WWE Closing Twitch & Cameo Pages?, AJ Styles Reacts, Paige Talks Unionization

It looks like WWE is in the process of shutting down Twitch & Mixer streaming channels owned by several Superstars. Cameo accounts are also being deactivated.

AJ Styles took to Discord this afternoon and announced that he was suspending his “Stylesclash” accounts on Mixer and Twitch due to WWE’s new policy on unauthorized third party platform activity. Styles thanked his fans for the support and memories. He also said he will be leaving his Discord server up to keep in touch with fans for future happenings.

“@everyone, I want to thank you for all the greatest memories on Mixer and Twitch,” AJ wrote. “I will cherish these memories and I love everyone of you that have made this possible and supported me. As many of you know WWE is making some changes that involve streaming. We will see what the future holds in that regard.

“With that being said I will be suspending Stylesclash stream. This isn’t good bye, but this is see you sometime in the future. We will leave discord open, but since it won’t be monitored we will be making changes. Chris or I will let you know what that looks like once we figure it out. If you see me at the arenas or wherever be sure to let me know you’re part of the phenomenal family. Again this isn’t the end it’s just a pause. Thank you again for your support.”

Mia Yim (Reckoning of RETRIBUTION) announced on Twitter that her “ItsMeSYB” Twitch stream is also being pulled down, right before her scheduled gameplay with Jessamyn Duke.

“Sorry guys, no more stream for the time being. Thank you for making these past few difficult months manageable. It’s not goodbye, it’s see you later. [blue heart emoji],” Yim wrote.

Cesaro announced that he was suspending his “Claudio’s Cafe” channel on Twitch today during a stream.

“Well I appreciate everybody spending some time here with me,” Cesaro said. “I don’t know when the next stream is gonna be… I’ll definitely let you guys know. … Thank everybody for spending your time with me here. Thanks for the subs, thanks for the gifts, thanks for the follows. I really do appreciate it. I hope I’ll be back soon, but when? I don’t know. So, yeah… one last race, who are we gonna race today? So yeah, I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Paige got emotional during one of her Twitch streams this afternoon on her “Saraya Official” channel after finding out about co-workers shutting down their platforms.

“You guys. We have to make this… you guys. There may be a time where I have to stop streaming,” Paige said. “So, I just think in case I walk away, if I have to walk away, let’s make these next two streams crazy. I have to go off. If I have to leave, we make today and Saturday f–king crazy before I have to leave, because it might have to come to that.

Paige continued texting, apparently with co-workers on her phone, and came back to the camera. She was more emotional as she went back to addressing her viewers. She then commented that she “cannot deal” with WWE anymore. She also blamed the company for over-working her, to the point that she suffered the career-ending neck injury during a WWE live event match in December 2017.

“I’ve honestly got to the point where I cannot deal with this company anymore,” Paige said. “So now I have to make a very important decision. I’m f–king tired, man. I broke my f–king neck twice, twice for this company, over f–king worked. I broke my neck twice for this company and all I wanted was to… they don’t realize that this community isn’t just about f–king subs. It isn’t about that. It isn’t about that. We built a wonderful community, a wonderful f–king family where this is an escape for a lot of people, including myself.

“I can’t wrestle anymore, I was worked so hard in WWE that I can’t wrestle anymore. My neck is f–ked, my whole dream got taken away from me, dude, and I had to have something that fulfilled even a small part of that huge f–king void that I lost with wrestling. A huge f–king void. I couldn’t wrestle anymore, something I lived, breathed, f–king s–t wrestling since I was a fetus, dude, and it got ripped away from me, and I had to find something that even filled a little bit of that. Twitch was such a wonderful thing for me, it’s such a wonderful place for me.”

Paige continued and wondered why WWE is taking away her platform while she just sits at home, unable to wrestle.

“And I understand,” Paige said. “I understand if they’re like, ‘Hey, if you’re wrestling every day, if you’re doing shows every day, if you’re on TV constantly.’ That’s fine, but I’m a f–king injured wrestler. I can’t wrestle anymore. I get used for media stuff sometimes, you know? But at the end of the day I’m in my f–king house. I’m going f–king crazy, dude. I need something to keep me sane, man, and Twitch was my escape from that, you know? Right now I’m just sitting on my f–king ass.”

