Tag: WWE

WWE Is Considering Moving Royal Rumble For The First Time In Its History

WWE is reportedly considering having 2022’s Royal Rumble in February for the first time in the event’s 34-year history, according to a new report from Fightful (via Cultaholic).

The report states that there have been internal discussions about moving the event to February. There could be a number of reasons for doing so. Perhaps most notably the reports that WWE will be holding a PPV on New Year’s Day in 2022 is the biggest factor. Moving the Rumble would prevent there from being two major shows in the same month.

If WWE does move forward with its plan to have the Rumble in February, it will be the first time the PPV has taken place outside of January in its history. The Royal Rumble has been a staple of the WWE calendar ever since it was first introduced in 1988. The latest it has ever taken place in the past is January 31 in 2010 and again this past January.

As for where exactly next year’s Royal Rumble will go down, that is yet to be announced. However, the same report from Fightful detailing the potential change in month also states that St. Louis, Missouri is the frontrunner right now. That has reportedly been the favored destination of WWE officials for a while with Seattle also being considered.

Royal Rumble is one of the biggest events of the year. The one that marks the start of the road to WrestleMania as the two Rumble winners book their spots in respective title matches. While moving the Rumble closer to WrestleMania would mean overloading that part of the year somewhat, it would also reduce the chance of the Rumble winners getting stale before they get to their title matches. It has already been confirmed that WrestleMania 38 will take place on April 3, 2022, in Dallas, Texas.

Source: TheSportster

WWE RAW Preview 8/16/21

The SummerSlam go-home edition of WWE RAW will take place tonight from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas with the final red brand build for Saturday’s big event.

* Randy Orton vs. RAW Tag Team Champion Omos

* Drew McIntyre vs. Veer and Shanky in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match

* WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg has been announced for tonight’s show for a final face-off with WWE Champion Bill Goldberg.

WWE Announces Survivor Series Location And More Upcoming Events

WWE has officially announced the 2021 Survivor Series pay-per-view for Sunday, November 21 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City.

WWE will run the same venue the next night for the post-Survivor Series edition of RAW.

It was also announced today that will debut at the new UBS Arena in Long Island, NY on November 29 for RAW. Furthermore, the December pay-per-view event, likely to be TLC, was announced for December 12 from the Allstate Arena in Chicago. WWE also announced the New Year’s Eve edition of SmackDown from the Spectrum Center in Chicago.

WWE announced more than 30 new live events today. Tickets for the events scheduled through October 22 will go on sale this Friday, August 20 at 10am ET via Ticketmaster. Additional tour stops and ticket on-sale dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Below is the updated schedule of confirmed dates for 2021:

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED:

* Monday, August 16: RAW from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX

* Friday, August 20: SmackDown from the Phoenix Suns Arena in Phoenix, AZ

* Saturday, August 21: SummerSlam from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, NV

* Sunday, August 22: Supershow from the Ball Arena in Denver, CO

* Monday, August 23: RAW from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, CA

* Friday, August 27: SmackDown from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, AR

* Monday, August 30: RAW from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

* Friday, September 3: SmackDown from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, FL

* Monday, September 6: RAW from the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL

* Friday, September 10: SmackDown from Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY

* Saturday, September 11: Supershow from the Capital One Arena in Washington DC

* Sunday, September 12: Supershow from the Times Union Center in Albany, NY

* Monday, September 13: RAW from the TD Garden in Boston, MA

* Friday, September 17: SmackDown from the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, GA

* Saturday, September 18: WWE Live from the North Charleston Coliseum in North Charleston, SC

* Sunday, September 19: WWE Live from the James Brown Arena in Augusta, GA

* Monday, September 20: RAW from the PNC Arena in Raleigh, NC

* Friday, September 24: SmackDown from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA

* Saturday, September 25: Supershow from the Giant Center in Hershey, PA

* Sunday, September 26: Extreme Rules from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH

* Monday, September 27: RAW from the Heritage Bank Center in Cincinnati, OH

ANNOUNCED TODAY:

* Friday, October 1: SmackDown from the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans

* Saturday, October 2: Supershow from the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico

* Sunday, October 3: Supershow from the Rupp Arena in Lexington, KY

* Monday, October 4: RAW from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN

* Friday, October 15: SmackDown from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, CA

