Gran Metalik Has Reportedly Requested His Release From WWE

Lucha House Party’s Gran Metalik has reportedly asked to be released by WWE.

Gran Metalik has reportedly asked for his release from his current WWE contract following five years with the company.

WWE has always had something of a revolving door when it comes to wrestlers coming and going. However, the going part has been taken to the extreme in 2021. More than 50 people have been let go, whether that was through former Superstars asking to leave or WWE cutting their contracts due to budget cuts. Now it seems another name might soon be added to that list.

According to Mas Lucha, Gran Metalik has asked to be let go from his current deal which runs until the end of 2022. The site claims sources close to the former 24/7 Champion have cited a lack of opportunities in WWE as the reason for requesting his release. Metalik has been with WWE since he debuted in the Cruiserweight Classic in 2016.

It was evident during the tournament that WWE saw something special in Metalik. The luchador made it all the way to the final, losing that match to TJP but beating Tajiri, Akira Tozawa, and Zack Sabre Jr. on the way there. Metalik has performed on pretty much all of WWE’s shows since then, apart from NXT UK, and has been a part of Lucha House Party for most of that run.

LHP’s numbers were reduced from three to two earlier this year when Kalisto was wished well in his future endeavors. Metalik has continued to team with Lince Dorado on Raw since then, wrestling on a pretty regular basis. However, the team has rarely felt like its matches are actually leading anywhere and hasn’t won a match since the beginning of July.

WWE went through a period of denying wrestlers their release when requested, around the same time that AEW officially formed and was building its roster. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore as Andrade and Ric Flair were both allowed to leave when they asked to be let go. It may well depend on what WWE has planned for Metalik and LHP, but judging by what it has used the star for so far, it probably doesn’t have much for him on the horizon.

Source: The Sportster

Triple H Issues First Statement Since Heart Surgery

WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul “Triple H” Levesque took to Twitter this evening with his first public comments since his recent heart surgery.

As we’ve noted, WWE announced back on September 8 that Triple H underwent successful heart surgery the week before at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. It was stated that the operation was needed after Triple H suffered a cardiac event, caused by a genetic heart issue. WWE’s statement noted how Triple H is expected to make a full recovery.

In an update, Triple H tweeted this evening and said he’s doing well in his recovery. He also commented on being grateful for the support from WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, and everyone else at NXT.

“I’ve been blown away by the outreach and support from so many people. I’m recovering, doing well, & deeply grateful for all the love in my life. Especially grateful for @ShawnMichaels & all the Superstars & crew @WWENXT! (Steph and the girls loved the snacks!) See you soon [folded hands emoji] [red heart emoji],” he wrote.

There is no word on when Triple H will return to work, but we will keep you updated. It was reported on September 17 that Triple H was in good enough shape that he’d been taking phone calls. WWE talents were told that they can call and wish him well, but that they were not to talk about any WWE business with him. Triple H did miss last week’s NXT 2.0 revamp episode.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 9/21/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT 2.0 episode on the USA Network will feature fallout from last week’s revamp episode.

The only match announced for tonight’s show is NXT Cruiserweight Champion Kushida defending against Roderick Strong.

It’s expected that new NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa will appear tonight, possibly for a follow-up to the face-off with Bron Breakker. There should also be a follow-up to the wedding of Indi Hartwell and Dexter Lumis.

It will be interesting to see if last week’s pulled NXT Women’s Title match Raquel Gonzalez vs. Franky Monet will take place tonight.

Ric Flair Issues Statement In Wake Of Resurfaced Sexual Assault Allegations

Ric Flair has released a statement of denial days after sexual assault allegations against him resurfaced.

Ric Flair has responded to the resurfaced allegations of sexual assault made against him during the most recent episode of Vice’s Dark Side Of The Ring series

The latest Dark Side Of The Ring installment covered the infamous “Plane Ride from Hell” incident which occurred over the Atlantic Ocean in 2002 while a number of WWE personnel were returning to the United States from the United Kingdom. During the episode, flight attendant Heidi Doyle alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Flair, who was exposing himself while walking up and down the aisle wearing a robe and nothing else.