Paige also brought up her private photos & videos that were leaked on the internet a few years ago, and her failed drug tests, and relationship with former WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio. She also accused WWE of treating her bad.

“I had a terrible couple of years where I had tapes leaked about me, where I popped a couple of drug tests because I was in an abusive f–king relationship, dude,” Paige said. “And that’s the only thing I could f–king do. See, people think I should be thankful that I still have a f–king job, right? And I am, but it doesn’t mean I should be treated like f–king s–t.”

Paige said at one point that she would keep streaming because her neck was taken away twice and she won’t allow WWE to take away her Twitch next. She also mentioned potential unionization in pro wrestling, revealing that she’s been in touch with a unionization lawyer.

“People don’t realize I’m outspoken as f–k,” Paige said. I will say how I feel. I don’t care who you are. I will say how I feel because I don’t like being walked all over. … You know what? I’m gonna start looking more into unionization. I’ve been learning about it by a unionization lawyer.

“This is bigger than Twitch, it’s about taking f–king control of your own life and not being controlled by anyone. I gave ten years, man. I poured my f–king heart and soul into this. I had a bad couple of years like every motherf–ker has. I’m not the only one who is f–king controversial around here, I’m not the only one. It’s f–king louder when it comes to me because I’m a f–king female. I hate using that because I’m a woman but it’s because I’m a woman and women don’t usually stand up for themselves.”

Paige went on and said she will continue to stream for her fans, and see how the situation plays out. Paige said she loves WWE but doesn’t agree with what is being done in regards to the third party activity. She noted that she understands that this is a business decision, and nothing personal, but she still doesn’t have to agree with it. She also noted that she felt sad at first, but now she feels empowered after speaking out on the latest stream. She told fans that she will be speaking out with more of what’s on her mind over the next couple of days.

WWE couple Zelina Vega and Aleister Black also discussed the situation on their “AtoZ” Twitch channel. They reiterated that they are not 100% sure of what will happen to the account as they have not talked to “the office” but they know there will be a conversation on the matter at SmackDown on Friday.

“In all fairness, we don’t know,” Black said. “We don’t know but it’s starting to look like, obviously that this might be the last one for a while. We haven’t been told anything, but obviously tomorrow is TV, and I know that there’s going to be a conversation tomorrow. But, like, it’s not definite, it’s not like this is the last final stream ever.”

Vega added, “Although it could be. I want you to be prepared for that, too.”

Black continued, “It could be but we don’t think it is, but you never know. I think what’s happening is they’re trying to find a way to make it coexist within the WWE Universe and whatever way that they want to do that, I don’t know, and if we agree to that, I don’t know. I literally can’t tell you anything because we don’t know anything.”

“Only because we haven’t been told anything from the office,” Vega added.

Black and Vega acknowledged the statements by Styles and Yim, and said they made those because they were told separately. Vega said it’s their business and she’s not sure if Yim and Styles have had conversations with the office, but she and Black have not.

“I think you can definitely say this is the last one for a while, for at least a while, and I don’t know how long that while is. Obviously tomorrow [at SmackDown] we’re going to get a little more clarity on things, but I don’t know,” Black said.

Like Styles, Black and Vega plan to keep their Discord server open so they can interact with fans.

“I’m just going to be candid,” Vega said. “And just like, we don’t know but we have a good idea, and there’s the whole ‘trying to make it work for everybody’ stage that we’re in right now, and we’re hoping that there is some kind of middle ground. Is there? There may not be because the thing is, that sounds great, you know? And I hope there is. It sounds like middle ground would be awesome, but I also want to prepare people.”

She added, “Because I don’t want to give you guys hope and then slap you guys in the face and go, ‘Sorry!’ You know what I mean?”

“We’re preparing you for both,” Vega said. “We’re preparing you for the, ‘Hey we figured out something and it’s kind of going to be different and it’s going to work somehow.’ But it’s not going to be exactly what this is because I don’t think it’ll ever be this, it’ll be different if there is that, but there’s also the side of, ‘We just have to stop.’ I want you guys to be prepared for both. I just want to be 100% honest with you.”

Black and Vega acknowledged Paige being upfront and honest with her viewers, and not holding anything back. Vega recalled how Paige also said officials have not said anything concrete to her either, but Vega is sure something will happen to the third party activity. Black and Vega also commented on how they built their platform together, with the fans, despite Black being a very private person.

