Tag: WWE

WWE NXT Preview 9/7/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be another taped show, the final before next week’s live show that is set to be a reset for the brand.

Mick Foley Says WWE Has A Problem In AEW

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley took to Facebook this morning and issued a video warning to WWE following the AEW All Out debuts of Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson and Ruby Soho.

Foley titled his video, “WWE – WE’VE GOT A PROBLEM.” You can read his full comments and watch the video below:

“Hello, this is ‘The Hardcore Legend’ Mick Foley. I’d like to title this video, ‘WWE – We’ve Got a Problem’ because I think you do and that problem is that WWE is no longer the place for talent to aspire to,” Foley began. “Part of it is because AEW is doing a great job of attracting great talent, proven talent, building other talent, creating storylines, but part of it is a problem of your own making. I think younger talent sees the way that developmental characters are cut or left by the wayside, or in the case of Karrion Kross, greatly watered down and even made a joke of when they debut on the main roster. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

“If I was an aspiring talent now, big league talent with a major decision to make, I’m not sure that I would trust WWE creative to do the right thing with my career. You guys did wonders with me back in the day… that was a different time, different place. If it was today, I’m not sure I would trust the powers to be with my career in their hands, and until that changes, WWE – you’ve got a problem.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 9/6/21

WWE has announced a loaded line-up for tonight’s Labor Day edition of RAW from the FTX Arena in Miami.

* Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre with the winner facing WWE United States Champion Damian Priest at Extreme Rules

* WWE 24/7 Champion Reggie to defend against Akira Tozawa

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

* Tag Team Turmoil to determine new #1 contenders to RAW Tag Team Champions Riddle and Randy Orton with 7 teams – AJ Styles and Omos, The Viking Raiders, Lucha House Party, Jinder Mahal and Veer, T-BAR and MACE, Mustafa Ali and Mansoor, The New Day

* RAW Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair to defend against Nia Jax

WWE SmackDown Preview 9/3/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

WWE has just one match advertised for tonight and that’s Finn Balor vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns with the title on the line.

It’s interesting to note that the WWE website has Sasha Banks advertised for tonight’s show. She has been away from the ring since missing the WWE live events the week before SummerSlam. It wast reported at one point that she was not expected back this week, but was hopeful for next week’s Super SmackDown taping from Madison Square Garden.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Updates On The Rock’s WWE Future

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is reportedly not being considered for a match at WrestleMania 38 from AT&T Stadium in Dallas next year.

It’s been reported that WWE has had plans for The Rock to wrestle at WrestleMania 38, likely in a match against WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, or a tag team match with SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos, where Reigns would team with one of the brothers, and Rock with the other.

In an update, Ringside News recently reported that The Rock is not being considered for a WrestleMania 38 role because they already have something else in mind for him – WrestleMania 39 in 2023 from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Rock is said to be a “virtual lock” for when WrestleMania returns to the Hollywood/Los Angeles area in 2023.

With Rock vs. Reigns likely for 2023, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter points to Brock Lesnar vs. Reigns being likely for WrestleMania 38 in 2022. The Observer noted this week that the Rock vs. Reigns match will take place if, when and where Rock wants it to, and that his schedule is so busy that there is no lock for anything. It was also noted that with Rock vs. Reigns being the idea for 2023, that likely means Lesnar vs. Reigns will be the top match for next year.

If WWE saves Lesnar vs. Reigns for WrestleMania in 2022, it will be interesting to see what they have Lesnar do in the next few months. Lesnar has reportedly signed a new deal that includes between 8 and 12 matches, which would carry him through early 2023 some time.

Recent reports have said WWE wants Rock to appear at the 2021 Survivor Series pay-per-view in New York City, to celebrate 25 years since his WWE debut. It’s always possible that The Rock returns to WWE TV before 2023, but he is considered to be almost a done deal for WrestleMania 39.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Vince McMahon & Bruce Prichard To Take Over Production Of NXT

It’s being rumored that Vince McMahon and Bruce Prichard will be taking charge of NXT production soon. The show admittedly needs a bit of sprucing up and it appears a full rebrand is on the way, with a logo change already placed on exhibit.

However, according to Bryan Alvarez of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, people at WWE are telling him that the new NXT will be produced by McMahon and Prichard.

“Like anything, anything can change, anything is possible but I talked a while ago about how we’re gonna have a new NXT. It’s gonna be like the old NXT. I have heard from several people now that when they go back to live shows, this is going to be a Vince McMahon-Bruce Prichard production,” Alvarez was quoted as saying by WrestlingNews.co.

It was previously reported that the show is set to undergo a full overhaul. The new logo gives credence on that front and there’s also some new music from artist Wale. When the show goes live on September 14, in two weeks’ time, fans will be treated to a new WWE Performance Center, with the lighting and colors all different. This is understood to be a result of McMahon’s insistence on moving away from the dark theme. It’s also being reported that there will be talent changes too, with the company now poised to hire younger talent and fewer indie wrestlers.

Per Alvarez, people have been speculating for years with claims McMahon had influence on the show but that was never the case, as it will be moving forward.

In regards to possible changes for the NXT roster, Meltzer noted that there is a chopping block involving names that have been in NXT for a long time. It was reported last month that NXT would focus more on younger and taller wrestlers with a focus more on developmental.

In an update, @Wrestlevotes reports that their sources say the day-to-day operation of NXT won’t be changing drastically, and that it’s still very much in the hands of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Matt Bloom and others.

It was also noted that the look of the weekly NXT TV produce will have a “Vince & Co.” stamp on it.

