Night Two of the WWE NXT Great American Bash will air tonight on the USA Network from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University.
Tag: WWE
WWE RAW Preview 7/6/20
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida with more build for WWE’s “Extreme Rules: The Horror Show” pay-per-view.
The only match announced for tonight’s RAW is a Champion vs. Champion match with RAW Women’s Champion Asuka taking on WWE Women’s Tag Team & SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley. Bayley’s partner Sasha Banks is expected to be at ringside, as is Kairi Sane.
WWE has not announced an official preview for tonight’s RAW as of this writing, but it’s likely we will see updates to the current feuds between Dolph Ziggler and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, MVP and WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews, Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio, plus Randy Orton’s storyline, among others.
Rey Mysterio Working Without A WWE Contract
Rey Mysterio has been reportedly working for WWE without an active contract for some time now, according to F4Wonline.com.
On this morning’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer added to that report, revealing that Mysterio had recently asked Vince McMahon for a raise. Vince responded to Mysterio by saying it was a bad time and pointing out the numerous people he had released in the wake of COVID-19.
WWE and Mysterio have reportedly been working out some sort of a deal for a while now. However, it was noted that at this point, Rey could technically show up on any wrestling show at any time with no legal repercussions against him.
As of late, Rey Mysterio and his son Dominik have been in a storyline with Seth Rollins and his stable on RAW. There is apparently a plan for Rey Mysterio vs. Seth Rollins in an “Eye for an Eye Match” for Extreme Rules.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE SmackDown Preview 7/3/20
Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX will air on a tape delay from the WWE Performance Center in Orland, Florida with more build for the “Extreme Rules: Horror Show” pay-per-view.
- AJ Styles and Drew Gulak set for Intercontinental Championship clash
- Sheamus ready to raise a glass to Jeff Hardy
- Matt Riddle steps in the ring for exclusive interview with Michael Cole
- WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman tries to get in touch with his dark side ahead of the Wyatt Swamp Fight with Bray Wyatt
WWE Reportedly Writing Kairi Sane Out Of The Company
Kairi Sane is reportedly returning to Japan to be with her husband.
While Sane is returning to Japan soon, she is scheduled to return to RAW soon as she is listed for the tapings being held today at the WWE Performance Center, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. These would be for the episodes that air on July 6 or July 13.
WWE has known about Sane returning to Japan since May, if not earlier. The move has been in the works for a while.
Sane has been out of action since suffering the cut on her head during the RAW match with Nia Jax, which aired on June 1 and was taped on May 26. This is why Sane has been off WWE TV but she has been cleared to compete since then. WWE made the decision at the time to not harp on the injury on TV, and pretty much ignore it publicly, which is why it was never played up and Sane hasn’t been talked about since.
The idea before that last Sane vs. Jax match was to do a career-ending injury angle with Sane at a later time, before it was time for her to return to Japan. That angle would have set up a SummerSlam match between RAW Women’s Champion Asuka and whoever they went with to put Sane out of action. The Observer noted that this has likely changed since Paul Heyman was dismissed from his role as RAW Executive Director. It’s believed that this spot would have went to either Charlotte Flair, who may or may not be back in time for the SummerSlam build, or Shayna Baszler. Original plans did not call for Jax to be the one who ended Sane’s WWE in-ring career.
There’s no word yet on what WWE has planned for Sane after she returns to Japan, but the Observer reports that there had been talk that once her contract was up, she would wrestle for one more year in Japan and then retire from action.
The 31 year old Sane was married to her longtime partner back in February of this year.
Sane signed a three year WWE deal back in March 2017. She worked the Mae Young Classic in 2017, and won the tournament by defeating Baszler in the finals. She would go on to become a one-time NXT Women’s Champion before debuting on WWE’s main roster in April 2019 after WrestleMania 35. She has held the WWE Women’s Tag Team Titles with Asuka on the main roster.
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter via Wrestling Inc.
WWE Purchases EVOLVE Wrestling
WWE has officially purchased EVOLVE Wrestling, PWInsider reports.
The deal was recently finalized after several months of negotiations. WWE now has the complete right to use the EVOLVE brand name and produce EVOLVE events.
WWE has also acquired the EVOLVE video library.
EVOLVE had been going through some financial issues and the COVID-19 pandemic made it worse. The cancellation of WrestleMania 36 Week in Tampa was catastrophic for the promotion.
EVOLVE was founded in 2010 by Gabe Sapolsky. Since 2015, the promotion has had a working relationship with WWE. When they signed that deal, EVOLVE created a new LLC, which is the company WWE has acquired. WWE has not purchased WWNLive, which will still reportedly go on.
As for talent, PWInsider reports that the existing EVOLVE/WWN talent contracts are not part of the sale. Though there is an expectation of at least four talents that will be signed and go to WWE NXT.
