Tag: WWE

WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Preview 4/6/21

The 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will stream tonight exclusively on Peacock in the United States and on WWE Network everywhere else. For the first time ever, the ceremony will feature two classes of inductees taking their place in sports-entertainment history.

The ceremonies will be hosted by WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler. Below are the line-ups for tonight:

2020: JBL, The Bella Twins, Jushin Thunder Liger, nWo – Hulk Hogan, Sean Waltman, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, William Shatner (Celebrity Wing), Titus O’Neil (Warrior Award)

2021: Kane, Eric Bischoff, Rob Van Dam, The Great Khali, Molly Holly

According to a report, Ozzy Osbourne is set to be inducted into the Celebrity Wing of the 2021 Class. The reports states that he did not appear in person at the ceremony, but he did record a video message for the show.

Bebe Rexha Will Perform “America The Beautiful” At WrestleMania 37

WWE has announced that Grammy-nominated Bebe Rexha will perform “America The Beautiful” to kick off Night One of WrestleMania 37 this Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

“I’m excited to sing ‘America the Beautiful’ at this year’s WrestleMania,” said Rexha in a press release. “Being part of WWE’s biggest event of the year is an honor and I look forward to performing for fans around the world.”

Rexha previously performed “Home” with Machine Gun Kelly and Sam Harris at WWE’s 2017 Tribute to The Troops.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Rhea Ripley To Have Theme Performed Live At WrestleMania 37

Rhea Ripley is set to have her entrance theme performed live at WrestleMania 37 this coming Sunday night.

New Years Day’s singer Ash Costello took to Instagram and revealed that she will be performing her “Brutality” single as Ripley enters the ring to challenge RAW Women’s Champion Asuka during Night Two of WrestleMania 37.

“By overwhelming demand, I am so excited to announce that I will be performing #Brutality LIVE for the most bad ass @rhearipley_wwe at #wrestlemania37 !,” Costello wrote. “I am honored to sing in support of such a genuine and strong woman! and as a wrestling fan, excited to a part of something I love. YOUR support made this dream a reality. Now this is all of our moment together. #wwe #wweraw #nxt #nxttakeover #wrestlemania #wrestlemania37 #metal #metalhead #rocknroll #badasswomen”

There’s no word yet on other special Superstar entrances at WrestleMania, but we will keep you updated.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 4/5/2021

Tonight’s WWE RAW on the USA Network will feature the final red brand build for WrestleMania 37.

WWE Officially Announces Titus O’Neil As Warrior Award Recipient

WWE today officially announced that WWE Global Ambassador Titus O’Neil been named the recipient of the 2020 Warrior Award.

“Titus is a dedicated father, humanitarian and WWE Global Ambassador. His unwavering passion to help others in need is simply unmatched,” said WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon. “Although he does not seek recognition, I am thrilled that his work will be spotlighted to WWE fans around the world.”

WWE introduced the Warrior Award in 2015, in honor of WWE Hall of Famer The Ultimate Warrior. According to WWE, the award is “presented to an individual who has exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of The Ultimate Warrior.” Past recipients of the award are Connor “The Crusher” Michalek in 2015; Joan Lunden in 2016; Eric LeGrand in 2017; Jarrius “JJ” Robertson in 2018 and Sue Aitchison in 2019.

The Warrior Award presentation will be part of the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which airs this Tuesday, April 6 at 8 PM ET on Peacock in the U.S. and on WWE Network internationally. The ceremony will include both the 2020 and 2021 classes, and was taped last week.

Davey Boy Smith, JBL, Jushin Liger, The nWo, The Bella Twins, William Shatner, Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Rob Van Dam, Kane, The Great Khali and Ozzy Osbourne are also part of the 2020 and 2021 WWE Hall of Fame classes.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ozzy Osbourne To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame

Ozzy Osbourne will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Dave Meltzer has confirmed. 

According to the report, Osbourne was part of the combined 2020 and 2021 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. He did not appear in person at the ceremony, but he did record a video message for the show.

The Prince of Darkness has a long history with WWE, going all the way back to WrestleMania 2. He and Captain Lou Albano managed The British Bulldogs, during their match against Brutus Beefcake and Greg Valentine.

In 2007, he performed live at a SmackDown taping in Baltimore, and in November 2009, he was a guest host for RAW. 

Davey Boy Smith, JBL, Jushin Liger, The nWo, The Bella Twins, William Shatner, Warrior Award winner Titus O’Neil, Molly Holly, Eric Bischoff, Rob Van Dam, Kane, and The Great Khali are also part of the 2020 and 2021 WWE Hall of Fame classes.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 4/2/21

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will feature the final build before next Friday’s special WrestleMania 37 go-home edition of the show.