Doyle says her shift went from bad to worse when Flair showed up in the galley, robe still open, and pushed her up against a door. “He had me up against the back door, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get away from him,” the flight attendant said. Doyle and another attendant who worked on the flight took legal action against WWE in the aftermath of the incidents, but the lawsuits were settled out of court.

Flair took to social media to refute the allegations.

Every person that I’ve worked with, from my lawyer to my publicist to my wife has said not to post a response; but I’ve never run from past behaviors before and I’m not going to start now.

I want to clarify a few things:

About four years ago, I gave ESPN full access to my life for a “30 for 30″ special. They covered taxes, financial issues, adultery, divorces, the passing of my child and drinking/partying AT LENGTH.”

Rory Kampf, desperate to matter for another 15 minutes, did an interview about it this morning. When Rory’s lips are moving, he’s typically lying, but one part of what he said was the God’s honest truth:

“I’d never heard that he had forced someone to touch his genitals,” Karpf admitted. “Everything with Ric that was construed as negative I tried to address in the 30 for 30. His drinking, his philandering, his adultery, his money problems, there’s quite a bit, but never, at least in the people that I spoke to, no one ever brought up that he would force himself on somebody.”

I allowed my personal life and the lives of my wife and children to be turned upside down for one reason: Whether it’s good or bad, even the really bad, the truth has to matter. Even in wrestling.

My issues have been well documented over my 40+ year career. The impact of drinking too much (which nearly killed me 5 years ago) has been told time and time and time again. The reason Rory (or anyone else for that matter) never heard stories of me forcing myself on ANYONE is simple: it never happened

Flair issued a follow up statement:

To clarify, the “helicopter” as it was called, is accurate. I wish I could blame it on youth, but it was a case of drinking too much and being inappropriate and I apologize for that (and have countless times over the years).

I made some bad decisions during dark periods in my life, and it is something I’ve spent a significant part of years I was given by the doctors in 2017 trying to make right.

I condemn sexual assault in any way, shape or form. I could (and have) written books (as have others) that have covered my transgressions. I’ve made some terrible decisions, but I’ve never forced myself on anyone in any way. Period.

In the aftermath of the episode’s airing, Flair’s Car Shield advertisement campaign was paused, and WWE removed from its streaming platforms an episode of its Story Time show in which Flair flashing flight attends is made light of.

Source: TheSportster

WWE Could Make Major Change To Brand Split Rules Following Raw

According to a report, strong ratings for this week’s episode of WWE Raw could lead to a brand split rule change.

SmackDown superstars The Usos and Universal Champion Roman Reigns appeared on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw as WWE looks to fix the ratings problem for its flagship program.

AEW Dynamite defeated Monday Night Raw in the key 18-49 demographic for the second straight week. AEW’s first victory two weeks ago over Raw reportedly prompted WWE to move the planned Randy Orton-Bobby Lashley WWE Championship match at Extreme Rules to last week’s show.

Lashley retained the title, but Big E successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to become the new champion. With the victory, Big E moved from the SmackDown roster over to Raw, which reunited him with longtime New Day allies Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods.

WrestleVotes reported Monday that if this week’s episode of Raw garners higher ratings than usual, it “would open the box to showcasing main superstars on both brands”

WWE ran a concept like this two years ago. For the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, Vince McMahon included a “Wild Card Rule” which allowed four wrestlers from either brand to appear on the other show each week. The rule only lasted a short time as WWE ran a draft in October following SmackDown‘s move over to FOX on Friday nights.

The 2021 WWE Draft is scheduled to run on Oct. 1 and Oct. 4. This marks a prime opportunity for WWE to shake up the roster and rebuild Raw, which has seen a noticeable and concerning decline in viewership. And it’s not about to get any easier now that Raw has to compete with ESPN’s NFL Monday Night Football program until Jan. 3.

WWE is at a point where they have to be open to just about anything. AEW has gained significant momentum in the competition, and Raw is in massive need of more changes. If Reigns’ appearance delivers strong numbers for WWE’s flagship program, why not try out the idea of showcasing main event stars on both brands again? WWE would have nothing to lose here, especially if top stars like Reigns, Becky Lynch, Bianca Belair, Seth Rollins and Edge remain on the SmackDown brand following the Draft.

Source: TheSportster

WWE RAW Preview 9/20/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina with the go-home build for Extreme Rules.