The news of McMahon and Prichard producing the weekly NXT show led to “#RIPNXT” trending worldwide on Twitter over the last 24 hours.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1431419478609379337

Sources: TheSportster and Wrestling Inc.

Tommaso Ciampa Says NXT’s Imminent Revamp Is ‘Exciting’

Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is ready to say goodbye to the black and gold by embracing the upcoming changes to WWE’s developmental brand.

Former NXT Champion Tommaso Ciampa is looking forward to the upcoming changes to WWE’s developmental brand and thinks the whole thing is ‘exciting’.

Ciampa was chatting to Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp when he revealed that he’s looking forward to seeing what the revamped NXT looks like.

“It’s exciting, man,” Ciampa said. “Change sometimes is for the best, and I don’t know, everyone’s been kind of keeping a tight lid on it, so I really just don’t know what to expect,” he added. The NXT stalwart then provided some details regarding when fans can expect to see the changes take effect. “I think the first live show is gonna be the 14th, I believe, if I’m not incorrect, with whatever this new look and image is,” he revealed.

Ciampa confessed that while he and his colleagues are excited, they’re not necessarily expecting the changes to be too drastic at first because the roster will be the same.

“The overall feeling seems to just be excitement, you know, it’s new, it’s different, it’s fresh. And at the same time, it’s the same. Because NXT is NXT, man, and it’s the same roster, same group of guys and girls in the back, they’re just gonna go out there and give their best,” he said. “It’s the same people behind the scenes, so it’s like, I don’t know. It’s hard to say right now, if it’s just a new paint job or what it is, but it’s exciting at the very least.”

As we previously reported, WWE’s president Nick Khan recently confirmed that revamp of WWE’s developmental system was imminent. Last Friday, the new logo and theme song for the revamped NXT were revealed by rapper Wale on social media.

Source: TheSportster

Unexpected Raw Changes A Result Of Vince McMahon Losing Cool Backstage [Rumor]

The somewhat unique episode of Raw, one that didn’t feature most of the advertised matches, was rumored to be a result of Vince McMahon flipping out.

According to PWInsider.com, the reason Monday Night Raw seemed like a bit of an odd show was because it was writter, re-written and the re-written again. A three-hour program that featured a lot of talents fans haven’t seen in a while, but also wins by unexpected talents and what appeared to be a shoot fight during the Nia Jax and Charlotte match was just the start of a show that felt different from many of the Raw’s that preceded it.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider writes, “Yesterday was one of the ‘longest’ days in a long time for the WWE Creative team, according to several sources who reached out to PWInsider.com today.” They add that McMahon was extremely unhappy with the original plans for the show, “ripped up the script” several times and even tossed out the initial rewrite. They note that in that rewrite, some of the ideas were actually pretty good but Vince ditched most of them, before finally writing the show himself. They add, “Until 6 PM EST, there was no official direction or plan for the episode” and added, “One source who went through the process described it as “the loudest and angriest” they’d ever seen McMahon on a show day.”

Reports like this should be taken with a bit of skepticsim. At the same time, it was clear Monday’s Raw was unique. It’s fair to assume there were last-minute changes and that either stars weren’t available or Vince just decided to scrap everything the company had promoted the week prior, including two advertised matches.

While the idea that Vince has all these writers and doesn’t listen to any of them is troubling, but also that the talent likely had little idea what was expected of them prior to going out and performing isn’t wonderful news. That said, the show was rather interesting and at times, quite entertaining.

Sure, some of that might have been akin to watching a car crash live, but good portions of the show were well done.

Source: TheSportster

WWE NXT Preview 8/31/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be a taped show, filmed last week from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

WWE Unveils Six New Performance Center Recruits, Including Rikishi’s Son Joseph Fatu

WWE has unveiled its most recent batch of Performance Center recruits — including Rikishi’s son Joseph Fatu!

WWE has officially revealed its six most recent developmental recruits, and it’s certainly an interesting bunch of prospects!

Here’s who’s been signed, and what you need to know about them

  • Joseph Fatu is the son of WWE Hall Of Fame Rikishi, his brothers are current WWE Superstars Jimmy and Jey Uso
  • Ben Buchanan is a former amateur wrestler whose father Bull Buchanon is a former WWE Tag Team Champion
  • Bobby Steveson is a former University Of Minnesota wrestler whose brother Gable just won an Olympic gold medal
  • Brady Booker is a 21-year-old former college linebacker
  • Joshua Dawkins is a 23-year-old hopeful who was trained by WWE Hall Of Famer D-Von Dudley
  • Jessica Woynilko is a 21-year-old gymnast/bodybuilder/CrossFit queen who was trained by the legendary Greg Gagne

This is the first batch of recruits to be signed since it was revealed that WWE was changing its recruitment strategy by hiring younger, physically imposing hopefuls and fewer experienced independent wrestlers.

As we previously reported, WWE’s president Nick Khan recently confirmed that revamp of WWE’s developmental system was imminent.

“We’re doing a complete revamp on NXT, led by Triple H, who is really one of the architects of the original NXT,” Khan said during a recent interview with BT Sport’s Ariel Helwani. “In terms of an NXT rebrand, look for it. In the next couple of weeks, it’s going to have a whole new look, a whole new feel, and we believe because a lot of the ‘Indie wrestlers,’ if you will, have come through our system and are in our system with SmackDown and Raw, we don’t want to just keep doing that same thing,” he continued. “We want to look elsewhere for great young talent.”

Most of the new recruits have very little — if any — experience on the independent scene, and they’re all impressive physical specimens, which lends credence to recent reports that the company is no longer interested in shorter talent. By signing youngsters with little-to-no experience, WWE will be able to claim full credit for the end results.

Source: The Sportster