WWE NXT “Takeover: Stand And Deliver” Night One To Also Air On Peacock And WWE Network

WWE NXT “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” Night One and Night Two will both air on Peacock and the WWE Network.

Night One was originally announced to air exclusively on the USA Network next Wednesday at 8pm ET, making it the final Wednesday night show for the brand before it moves to Tuesdays beginning April 13. However, WWE has announced that Takeover Night One will also air on Peacock and the WWE Network while it’s airing on USA.

Night Two will still air exclusively on Peacock and the WWE Network. It was previously indicated that Night One will be available for on-demand viewing on the WWE Network the following day, while Night Two would be available for replays immediately after it airs.

Takeover is scheduled to begin at 8pm ET on both nights, but there is a two-night Kickoff pre-show. That is scheduled to begin at 7pm ET.

Stay tuned for more on the NXT “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” event, which will air from the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL. Below is the current card:

NIGHT ONE – WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7 ON THE USA NETWORK:

NXT Women’s Title Match
Raquel Gonzalez vs. Io Shirai (c)

Triple Threat for the Vacant NXT Tag Team Titles
MSK vs. The Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Legado del Fantasma

NXT UK Title Match
Tommaso Ciampa vs. WALTER (c)

Gauntlet Eliminator for a NXT North American Title Shot
Leon Ruff (first participant) vs. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott (second participant) vs. Bronson Reed (third participant) vs. Cameron Grimes (fourth participant) vs. Dexter Lumis (fifth participant) vs. LA Knight (final participant)
Winner challenges NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano on Night Two.

Pete Dunne vs. Kushida

NIGHT TWO – THURSDAY, APRIL 8 ON THE WWE NETWORK:

NXT Title Match
Karrion Kross vs. Finn Balor (c)

Ladder Match for Cruiserweight Title Unification
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Jordan Devlin vs. NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar

NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles Match
The Way vs. Ember Moon and Shotzi Blackheart (c)

NXT North American Title Match
Gauntlet Eliminator winner vs. Johnny Gargano (c)

Unsanctioned Match: No Rules, No Liability
Adam Cole vs. Kyle O’Reilly

Taya Valkyrie Getting New Ring Name And Bringing Her Dog To WWE NXT Next Month?

It looks like Taya Valkyrie is set to make her WWE NXT debut on the first episode after next week’s two-night “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” event.

Last night’s Takeover go-home edition of NXT on the USA Network featured a series of vignettes where a Pomeranian dog was seen running through the Capitol Wrestling Center at the WWE Performance Center. The dog finally ran up to a woman in boots. The only part of the woman shown was her boots, but it said she would be coming on April 13, which is the first NXT episode to air in the new Tuesday night timeslot on the WWE Network. The final part of the vignette featured writing on the screen that said “Franky” will see us soon.

Earlier this month WWE filed to trademark the “Franky Monet” name for general pro wrestling and sports entertainment use. It looks like this will be the name of the “Franky” teased in tonight’s promo.

Fans online noticed that the dog used in the vignette is Presley, one of the pets owned by Valkyrie and her husband, WWE RAW Superstar John Morrison. They have an Instagram account for both of their dogs, Presley and Bowie, at @the_pee_boyz. Taya has carried Presley at various wrestling shows in the past, including for a few Impact Wrestling appearances.

There is some online speculation that Valkyrie will use another name, and that the dog will go by the “Franky” name but that has not been confirmed, and it’s more likely that Valkyrie’s new ring name in NXT will be Franky Monet.

As seen below, WWE tweeted a screenshot from the April 13 teaser and indicated that Franky could be the name of the dog. They wrote, “How are we gonna wait that long? Franky stole our heart. [dog emoji][growing heart emoji] #WWENXT”

Valkyrie has re-tweeted several of the dog tweets from tonight’s show, and she also re-tweeted a USA Network tweet that teased her as the new character.

“If that’s who we think it is… @WWENXT is gonna be loca in April 13th. #WWENXT,” USA tweeted.

Valkyrie is a former Impact Knockouts Champion and a former three-time AAA Reina de Reinas Champion. She debuted for Impact in September 2017 and left in January of this year, leaving the company as the longest-reigning Knockouts Champion in history. Valkyrie signed with WWE in mid-February and reported to the WWE Performance Center to begin training in late February.

There is no word yet on what WWE has planned for Valkyrie, Below are shots from the related vignettes on tonight’s show, along with recent photos of Taya and Presley:

https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1377422774470287361
https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1377425876803932160
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1377428628481339394
https://twitter.com/WWENXT/status/1377434474552586240

WWE NXT Preview 3/31/21

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will be the go-home show for next week’s “Takeover: Stand and Deliver” event. This will also be the last regular Wednesday night episode before NXT moves to Tuesday nights on April 13.