Apollo Crews, Austin Theory, Drew Gulak, Keith Lee, Johnny Gargano, Matt Riddle, Ricochet, and Oney Lorcan are just a few who used the promotion as a stepping stone to get to WWE.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Mickie James Was Medically Cleared To Return Before Pandemic Hit, Still Has Big Plans For Comeback
We haven’t seen Mickie James in a WWE ring for over a year, but it turns out she was just weeks away from returning before COVID-19 struck.
James, who tore her ACL during a house show last year, had apparently been medically cleared and was close to making a comeback. “The doc had already cleared me, so I was literally just getting that last two weeks to get cleared to come back to in-ring action and everything got shut down,” she told Chris Van Vliet in a new interview. “So, I went home and I just haven’t been back since.”
For the time being, James is fine with staying away from the Performance Center. “Theres no need to take that risk of going there if I’m not doing anything,” she explained. “I would rather bide my time and wait for the perfect opportunity.”
When she does return, James has some (mostly tongue-in-cheek) goals in mind. “I’m going to go in and take all the championships,” she said. “I’m going to be my own tag team partner and I’m going to go in there and take those championships first, and then I’m going to take both of the women’s championships at the same time.”
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
WWE NXT: ‘The Great American Bash’ Preview 7/1/20
Night One of the Great American Bash edition of WWE NXT will air tonight on a slight tape delay from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University.
- NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai to face Sasha Banks at The Great American Bash
- Dexter Lumis faces Roderick Strong in NXT’s first-ever Strap Match
- Mia Yim, Tegan Nox, Candice LeRae and Dakota Kai to meet in Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match to determine No. 1 Contender to NXT Women’s Title
- Rhea Ripley takes on Aliyah & Robert Stone in a Handicap Match
- Oney Lorcan squares off with Timothy Thatcher at The Great American Bash
More NXT UK Releases And Suspension, Update On The Future Of The Brand
It looks like the WWE NXT UK brand will be returning with new content soon.
There has been a lot of speculation on the future of the brand as of late. They haven’t filmed new content in months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and several talents were recently hit with accusations in the “#SpeakingOut” movement. It was reported on Monday that a mandatory conference call was planned for today with staff and talent told to participate.
That conference call happened this afternoon and PWInsider reports that it was more or less a chance for WWE officials to touch base with the roster. It was also said that officials told the talents to be ready to get back to work when the time was right. Several NXT UK talents have taken to social media this afternoon and indicated that they would be working TV tapings soon.
F4Wonline.cm adds that Triple H addressed talents during the call and told them explicitly what the protocol is regarding sexual abuse allegations. Triple H said there would be zero tolerance on any charges, provided there was irrefutable evidence against them. It was taken as more of a warning going forward than anything else. Their report also noted that there was no talk of any other changes with the brand.
There has been talk of taping new material for NXT UK soon, but nothing is official as far as dates go, according to PWInsider. NXT UK episodes on the WWE Network have been special editions for a few months now, featuring older matches or compilations, but last week’s “Superstar Picks” episode featured the return of talent vignettes and promos for feuds.
While WWE has not announced new NXT UK dates as of this writing, it’s worth noting that the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland still has tickets up for sale for the NXT UK “Takeover: Dublin” event. That show was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 26 but was re-scheduled to Sunday, October 25 due to COVID-19.
In other NXT UK news, PWInsider reports that referee Joel Allen was released over the weekend. Referee Chris Roberts was also released, according to F4Wonline.com, and Joe Coffey was suspended. The releases and the suspension follow the recent departures of Ligero, Jack Gallagher and Travis Banks. All faced allegations from the “#SpeakingOut” movement.
It’s interesting to note that NXT UK Women’s Champion Kay Lee Ray took to Twitter this afternoon and posted a graphic of the other WWE women’s champions – WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Sasha Banks & Bayley, who is also the SmackDown Women’s Champion, RAW Women’s Champion Asuka, and NXT Women’s Champion Io Shirai.
She wrote, “Doesn’t matter if you like it or not but fact is, I am your longest reigning women’s champion across all @WWE brands right now. I AM YOUR FOREVER CHAMPION!!! Fight me….”
Bayley responded and wrote, “Don’t mind if I do.”
This exchange has fans hoping for a potential match between Bayley and Ray.
The NXT UK brand currently has the following champions – Ray, NXT UK Champion WALTER, and NXT UK Tag Team Champions Wolfgang and Mark Coffey of Gallus.
WWE RAW Preview 6/29/20
Tonight’s taped WWE RAW will take place from the Performance Center in Orlando, FL with more build to WWE’s “Extreme Rules: The Horror Show” pay-per-view.
WWE has not published an official preview for tonight’s RAW but they are focusing on the following points for tonight’s show:
* Double contract signing for Extreme Rules: The Horror Show
* Will Seth Rollins continue his reign of terror?