On a related note, several WWE Superstars have deactivated their Cameo accounts as well, and are no longer taking requests from fans. RSN discovered that Big E, Riddle, Kevin Owens and others have all deactivated their Cameo accounts, which were big earners for some wrestlers. There are some WWE Superstars who remain on Cameo, such as Lacey Evans and Mandy Rose, among others. It remains to be seen if their accounts will be deactivated soon like the others.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Signs “Groundbreaking New Deal” With Netflix For Vince McMahon Documentary

WWE has confirmed that a new film on WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon is in the works.

Nick Khan, WWE’s new President & Chief Revenue Officer, noted during today’s Q3 2020 earnings call that WWE has signed a “groundbreaking new deal” with Netflix. WWE is selling the multi-part documentary that will cover Vince’s life.

The deal is groundbreaking because it is one of the highest-budgeted documentaries in Netflix history, according to Khan.

There’s no word yet on the documentary title or release date. Khan noted that Bill Simmons will executive produce the project, while Chris Smith, who directed Netflix’s Fyre Fest documentary, will produce along with WWE Studios.

This Vince documentary is not the same biopic that was first revealed back in 2017. That project was apparently nixed. Titled “Pandemonium,” the movie was expected to star Bradley Cooper as Vince. Tristar Pictures was to release the movie. The original plan was to film the movie in the spring of 2018, but that depended on several factors. The “Pandemonium” script was written by Craig A. Williams back in 2015, but it underwent several changes after WWE Studios got involved. John Requa and Glenn Ficarra were set to direct the movie, while Zaftig Films’ Charlie Gogolak was to serve as executive producer. Aperture Entertainment’s Adam Goldworn was to produce the movie, along with WWE Studios. The latest update on Pandemonium came in January 2019 when it was reported that a new draft of the movie had been completed and sent to WWE executives, including McMahon, for feedback. There was still no confirmation on Cooper accepting the role, but he had been waiting for an updated version of the script in 2018, and then was planning to make his decision. That January 2019 update stated that while the filming date of spring 2018 had passed, the project was still being actively worked on. It looks like “Pandemonium” is no more.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Halloween Havoc Preview 10/28/20

The special Halloween Havoc edition of WWE NXT will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando, FL. The show will air until 10:08pm with an 8 minute overrun.

Tonight’s show will be hosted by Shotzi Blackheart, and will be headlined by the return of the “Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal” gimmick in two title matches.

Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal: NXT North American Title Match
Johnny Gargano vs. Damian Priest (c)

Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal: NXT Women’s Title Match
Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai (c)

Haunted House of Terror Match
Cameron Grimes vs. Dexter Lumis

Non-Title Match
NXT Cruiserweight Champion Santos Escobar vs. Jake Atlas

Rhea Ripley vs. Raquel Gonzalez

* Pat McAfee appears with NXT Tag Team Champions Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch

* Halloween costume contest between announcers Wade Barrett and Vic Joseph

Host: Shotzi Blackheart

WWE Performance Center Experiences Another COVID-19 Outbreak

There was reportedly another COVID-19 outbreak recently at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer, the outbreak happened on Friday and people who were at the facility, whether they tested positive or negative, were asked to quarantine for two weeks due to contact tracing

Meltzer’s report did not name any specific talents or personnel who were placed under quarantine. However, he reported that the outbreak included people scheduled for this Wednesday’s special episode of NXT Halloween Havoc. As a result, “aspects of the show are going to have to be changed,” he added.

The report also noted that none of the regular fixtures on NXT television have tested positive.

WWE has yet to respond to reports of the latest outbreak.

As of this writing, a total of 100 fans were scheduled to attend the tapings at the Capitol Wrestling Center. They were scheduled to be tested for COVID-19 in Winter Park, FL, Tuesday night and were to be allowed to attend the tapings only if they cleared the test. This has been the weekly procedure since NXT allowed fans back on the shows recently.

The special Halloween Havoc edition of WWE NXT is scheduled to have an eight minute overrun on the USA Network.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 10/26/20

Tonight’s RAW episode will take place from the WWE ThunderDome in the Amway Center in Orlando, FL with fallout from WWE Hell In a Cell.