* Saturday, October 16: Supershow from the Rio Rancho Events Center in Rio Rancho, NM

* Sunday, October 17: Supershow from the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, TX

* Monday, October 18: RAW from the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, CA

* Friday, October 22: SmackDown from the INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita, KS

* Monday, October 25: RAW from the Toyota Center in Houston

* Friday, October 29: SmackDown from the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, PA

* Monday, November 1: RAW from the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, RI

* Monday, November 8: RAW from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, KY

* Friday, November 12: SmackDown from the Scope Arena in Norfolk, VA

* Monday, November 15: RAW from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in IN

* Friday, November 19: SmackDown from the XL Center in Hartford, CT

* Saturday, November 20: Supershow from the War Memorial Arena in Syracuse, NY

* Sunday, November 21: Survivor Series from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

* Monday, November 22: RAW from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

* Saturday, November 27: Supershow from the Berglund Center Coliseum in Roanoke, VA

* Sunday, November 28: Supershow from the Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, W. VA

* Monday, November 29: RAW from the Brand New UBS Arena at Belmont Park (Long Island, NY)

* Saturday, December 4: Supershow from the Bert Ogden Arena in Edinburg, TX

* Sunday, December 5: Supershow from the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX

* Monday, December 6: RAW from the FedExForum in Memphis, TN

* Friday, December 10: SmackDown from the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland

* Saturday, December 11: SuperShow from the Dow Events Center in Saginaw, MI

* Sunday, December 12: WWE PPV from the Allstate Arena in Chicago

* Monday, December 13: RAW from the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI

* Friday, December 17: SmackDown from the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN

* Saturday, December 18: Supershow from the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, IL

* Sunday, December 19: Supershow from the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, IA

* Friday, December 31: SmackDown from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

Source: Wrestling Inc.

NXT Reportedly Returning To Taping Shows In Advance

NXT is returning to taping shows in advance starting after next week’s TakeOver 36 event, according to Bryan Alvarez.

Shows will be taped on Monday, August 23, and Tuesday, August 24.

The Wrestling Observer Live host tweeted, “It appears NXT is returning to taping shows in advance starting next Monday and Tuesday nights.”

He later added, “NXT taping schedule may be temporary, but for sure they’re taping several episodes after Takeover.”

There is a behind-the-scenes power struggle with the WWE NXT brand. Triple H wasn’t even aware of the recent NXT cuts until John Laurinaitis started making the release phone calls to the various talents.

https://twitter.com/bryanalvarez/status/1427041026070380545
https://twitter.com/bryanalvarez/status/1427045498364469249

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 8/13/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will take place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma with more build for the upcoming SummerSlam event.

Keith Lee Finally Explains His Lengthy Absence From WWE

Keith Lee has finally opened up on the reasons behind his lengthy absence from WWE in a video posted to his YouTube channel. The former NXT Champion took to the platform on Thursday to reveal he contracted COVID-19 and was also diagnosed with heart inflammation earlier this year.

The superstar disappeared from television right before the Royal Rumble in January. he returned to Raw briefly in early February but then would take another leave of absence in the middle of the month and didn’t show up again until mid-July.

Lee posted a number of cryptic tweets while he remained out but did assure fans he would deliver an explanation at some point. That explanation is finally here.

The 36-year-old noted having missed three weeks of WWE programming after testing positive for the coronavirus in January. After wrestling in February, he got a call telling him something was off with his bloodwork as his heart was inflamed. The condition made it so that he could not do much physical activity.

Lee beat Sheamus in a singles match during the January 11 episode of Raw, going off TV for three weeks before defeating Riddle on February 8.

He was booked to face Bobby Lashley for the United States Title at Elimination Chamber nearing the end of February but was taken off the card on the same day. WWE announced the former NXT star was in recovery after getting assaulted by Lashley and John Morrison would triumph in a Fatal Four-Way during the preshow to become his replacement vs. Bobby.

Lee returned five months later, responding to Lashley’s challenge for a championship contenders match before losing. He went on to fight current NXT champ, Karrion Kross, at the end of July and the beginning of August.

https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1425879913702170624

Source: TheSportster

Johnny Gargano And Candice LeRae Are Expecting A Baby

Johnny Gargano has revealed on Twitter that he and Candice LeRae are expecting their first baby.

