Tag: WWE

Jeff Jarrett Reportedly No Longer Working For WWE

WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett was reportedly released from the company a few months back along with other budget cuts.

WWE quietly released Jarrett back in April, according to a new report from WhatCulture.

Jarrett, inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018, was hired to work as a producer in January 2019, and then it was reported in March 2019 that he had been promoted to the creative team.

It was noted that Jarrett has been reaching out to other promotions for bookings, but he is said to be under a non-compete with WWE, but there is no word on the length of that clause. If true, this would be interesting because WWE non-competes usually do not go for longer than 90 days, and even if Jarrett was released on April 30, the clause would have expired by now.

It remains to be seen if WWE plans to bring Jarrett back, as they have done in similar situations with other talent.

Jarrett first announced his “My World” podcast back on April 9, and the premiere episode was released in May.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Nevada’s Mask Mandate Could Disrupt WWE’s SummerSlam Plans

In the wake of the CDC’s updated mask guidelines, the state of Nevada reinstated its mask mandate, which could impact WWE SummerSlam in Las Vegas.

Within hours of the CDC’s recent recommendation that both vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in public to curb the spread of Covid-19 and its variants, the state of Nevada reinstalled a statewide mask mandate that could have serious repercussions for WWE’s upcoming SummerSlam event.

Starting on Friday, July 30, Nevada will require face coverings to be worn indoors in public in counties with “substantial or high transmission.” At the time of writing, 12 of Nevada’s 17 counties meet that criteria, including Clark County, the home of the state’s most populous metropolitan area, Las Vegas.

On August 21, the Allegiant Stadium in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise will play host to WWE’s 34th annual SummerSlam pay-per-view event. Despite being a large stadium designed to predominantly host NFL games, the newly-built Allegiant Stadium is classified as an indoor stadium due to its domed roof. If not lifted between now and August 21, which seems unlikely, Nevada’s mask mandate is going to give WWE brass a big headache.

It’s possible that the state will issue special exemptions to the mandate for entertainers. If this happens, WWE talent could be exempt from having to wear face coverings while in the arena which would make the whole situation a lot easier to manage.

It’s unlikely that fans in attendance will be exempt from the mandate, however. So if you’re going to SummerSlam this year, make sure you bring a mask with you.

https://twitter.com/GovSisolak/status/1420171868762382341

SummerSlam will be WWE’s first major pay-per-view to take place in front of a capacity crowd since 2019’s Royal Rumble. It will be the second WWE pay-per-view on WWE’s 25-city tour, which will run from July 16 to Labor Day. The first one, Money in the Bank, took place on July 18 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas. Last year’s SummerSlam event was held at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. It was the first WWE pay-per-view to emanate from the WWE ThunderDome.

Source: The Sportster

WWE NXT Preview 7/27/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air on the Syfy network at 8pm ET due to coverage of The Olympics on the USA Network.

WWE Queen Of The Ring Tournament And WWE Draft Update

WWE’s first-ever Queen of the Ring tournament is reportedly scheduled to air over RAW and SmackDown in October.

It was reported last week that WWE had plans for the all-women’s tournament to be held this year. The tentative plan was for the event to air on Peacock and the WWE Network, but a new report indicates that the event will air over WWE’s flagship TV shows.

It was reported today by Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men podcast that the Queen of the Ring tournament is currently scheduled to begin on the October 8 SmackDown, and then continue on the October 11 RAW episode.

These dates mean the tournament would begin right after the WWE Draft, which is reportedly scheduled for either the October 1 SmackDown and the October 4 RAW, or the October 4 RAW and the October 8 SmackDown. The October 4 RAW is also scheduled to be the RAW season 30 premiere. It’s likely that the Draft will take place on October 1 and October 4, if the tournament is beginning on October 8.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Natalya Apparently Injured On RAW

WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Natalya apparently suffered a leg injury during last night’s RAW.

RAW featured a non-title match with Natalya and Tamina facing Eva Marie and Doudrop, who were competing to earn a future title shot. Natalya was wrestling Doudrop at one point, going at it and tangling with each other, when Natalya appeared to suffer a right leg injury on a roll-over, or possibly one of the stomps from Doudrop.

Natalya tagged out and had trouble putting weight on her right leg. The referee then apparently called an audible as Tamina took over, and after a distraction by Lilly on the big screen, superkicked Eva for the pin to win.

After the match, a ringside medic immediately helped Natalya to the back. Tamina joined the medic in helping Natalya, who was still unable to put weight on her right leg.

https://twitter.com/EthanCramer/status/1419832102292533249

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Announces “The United States Of America Vs. Vince McMahon” Series

WWE and Blumhouse Television are partnering for “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon.”

WWE and Blumhouse announced today that “The United States of America vs. Vince McMahon” will be a limited scripted series that focuses on the WWE steroid trial of the 1990s.

The series is being developed for TV, and will feature the first-ever scripted portrayal of the WWE Chairman & CEO. The first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE history will also feature portrayals of legendary WWE Superstars from that era.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE’s longtime Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution, in a press release issued to us today.

McMahon, Dunn, Blumhouse owner Jason Blum, Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber, and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said McCumber. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

There’s no word yet on the network or premiere date, or the cast, but we will keep you updated when more information becomes available.

