Tag: WWE

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

WWE RAW Preview 8/30/21

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Paycom Center (recently re-named from the Chesapeake Energy Arena) in Oklahoma City, OK with more build for the upcoming Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

Awesome Kong Announces Her Retirement From Pro Wrestling At NWA EmPowerrr

During Saturday night’s NWA EmPowerrr pay-per-view, Awesome Kong announced that she is retiring from pro wrestling.

She made a surprise appearance at the event during a Gail Kim promo. Awesome Kong saved Gail Kim before an attack by Taryn Terrell, Jennacide, and Paola Blaze.

After that according to F4Wonline, she grabbed a microphone and told Gail Kim that she was her greatest foe and there was no other way to end her career than being in the ring with Kim. She then announced that she was done.

Awesome Kong is a former NWA Women’s Champion and a two-time Impact Knockouts Champion. She’s wrestled in several promotions such as Impact Wrestling, AEW, WWE, ROH, Shimmer, and All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 8/27/21

Tonight’s post-SummerSlam edition of WWE SmackDown on FOX will air live from the Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

WWE has not announced any matches for tonight but new SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch is confirmed to appear. Brock Lesnar is still being teased, but has been officially announced to appear.

WWE Hall of Famer Edge has also been announced to appear by the arena, as well as Seth Rollins, Big E, and Bianca Belair. The dark main event advertised locally is Finn Balor and The Mysterios vs. WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Brock Lesnar New WWE Contract Details Revealed

Brock Lesnar’s new WWE contract will reportedly carry him through early 2023.

Lesnar returned to WWE at the end of Saturday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view to confront WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, right after Reigns’ retained over John Cena. This was his first appearance since dropping the WWE Title to Drew McIntyre at WrestleMania 36 in 2020, and since his last contract expired in the summer of 2020.

In an update, Lesnar’s new WWE contract is believed to be for “roughly a year and a half,” according to Fightful Select. That should carry Lesnar through early 2023, possibly into WrestleMania 39 season.

The new contract is also believed to be for at least 8 matches. It was noted that the terms of the contract are open to change with further negotiations.

The first match under Lesnar’s new WWE contract is expected to be against Reigns, with Paul Heyman a big part of the build. There is no word on when that match will happen. Lesnar vs. Reigns has been rumored for WWE Crown Jewel in October, but it’s not confirmed that Lesnar will be working that show.

It was reported earlier today that WWE is moving forward with Lesnar as a babyface on the blue brand. He is being teased for Friday’s SmackDown, but not officially announced for the show. This would be Lesnar’s first blue brand appearance since November 1, 2019. It’s worth noting that he is still listed on the RAW roster on the official WWE website as of this writing.

Source: Wrestling Inc.