the “fracture” of the voice box is legitimate, or just a storyline excuse for another issue.

There is no word on what led to Lynch’s injury or what the real issue is, but a correspondent at Sunday’s WWE live event in Allentown noted that Lynch seemed fine, but Ripley and Belair did work most of the match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Looking To End Its Deal With 2K And Has Already Met With EA [Report]

Three days before WWE 2K22’s full launch, the studio behind the game might not be getting another chance at redemption.

Although WWE 2K22‘s full launch isn’t until later this week, the first impressions of the new game will be coming at you thick and fast over the next few days. Not only are reviews for the game gradually going up (you can check out ours below) but those who opted for the Deluxe Edition of the game can fire it up through early access right now.

WWE 2K22 is truly a make-or-break game for the series in every sense of the word. According to Mike Straw, via Fightful Select, WWE signed a six-year deal with 2K in 2016. Providing that contract wasn’t tweaked due to the cancellation of WWE 2K21, that deal will come to an end with the launch of 2K22. Straw also reports that WWE hasn’t been waiting around to find out what fans think of the game before putting feelers out.

Apparently WWE has already had talks with EA as it looks to possibly move on from 2K. EA is arguably the leading studio in the world when it comes to annual sports titles. Responsible for games like FIFA, Madden and UFC, while 2K is firmly in second place with WWE and NBA 2K under its umbrella. That may change at some point very soon though, presumably based on how well WWE 2K22 is received.

Then again, sources who have spoken to Straw suggest the success of 2K22 will need to be massive to keep WWE interested in penning a new deal. “The gaming market is a major selling point for them, and they believe they’ve fallen behind the competition,” one source said when relaying how WWE feels about 2K’s work in recent year. Also, there’s frustration over not being given the same effort and resources as NBA 2K.

As for whether WWE 2K22 really hits different or not, it certainly does, but probably not as much as a lot of fans hoping it will. The new modes are a good foundation for the future, as are a lot of the other elements ushered in by the game such as the control setup. However, if WWE does neglect to re-sign with 2K and shacks up with EA instead, those may be foundations that are never built on.

Source: TheSportster

NXT Champion Bron Breakker Debuts On RAW

NXT Champion Bron Breakker made his RAW debut last night, teaming up with Tommaso Ciampa to take on Dolph Ziggler & Bobby Roode.

It all went down at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Monday, March 7. Breakker made his debut on the red brand alongside his NXT colleague and mentor Tommaso Ciampa during a backstage interview with Kevin Patrick. The importance of the moment was not lost on the second generation Superstar, who acknowledged that it was a dream come true.

Later on, Ciampa and Breakker joined forces to take on Dolph Ziggler and Bobby Roode, with whom they have been feuding since Dolph Ziggler gatecrashed NXT 2.0 several weeks back. The NXT Superstars defeated the main roster tag team in a little under 10 minutes, with Breakker picking up the win for his team by pinning Ziggler clean.

On the next edition of NXT 2.0, Breakker will defend his gold against Ziggler and Ciampa in a Triple Threat Match.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1501025882718281735

Breakker (real name Bronson Rechsteiner) signed with WWE in February 2021. The 6ft, 230 lb athlete is a former NFL player who was waived by the Baltimore Ravens in 2020 has now made a name for himself in sports entertainment. The 24-year-old comes from wrestling royalty, so his success in WWE was almost an inevitability. As The Steiner Brothers, his father (Rick Steiner) and uncle (Scott Steiner) were one of the most formidable tag teams of the 80s and 90s and won titles with NWA, IWGP, WCW, and WWE.