Tag: WWE

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

WWE NXT Level Up Preview 

WWE NXT Level Up will air tonight at 10pm ET on Peacock and the WWE Network, taped earlier this week at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL.

Jacket Time to take on Gacy and Harland on NXT Level Up

* James Drake vs. Xyon Quinn

* Elektra Lopez vs. Sarray

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/25/22

The post-Elimination Chamber edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live tonight from the GIANT Center in Hershey, PA.

Ronda Rousey is also scheduled to appear tonight. WWE has not announced Rousey for a match or segment, but the arena and the WWE Events website has her listed for the show, along with SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, Shinsuke Nakamura, Sasha Banks, Kofi Kingston and Big E, and more.

Cesaro Parts Ways With WWE Following Contract Expiration

Swiss Superstar Cesaro (Claudio Castagnoli) is officially a free agent.

For the fist time in 11 years, Cesaro is a free agent.

According to Mike Johnson at PW Insider, Cesaro (real name Claudio Castagnoli) has officially parted ways with WWE after the two parties failed ot come to terms on a new deal. Cesaro’s existing WWE contract has now expired, meaning he is free to work elsewhere for the first time since 2011. Per Johnson, as Cesaro’s deal expired, the 90-day non-compete clause doesn’t apply.

The 41-year-old Swiss wrestler made his pro-wrestling debut in December of the year 2000 for German promotion wXw. Castagnoli became a permanent resident of the United States after obtaining a green card in a green card lottery which enabled him to begin performing in the US for popular indie promotions including CHIKARA, Ring Of Honor, CZW, and PWG. On the indies, Castagnoli regular tagged with fellow-former WWE Superstar Chris Hero as The Kings Of Wrestling … could a reunion be on the cards?

Castagnoli signed for WWE in September 2011 and reported for duty at Florida Championship Wrestling, the company’s feeder promotion and NXT precursor. He made his main roster WWE debut in April 2012. Initially, Castagnoli was billed as a rugby player, but that gimmick was soon dropped.

As Cesaro. Castagnoli was constantly and consistently underutilized by WWE. He’s an imposing physical specimen and one of the most gifted in-ring performers to ever set foot in a WWE ring. But sadly, the powers that be were unable to see his potential and his main event opportunities were few and far between.

What The Swiss Superman does next remains to be seen, but he is now one of the hottest free agents in the industry, and it surely won’t be long until he shows up somewhere else. There are still two open spots in AEW’s Face Of The Revolution Ladder Match …

Source: TheSportster

AJ Styles Reportedly Has Agreed To A New “Big Money” Contract With WWE

AJ Styles reportedly signed a multi-million dollar contract with WWE.

It was recently reported that Styles signed a new multi-year contract with WWE. In an update, Fightful Select reports that Styles landed more than $3 million per year when all was said and done.

Styles also had some additional bus travel accommodations paid for by WWE with this new contract.

A WWE source noted that Styles “deserved every penny” and that he would “easily make that back for the company.”

Styles’ original WWE contract was set to expire in the spring/summer and would have had him hit free agency for the first time since leaving NJPW before he signed with WWE in January 2016. WWE officials expected Styles to have plenty of suitors, and word is that as was the case with some other big names in the company, WWE wanted to get AJ’s deal extended before he could even hit free agency and talk to any other promotions.

Styles is said to be very happy in WWE, and has mentioned in multiple interviews how he’d like to work for WWE when his in-ring career is over. He recently spoke with Wrestling Inc. Managing Editor Nick Hausman last month about signing a new deal with WWE.

“It was easy. I want to be here, this is the place for me,” AJ said. “If they let me I will retire here, I hope to work in WWE in some capacity when I retire. I enjoy what I do.”

Styles also talked to Hausman about what he would like to do after his in-ring career, admitting that a role similar to that of WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels would be great.

“I would love to have that opportunity. I love to see people be successful, and having a hand in that to me, it would probably be the best thing I could do in my career. But, I don’t that I’ll get that opportunity, I am just saying,” he said.

Styles has been a key part of the WWE main roster since his debut with the company six years ago at the Royal Rumble 2016 pay-per-view. Styles has done it all for WWE, shining as a main event star/WWE Champion, mid-card star and tag team performer.

The future WWE Hall of Famer had the fortunes of facing The Undertaker in the latter’s final wrestling match. They faced off in a cinematic “Boneyard” bout for Day 1 of WrestleMania 36, which The Phenom won. Styles is just one of 15 Grand Slam Champions in WWE history, and he’s also part of the promotion’s Triple Crown club (WWE, Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion).

Source: Wrestling Inc. and TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 2/22/22

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode will air live on the USA Network after two weeks on Syfy, featuring fallout from last week’s Vengeance Day special.

Released WWE Superstar Now Working On The WWE Creative Team

Former WWE Superstar Drake Maverick (James Michael Curtin) is reportedly working on the WWE creative team.

Maverick was released from his talent contract back on November 18, but WWE has re-hired him to work on the RAW creative team, according to PWInsider.

Maverick reportedly started working behind-the-scenes for the red brand 3-4 weeks ago. His 90-day non-compete clause with WWE would’ve expired on February 16.

Maverick originally signed with WWE in October 2017, and had non-wrestling and in-ring roles on WWE 205 Live, WWE NXT, and the main roster. He was then released on April 15, 2020 along with other budget cuts related to the COVID-19 pandemic, but his departure was turned into a storyline and Triple H kept him in NXT, re-hiring him under a NXT contract. He would later come back to the main roster in the 2021 WWE Draft, and hold the WWE 24/7 Title twice. He was then released on November 18 of last year.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Edge Issues WrestleMania Open Challenge: References, AJ Styles, Fin Balor And Cody Rhodes

Edge returned to WWE on Monday night for the first time since beating Miz and Maryse alongside Beth Phoenix at Royal Rumble. Unsurprising that he skipped Elimination Chamber as Edge has been fairly outspoken on how uncomfortable he feels about the Saudi shows. On Raw, Edge issued an open challenge for WrestleMania, and while the challenge wasn’t answered, there were plenty of hints as to who might step up.

Edge spoke to the camera and dropped words like phenomenal and demon, hints that the person to step up to his challenge might be AJ Styles, or Finn Balor. However, the hint that stood out above the others was the mention of undeniable, and smoke and mirrors, very deliberate references to Rhodes. If the former AEW star really is coming back to WWE, a WrestleMania match against The Rated R Superstar certainly sounds like the sort of thing that would have tempted him to sign.

Will The American Nightmare be the one to answer the call?

The Rhodes saga has been fascinating thus far, and whether he really is re-signing with WWE or not, the company is certainly having fun with it. To the point that it seems he will almost definitely show up some time otherwise there wouldn’t be so many overt references to him. Like Rhodes or not, if and when he does show up, it will be a huge moment.

Source: TheSportster