Tonight’s WWE RAW will air live from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
Tag: WWE
Vader Announced For The WWE Hall Of Fame
Big Van Vader (Leon Allen White) is finally going into the WWE Hall of Fame.
WWE announced today that Vader will be posthumously inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022 during WrestleMania 38 Weekend.
The former World Heavyweight Champion passed away on June 18, 2018 at the age of 63.
WWE previously announced The Undertaker as the headliner for the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame Class. He will be inducted by WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.
The 2022 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Friday, April 1 from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The event will air live on Peacock and the WWE Network, after the WrestleMania 38 go-home edition of SmackDown goes off the air that night.
WWE NXT Level Up Preview 3/4/22
WWE NXT Level Up will air tonight at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network. The episode was taped earlier this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
- Enofé and Blade primed for collision with Legado del Fantasma on NXT Level Up
- Tiffany Stratton vs. Erica Yan
- Dante Chen vs. Javier Bernal
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.
- Ronda Rousey competes on SmackDown for the first-time against Sonya Deville
- Sami Zayn set to defend Intercontinental Title against Ricochet
- The Viking Raiders look for Elimination Chamber payback in Tag Team Title Match
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.
- Pete Dunne and Carmelo Hayes throw down for the North American Title
- Bron Breakker & Tommaso Ciampa join forces for fight with The Dirty Dawgs – kicking off NXT 2.0 Tuesday Night
- Solo Sikoa looks to smack the taste out of Gunther’s mouth
- Von Wagner will answer Andre Chase’s open challenge
- Harland and Draco Anthony to resolve their conflict in the ring
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.
- Finn Bálor set to challenge Damian Priest for United States Title
- Edge addresses his WrestleMania future
- * RK-Bro, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, and RAW Tag Team Champions Alpha Academy prepare for their Triple Threat title match the following week
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.