The tweet comes complete with a couple of photos. One with what appears to be a baby pair of wrestling boots, and another of Gargano holding some scan photos along with LeRae and their dog. The first photo also includes the baby’s due date. February 2022, which means LeRae is currently about three months pregnant. That explains why LeRae hasn’t wrestled much for the past few months.

https://twitter.com/JohnnyGargano/status/1425818199673683968

WWE NXT Preview 8/10/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live on the USA Network after two weeks of taped shows airing on Syfy due to coverage of the Tokyo Olympics on USA.

NXT will feature more build for the upcoming Takeover 36.

* Sarray vs. Ember Moon

* Adam Cole and Kyle O’Reilly meet for a “Face to Face” segment mediated by NXT General Manager William Regal

* NXT Women’s Champion Raquel Gonzalez addresses Dakota Kai and their Takeover 36 match

* NXT UK Superstar Ilja Dragunov appears

WWE Teases Elias Character Is No More During Monday Night Raw

WWE aired a vignette where Elias threw his guitar in a fire and said WWE no longer stands for Walk With Elias. He said, “Elias is dead.”

During the last hour of Monday’s Raw, a vignette of Elias was shown where the Drifter and apparently former musician destroyed his guitar and claimed that “Elias is dead.”

A character who was among the more popular in the company when things were going well and he was fresh and new, creative seemed to miss an opportunity with Elias to really capitalize on how big a heel he was and how big a babyface character he could be. They chose to try and make his gimmick a parody of itself and team him with partners that didn’t necessarily accentuate his unique skills. His popularity faded and he became a bit of a mid-card jobber.

It appears WWE is going to try and reinvent the Elias character if the video shown during Raw is any indication.

It featured Elias standing over a bonfire he likely started himself and looked at his guitar. After a dramatic pause, he threw the guitar in the fire and said, “WWE used to stand for Walk With Elias.” He then added as he walked away, “Elias is dead.”

If WWE is going to change up his gimmick, it’s not clear which direction they’re going to go with the character. No indications were given in the video itself. The only hint was that the announcers for Raw acted shocked and asked out loud what it meant. That seems to hint that a storyline might present itself that Elias could explain why he’s going a different direction in the future.

Source: TheSportster

[Reports] More WWE Releases Are Expected To Take Place Soon

15 WWE talents were recently released over a six-day span. According to multiple reports, more releases are expected to follow.

More WWE releases are reportedly on the horizon.

On July 31, the company announced the stunning release of Bray Wyatt. Two days later, Hall of Famer Ric Flair was let go from his legends contract at his request. And last week, WWE released NXT talents Bobby Fish, Mercedes Martinez, Bronson Reed, Leon Ruff, Jake Atlas, Stephon Smith, Kona Reeves, Giant Zanjeer, Zechariah Smith, Asher Hale, Tyler Rust, Desmond Troy and Ari Sterling.

Multiple reports suggest that more releases will soon follow.

Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer discussed the releases on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingNews.co). Meltzer said “I doubt it that’s it. Everyone is kind of talking like that’s not gonna be it.”

Citing a WWE source, Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com) reported that company releases will happen regularly going forward.

WWE began a long series of releases in April of last year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Dozens of talents and several staffers (producers, on-air personalities and longtime referee Mike Chioda) were let go from their contracts. More cuts took place in April; WWE wound up bringing back Samoa Joe two months after releasing him from his old contract.

On June 2, WWE announced the releases of Aleister Black (now Malakai Black in AEW), Lana, Murphy, Santana Garrett, Ruby Riott and Braun Strowman. It has been reported that the company may have interest in bringing back The Monster Among Men.

Before WWE began the massive releases last spring, Vince McMahon and company officials were supposedly keen on stockpiling talents in order to prevent them from landing with the rival AEW promotion.

WWE has more than enough finances and resources to keep the talents that they have released. By letting all of these wrestlers go, they’re just going to allow other promotions to cash in on the opportunities. McMahon doesn’t view AEW as serious competition, but that company has done done an excellent job in maximizing the talents of former WWE talents like Miro, Malakai Black and Jon Moxley, among others. So really, it’s difficult to comprehend WWE’s logic behind all of these releases.

Source: TheSportster