Tonight’s WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will feature two Steel Cage matches.
Jeff Hardy was a guest on WWE Backstage this week and talked about entering an inpatient rehab facility last year after his arrest for DWI.
Hardy was interviewed Tuesday night by Renee Young and confirmed he’s been backstage at SmackDown the past two weeks in preparation for his return to television.
As you’ll recall … Jeff made headlines during his time away for injury due to two separate arrest incidents related to alcohol. Hardy addressed this while speaking with Young, saying the morning after his second arrest in October he entered inpatient rehab.
“It was one of the best things I could have ever done for myself,” he added. “I’ve done something every day to better myself and it’s just going to be so good to be back in front of all those people. And the mindset that I’m in right now. And to feel that energy. Because there’s something left for me to do in the WWE. I’m not sure what that is, but I want to make that happen.”
Watch the clip from his interview below.
https://twitter.com/WWEonFOX/status/1235057156992299009
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
WWE and All Japan Pro Wrestling are in talks about a possible partnership, according to Wrestling Observer Radio.
It was noted that WWE is “making moves” in Japan and while nothing is official, they are focused on getting the WWE NXT Japan brand going. The goal is to launch the brand this year, but there’s no word yet on how close they are. WWE has had talks with a number of Japanese pro wrestling companies about teaming up, including Pro Wrestling NOAH before they were bought earlier this year, and they have tried to purchase at least one Japanese company. It’s said to be inevitable that WWE will have the NXT Japan brand and the WWE Japan Performance Center, it’s just a matter of working everything out.
There’s also reportedly concern in the country over how WWE might disrupt the Japanese pro wrestling industry, according to the report. This concern is based on how WWE launched the NXT UK brand and changed the pro wrestling landscape in the UK and Europe. It was reported earlier this year that WWE had reached out to WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki, as well as Japanese politician & former pro wrestler Hiroshi Hase, about the political situation surrounding the planned WWE Japan Performance Center.
Legendary Japanese star Jun Akiyama will be guest coaching at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando from Tuesday, May 12 through Friday, May 22. This PC stint for Akiyama is part of the talks with AJPW. Triple H and Akiyama have had talks about bringing him in since last summer.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the final RAW before this Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view as the Road to WrestleMania 36 continues.
* WWE Champion Brock Lesnar is also scheduled for tonight’s show.
* WWE Hall of Famer Beth Phoenix will also appear to give a medical update on her husband, WWE Hall of Famer Edge.
* Seth Rollins & Murphy put Raw Tag Team Titles on the line against The Street Profits
* Mysterio and Andrade make Raw returns for highly-anticipated tag team match
* O.C. sneak attack leads to Black vs. Styles on Raw
* Shayna Baszler and Asuka collide six nights ahead of WWE Elimination Chamber
* Riddick Moss to defend the 24/7 Title this Monday night on Raw
Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the TD Garden in Boston, MA with fallout from WWE Super ShowDown and more on the Road to WrestleMania 36.
WWE has not issued an official preview for tonight’s SmackDown.
* John Cena will make his return to SmackDown tonight.
* New WWE Universal Champion Bill Goldberg will be there, just one day after winning the title over “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in Saudi Arabia at Super ShowDown.
Tonight’s WWE 205 Live will take place from the TD Garden in Boston, MA.
WWE has not issued an official preview for tonight’s 205 Live.
* Tonight’s 205 Live episode will see Team Captains Tony Nese and Lio Rush pick their partners for the Captain’s Challenge 10-man Elimination Match that will take place next month some time. Rush vs. Nese in singles action will also take place tonight.
Recently, WWE have begun teasing us with one of those mysterious storylines where there is a recurring thing happening on TV for a number of weeks, without any possible explanation as to what it means or who could be behind it. This time, Vince and co. have done a surprisingly good job at presenting the angle, as the delivery has been based on subtlety and not bashing the audience over the head with.
For a number of weeks, people watching SmackDown on their screens have seen random glitches distort the video quality once or twice during the show. The initial guess would have been it was another manifestation of Bray Wyatt’s ever expanding list of superpowers. But as the shows progressed, neither commentators mentioned these glitches nor would they be implicated in any of Bray’s promos or segments.