Below is the full press release issued today:

WWE ® AND BLUMHOUSE PARTNER TO DEVELOP ‘THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA VS. VINCE MCMAHON’

LOS ANGELES and STAMFORD, Conn., July 26, 2021 – WWE® (NYSE: WWE) and Blumhouse Television are partnering to develop a limited scripted series called, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon. Jason Blum’s company, Blumhouse, will develop the series for television, led by Blumhouse TV President Chris McCumber. The series, The United States of America Vs. Vince McMahon, will be the first-ever scripted dramatic portrayal of a chapter in WWE’s history. Additionally, it is also the first scripted portrayal of McMahon as well as many of the legendary Superstars of that era.

The show will delve into WWE during the 1990s, at the time Rupert Murdoch had purchased the New York Post to further his massive infiltration into the U.S. media landscape. For years, infamous Post writer Phil Mushnick regularly hammered WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon in his column. Headlines like “Legislators Give WWE A Free Pass On ‘Roids” and “McMahon Skips Through the Cemetery” eventually captured the attention of the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York – the nation’s most prestigious federal prosecutor’s office with a conviction rate of over 96 percent.

In 1994, the U.S. government indicted McMahon for allegedly supplying anabolic steroids to WWE talent. McMahon, with his liberty at stake, two school-aged children at home and with WWE on the brink of bankruptcy, refused to take a plea deal. Ultimately, McMahon stood trial and was acquitted unanimously by a jury of his peers and went on to build a multi-billion-dollar global sports entertainment empire.

“Jason, Chris and their team at Blumhouse create amazing work and we look forward to delivering an inside look into one of the most pivotal moments in our company’s history,” said Kevin Dunn, WWE Executive Producer & Chief of Global Television Distribution.

“We have a dramatic, riveting saga – one that’s crazier than fiction – that will appeal to the cross-section of Blumhouse and WWE fans,” said Chris McCumber, Blumhouse Television President. “To say I’m thrilled about collaborating again with WWE is an understatement.”

McMahon, Dunn, Blum, McCumber and Jeremy Gold will serve as executive producers on the project.

The Blumhouse Television team, led by McCumber, have made several significant development announcements in the last few weeks, including: the straight-to-series pick-up of The Thing About Pam, starring Renee Zellweger in her broadcast TV debut for NBC; Blumhouse Ghost Story, the scripted series based on The Battersea Poltergeist BBC podcast, and the companion unscripted series; the continuing series based on Patricia Cornwell’s world’s best-selling “Kay Scarpetta” novels for a major; and the exclusive multi-year partnership with ITV America for provocative, disruptive and terrifying content to every corner of the non-fiction space, including Escape the Maze (wt) the first project derived from the partnership; among several other announcements.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 7/26/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

* WWE Champion Bobby Lashley responds to Goldberg’s SummerSlam challenge

* New RAW Women’s Champion Nikki A.S.H. celebrates

* Mansoor and Mustafa Ali will team up

* RAW Tag Team Champions AJ Styles and Omos defend against The Viking Raiders

* WWE has Randy Orton advertised to appear tonight. Orton has been out of action since late June, and was recently on the disabled/inactive list internally.

Karrion Kross Potential Feud With Jeff Hardy Being Delayed (Hardy – Covid-19)

The feud between Karrion Kross and Jeff Hardy will have to be delayed as Hardy has tested positive for Covid-19 and is being pulled.

If WWE is planning to have Karrion Kross feud with Jeff Hardy, it looks like that feud is going to have to wait. Reports are that Hardy has had to pull out of events after testing positive for COVID-19, which may or may not derail immediate plans for Monday Night Raw.

Kross debuted last week on Raw. He came out with no fancy entrance and no manager, going up against the veteran in Hardy, who picked up a surprising win over the NXT Champion. Fans were split on the decision to have Kross lose clean to a mid-card talent like Hardy, but the belief was that a storyline would be starting right away where Kross came out and destroyed Hardy, starting him on a warpath through the Raw roster.

If that’s the plan, it will have to wait as Hardy has pulled out of an event in Kansas City after he tested positive for COVID-19. The news of his positive test was announced by the recordBar venue in Kansas City. They posted the following on Facebook:

“We regret to inform you that the event with Jeff Hardy to take place on Monday July 26, 2021 at recordBar in Kansas City, MO will have to be postponed to a later date.” They added, “Jeff Hardy just tested positive for covid this morning, and will have to quarantine for the next two weeks, and will not be participating in any live events for the next two weeks.” They provided a link for refund requests.

Source: The Sportster

WWE SmackDown Preview 7/23/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature fallout from Money In the Bank as the Road to SummerSlam kicks off.

This will be a special edition of SmackDown, airing as a dual-site broadcast. Some of the matches will air live from the Rolling Loud rap festival in Miami, while the rest of the show will air live from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio.

* Toni Storm debuts on the main roster

* John Cena returns to SmackDown

* Big E vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Apollo Crews, from Rolling Loud in Miami

* Carmella vs. SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair, from Rolling Loud in Miami

* Fallout from Money In the Bank and build for SummerSlam

WWE Reportedly Has Interest In Bringing Braun Strowman Back

WWE reportedly has interest in bringing Braun Strowman back.

It was noted in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that WWE is interested in bringing Strowman back to work for the company, especially with the recent AEW signings and the expected signings of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

Strowman was released from WWE on June 2, and is reportedly under a 90-day non-compete clause that will make him a free agent on Tuesday, August 31. There has been talk of Strowman signing with AEW as there is interest from both sides

There is no word yet on if Strowman is interested in going back to WWE.

Strowman merchandise was added to the WWE Shop website, but it remains to be seen if that was some sort of error, or miscommunication, or if it could be related to WWE wanting to bring him back.

Source: Wrestling Inc.