* The red brand go-home build for Extreme Rules

* The New Day hosts a Championship Celebration for WWE Champion Big E

* The Bloodline (WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos) vs. The New Day (WWE Champion Big E, Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods)

* WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Natalya and Tamina Snuka defend against Nikki A.S.H. and Rhea Ripley

* Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus. If Hardy wins, he will be added to Sheamus vs. WWE United States Champion Damian Priest at Extreme Rules to make it a Triple Threat

* RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair appears on Alexa’s Playground with Alexa Bliss and Lilly

* Nia Jax vs. Shayna Baszler

Sexual Assault Allegations Against Ric Flair Resurface In Latest Dark Side Of The Ring

An attendant on WWE’s Plane Ride From Hell recounted sexual assault allegations she made against Ric Flair on the flight.

A flight attendant on the Plane Ride From Hell recounted the allegations of sexual assault she made against Ric Flair on Dark Side of the Ring.

Dark Side of the Ring returned for the second half of season three this week. The series restarted with perhaps the most in-depth look at the infamous Plane Ride From Hell ever put together. Bits and pieces of what happened have been told over the years, but no one has ever put the whole thing together like this. Not to mention the accounts from wrestlers who were on the aircraft.

Perhaps the most interesting retelling came from Heidi Doyle, a flight attendant on the plane for that trip. Doyle had a torrid time on the flight, even alleging that she was sexually assaulted by Ric Flair at one point. Flair was walking up and down the plane in nothing but a robe. The Hall of Famer had the robe open, exposing himself to everyone else on the flight.

While his peers had come to expect that kind of behavior, as is made clear by Tommy Dreamer, Doyle was understandably pretty shocked. The attendant claims her flight went from bad to worse when Flair showed up in the galley, robe still open, and pushed her up against a door. “He had me up against the back door, and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t get away from him,” Doyle said.

“He was spinning around his penis and he wanted me to touch it. He took my hand and put it on him.” Flair pre-empted the premiere of the episode by touching upon what might come up during an episode of Oral Sessions recently. “We’ll see how it plays out because I was there and I don’t care whose name I gotta drop if the heat falls on me,” Flair said to Renee Paquette.

Flair has denied these allegations before in the past, as was highlighted on the show even though he wasn’t a part of it. Doyle and another attendant on the flight took legal action against WWE for what happened. Both lawsuits were settled out of court. Flair told Paquette he would be on her podcast again after the episode airs to respond to whatever has been said, so be on the lookout for that and his retort.

Source: TheSportster

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/17/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee with more build to Extreme Rules.

News On How Triple H Is Doing After Heart Surgery, What WWE Talents Were Reportedly Told

WWE Executive Vice President of Global Talent Strategy & Development Paul “Triple H” Levesque is reportedly doing well after his recent heart surgery.

As noted, WWE announced back on September 8 that Triple H underwent successful heart surgery the week before at Yale New Haven Hospital in New Haven, CT. WWE noted that the operation was needed after Triple H suffered a cardiac event, which was caused by a genetic heart issue. WWE also said Triple H was expected to make a full recovery.

In an update, word is that everything remains quiet regarding Triple H’s condition, but he’s in good enough shape that he’s taking phone calls, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

WWE talents have been told that they can call Triple H and wish him well, but that they are not to talk about any WWE business with him.

Triple H missed this week’s WWE NXT 2.0 reset taping, and there’s no word yet on when he will be back to work full-time.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Roman Reigns Set For WWE Crown Jewel

Brock Lesnar vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has been announced for the 2021 Crown Jewel event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

WWE just announced Lesnar vs. Reigns for their return to Crown Jewel on Thursday, October 21. Paul Heyman is advertised to be in Reigns’ corner.

The WWE Universal Title will be on the line for Lesnar vs. Reigns if Reigns retains over “The Demon” Finn Balor at WWE Extreme Rules on September 26. Regardless of what happens at Extreme Rules, Lesnar vs. Reigns will still happen in Saudi Arabia.

WWE has also announced that Crown Jewel will air at 1pm ET on October 21. The event will air live via Peacock and the WWE Network.

WWE Crown Jewel will reportedly feature the finals of the 2021 King of the Ring tournament and the finals of the first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament, but that has not been announced as of this writing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.