The rumor mill has since been spinning furiously as to who could be behind these glitches. Could it be a returning superstar? Could it be a sensational debut? Of course, the expectations do need to be tempered slightly given so many of WWE’s storylines end up in Randy Orton’s hometown of Nowhere.
But, since WWE have bothered to give us this juicy narrative thread to feast upon, we would only be doing ourselves an injustice by letting cynicism bog us down. Who could be behind these glitches? Here are seven possible answers according to WhatCulture.
Source: WhatCulture
Of these 7 possibilities most wrestling news sites and blogs seemed to think it’s either the debut of recent WWE signee Killer Kross or Mustafi Ali who has been off of TV as of late.
(Kickoff) The OC (Gallows and Anderson) vs. The Viking Raiders –
Winners: The OC
Tuwaiq Trophy Gauntlet Match: Andrade vs. AJ Styles vs. R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley vs. Erick Rowan vs. Rey Mysterio
R-Truth vs. Bobby Lashley – Winner: R-Truth
Post Match: Lashley assaulted R-Truth
R-Truth vs. Andrade – Winner: R-Truth
R-Truth vs. Erick Rowan – Winner: R-Truth by DQ
Post Match: Rowan choke slammed R-Truth
R-Truth vs. AJ Styles – Winner: AJ Styles
AJ Styles vs. Rey Mysterio
The OC assaulted Mysterio in the back.
Styles declares himself winner by forfeit wants his hand raised and awarded the trophy.
The Undertaker beat up The OC in the back.
AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker –
Undertaker hits Styles with a chokeslam for a quick win
Winner: The Undertaker
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1233085075849392128
SmackDown Tag Team Championship: The New Day (c) vs. John Morrison and The Miz –
Winners and new SmackDown Tag Team Champions: The Miz and John Morrison
Angel Garza vs. Humberto Carrillo –
Winner: Angel Garza
RAW Tag Team Championship: Seth Rollins and Murphy (c) vs. The Street Profits –
Winners: Seth Rollins and Murphy
Dolph Ziggler w/Robert Roode vs. Mansoor –
Winner: Mansoor
WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar (c) vs. Ricochet –
Lesnar got a quick squash win.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
Steel Cage Match: King Corbin vs. Roman Reigns –
Winner: Roman Reigns
SmackDown Women’s Championship: Bayley (c) vs. Naomi –
Winner: Bayley
Universal Championship: “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Goldberg
Winner and new Universal Champion: Goldberg
https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1233125055426678785
The March 11 WWE NXT episode on the USA Network will air live from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.
Triple H appeared after this week’s NXT episode at Full Sail University and announced the special Fan Appreciation Night event for March 11.
WWE is unable to run at Full Sail on March 11 because the school will be hosting their annual Hall of Fame Week from March 8-13, with an event being held that Wednesday at the NXT Arena.
Tickets to the Fan Appreciation Night at the Performance Center were given out for free, and are already gone. The pre-sale for the free tickets began tonight after NXT on the USA Network went off the air, but all tickets were gone in less than 10 seconds, according to a correspondent in attendance. The event is already told out, unless they released another set of tickets at 12:15am ET later tonight, but it’s not likely.
This will be the second time NXT has ran at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando as the Halftime Heat 2019 event also took place at the facility. That match saw Ricochet, The Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black defeat NXT Champion Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano.
Source: Wrestling Inc.
WWE has announced Samoa Joe has been suspended for violating the WWE Wellness Policy.
WWE released a statement through their website which says:
WWE has suspended Nuufolau Seanoa (Samoa Joe) for 30 days effective Monday, February 24, for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.
As we previously reported, Joe has been out of action as of late after suffering a head injury which took place during a commercial shoot this month. He also suffered a concussion on Raw a few weeks ago which forced him to sit on the sidelines.
Joe is the latest wrestler to be suspended for violating the company Wellness Policy after Andrade was suspended last month and Bobby Roode before that.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
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