WWE has not announced any matches for tonight’s show, but it’s expected that new WWE Champion Randy Orton will be appearing to celebrate his win over Drew McIntyre at Hell In a Cell. The Miz is teasing that he may cash in his Money In the Bank briefcase tonight, which he won from Otis at Hell In a Cell.

The Braun Strowman vs. Keith Lee feud is also expected to continue tonight, plus the latest with RAW Women’s Champion Asuka, RETRIBUTION, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss, and more.

WWE Reportedly Moving The ThunderDome To A New Venue In December

WWE is reportedly scheduled to leave the ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando on Tuesday, November 24, but they are taking the unique viewing experience with them.

It was reported today by @Wrestlevotes that WWE discussed possibly running venues in North Carolina, Illinois and Texas over the weekend.

There is no word yet on which venues are being considered, but WWE needs to find an arena where no sports teams are playing, and one that can accommodate the weight and power requirements of the ThunderDome setup. A newer arena is preferred because the weight of the ThunderDome setup reportedly will not work with older buildings. A major travel hub city is also needed because the WWE crews will be flying in and out each week.

WWE is leaving the Amway Center due to the NBA starting back up in December. The Orlando Magic uses the Amway Center as their home arena. Also, the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL are scheduled to start back up in mid-December at the Amway Center.

Florida news reporter Jon Alba revealed on Twitter that WWE’s contract with the Amway Center says they will be finished on Tuesday, November 24. You can see his tweet on the contract below.

If WWE is leaving the Amway Center on November 24, it looks like the November 23 RAW episode could be the final show to take place in that venue. This will be the post-Survivor Series edition of RAW.

WWE’s original contract with the Amway Center was set to expire at the end of October, but it was recently extended for one more month, taking them through November and the Survivor Series pay-per-view on November 22.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Hell In A Cell Results 10/25/20

WWE 24/7 CHAMPIONSHIP (KICKOFF)
R-Truth (c) defeated Drew Gulak

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP (“I QUIT” HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Roman Reigns (c) with Paul Heyman defeated Jey Uso

Elias defeated Jeff Hardy

RIGHTS TO WWE MITB CONTRACT
The Miz defeated Otis (holder) to become Mr. Money in the Bank

WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP (HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Sasha Banks defeated Bayley (c) to win the WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship

WWE US CHAMPIONSHIP
Bobby Lashley (c) defeated Slapjack

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Randy Orton defeated Drew Mcinytre (c) to win the WWE Championship

WWE Hell In A Cell 10/25/20

DATE: October 25, 2020 at 7:00 PM ET (Preshow at 6:00 PM ET)
LOCATION: WWE Thunderdome (Amway Center), Orlando, Florida
AVAILABLE ON:WWE Network (first month free for new subscribers)

Below is the current card at the time of this writing:

WWE CHAMPIONSHIP (HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Drew McIntyre (c) vs. Randy Orton

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP (“I QUIT” HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Roman Reigns (c) with Paul Heyman vs. Jey Uso

WWE SMACKDOWN WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP (HELL IN A CELL MATCH)
Bayley (c) vs. Sasha Banks

RIGHTS TO WWE MITB CONTRACT
Otis (holder) vs. The Miz

Jeff Hardy vs. Elias

WWE US CHAMPIONSHIP
Bobby Lashley (c) vs. Slapjack

WWE 24/7 CHAMPIONSHIP (KICKOFF)
R-Truth (c) vs. Drew Gulak

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/23/20

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown episode will air on FS1 due to the MLB World Series airing on FOX. This will be the go-home episode for Hell In a Cell.

A special edition of WWE Talking Smack will air tonight on FS1 right after SmackDown goes off the air.

Kairi Sane To Provide Japanese Commentary For Hell in a Cell

J Sports WWE announced on Twitter that the Japanese version of Sunday’s Hell in a Cell PPV will have guest commentary from Kairi Sane. Kairi Sane recently moved back to Japan but is still working for WWE in a new role as promotional supporter.

The translated tweet reads: “The Japanese live version of the PPV tournament Hell in a Cell is a guest commentary by Kairi Sane. @KairiSaneWWE Is here! Maybe you can hear behind-the-scenes stories that you can’t usually know and behind-the-scenes stories of superstars. I expect it! The Japanese live version will be available from 6 pm on Wednesday, October 28!

Source: 411Mania