Tag: WWE

Batista And nWo To Be Inducted Into WWE Hall Of Fame

The first members of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2020 have been confirmed.

WWE announced on Monday that Batista, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall and Sean Waltman aka X-Pac will be inducted on April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay.

This will be the first induction for Batista and the second inductions for all members of the NWO – Hogan, Hall and Nash went in solo, while X-Pac went in with DX.

“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” Triple H was quoted as saying in the press release. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET. As a reminder, this year’s show takes place on the Thursday before WrestleMania 36.

Below is the full press release from WWE:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEBATISTA® AND THE NWO® TO BE INDUCTED INTO WWE® HALL OF FAME

STAMFORD, Conn., December 9, 2019 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Batista and nWo members “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall™, Kevin Nash™ and Sean Waltman™ will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Thursday, April 2 at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, FL as part of WrestleMania® Week.

Batista is a six-time World Champion and a pop culture phenomenon. Throughout his illustrious career, “The Animal™” had memorable rivalries with some of the biggest names in WWE history including John Cena®, Triple H® and The Undertaker®. Batista is also a founding member of the revolutionary faction Evolution® alongside Ric Flair®, Triple H® and Randy Orton®. At WrestleMania this past April, Batista competed for the final time against Triple H. Outside the ring, Batista has successfully conquered Hollywood, appearing in Spectre, Stuber and Marvel’s blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers films.

One of the most innovative and controversial factions in sports entertainment history, the New World Order® (nWo) was led by “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan, Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and Sean Waltman. The group captivated fans around the world and was crucial to the success of WCW® during the historic Monday Night Wars®. With an innovative style and attitude, the nWo participated in memorable rivalries against some of the biggest names in WCW history, including Sting, Diamond Dallas Page and Lex Luger.

“Batista was one of the fastest rising stars ever in WWE with an incredible list of accolades, and the success of the nWo changed the course of sports entertainment history,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “It is only fitting that they all take their rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame.”

Tickets for the 2020 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are available this Friday, December 13 at 12 Noon ET through all Ticketmaster outlets, http://www.ticketmaster.com or at ReliaQuest Ticket Office at Amalie Arena. All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

WrestleMania 36 takes place Sunday, April 5 from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, FL and will stream live on WWE Network.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1204054911908040704

WWE Has Released Luke Harper, Sin Cara and The Ascension

WWE has announced they’ve parted ways with Sin Cara.

The company posted a statement on WWE.com that says:

WWE has come to terms on the release of Sin Cara. WWE wishes him all the best in his future endeavors.

As we previously reported, the wrestler formerly known as Hunico requested his release from the company last month.

Sin Cara said at the time that he was asking for his release because he didn’t feel like he was being valued as a talent in WWE.

The 42-year-old wrestler attended last night’s Combate Americas event in support of Alberto El Patron and told reporters beforehand that he hasn’t ruled out the idea of stepping into the octagon for an MMA fight.

“Thank you WWE Universe it has been an amazing adventure,” Sin Cara tweeted once the news was made public.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1203753774139002881

 

Former WWE Tag Team and Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper has been released from WWE.

The announcement was made on Sunday via WWE.com, where the company wished him well in his future endeavors.

Luke Harper went public with the fact that he was requesting his release from the company back in April. He briefly returned to TV, however, during Erick Rowan’s feud with Roman Reigns over the summer … then stopped being used again.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1203767972352987137

 

WWE has announced the releases of Konnor and Viktor aka The Ascension.

The company wished the tag team the best in their future endeavors in the announcement made on Sunday via WWE.com.

Konnor signed with WWE in 2010. Viktor signed with the company in 2011. After a successful run in NXT, the duo made their main roster debut in 2014. The Ascension failed to take off, however, and were used sparingly throughout their run.

Image result for the ascension wwe

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1203767972352987137

WWE Friday Night SmackDown Preview 12/6/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown will take place from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, North Carolina as the road to WWE TLC heats up.

  • King Corbin vows to humiliate Roman Reigns
  • Roman Reigns to face Dolph Ziggler as struggle for SmackDown supremacy continues
  • What happened to Daniel Bryan?

WWE’s 17th Annual Tribute To The Troops Tapings Today

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle is with Lacey Evans, Kalisto and other WWE Superstars at Camp LeJune in Jacksonville, Florida today to film material for the 2019 WWE Tribute to the Troops. Matches for the special will likely be taped today as well.

Angle wrote on Instagram, “Today, we are at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina… visiting the high intensity tactical training facility for the Marines. Thanks to ALL who serve in our military. #TributeToTheTroops”

The 17th annual WWE Tribute to the Troops will be the first time the event is held at US Marine Corps bases. WWE issued the following announcement this week, including comments from WWE Chairman Vince McMahon:

WWE® THANKS AMERICA’S ARMED FORCES WITH ANNUAL TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS®

STAMFORD, Conn. and Jacksonville, NC., – The 17th annual WWE Tribute to the Troops celebration will be held this Friday, December 6 at Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, marking the first time the event has been held at U.S. Marine Corps bases.WWE began Tribute to the Troops in 2003 to honor our servicemen and women and their families. While at the Marine bases, WWE Superstars will spend time giving back to military personnel and their families. In addition to live, in-ring WWE matches, activities include a Be a STAR bullying prevention rally, autograph signings, meet and greets, hangar tours and other various outreach initiatives across the bases. WWE Superstars will also distribute free Christmas trees to troops and their families in the spirit of the holiday season.

“We thank WWE for choosing Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to host WWE’s Tribute to the Troops,” said Colonel Curtis V. Ebitz, Jr., commanding officer of MCAS New River. “The event will give our hard-working, dedicated Marines a morale boost and some well-deserved fun.”

“We are honored to bring WWE’s 17th annual Tribute to the Troops to Marine Corps bases for the first time,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “Our troops are the backbone of this country, and we look forward to presenting them with memories that will last a lifetime.”

Marine Corps Air Station New River and Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune are the largest Marine Corps bases on the East Coast and home to the II Marine Expeditionary Force, the Marine Corps’ East Coast rotary wing and tilt rotor aircraft squadrons, and the Marine Corps’ School of Infantry.

There’s still no word yet on when the 2019 TTTT will air.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Network Free Tier Quietly Launches, Update On Plans

A version of the free tier of the WWE Network quietly launched yesterday morning.

The homepage for non-subscribers can be seen at watch.WWE.com now, as long as you’re not logged into an active subscriber account.

The free tier homepage currently features several carousels with content in them, some locked: Trending Now, Recently Added, Every PPV Ever, WWE NXT Highlights, Recent WWE Highlights, WWE Top 10, This Is NXT, Recent In-Ring Programming, WWE Network Essentials, TLC, Featured Series, Watch Full Matches, WWE’s Horsewomen, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar, WWE Network Pick of the Week.

There’s also a box above the carousels to plug what’s currently showing on the WWE Network live feed.

The “Recently Added” carousel features a lot of videos from WWE’s YouTube channel but PWInsider reports that this will change over time.

This is a “very early, unannounced rollout” of the free tier, according to PWI. This version was designed to beta test the free tier and find any potential issues before they officially launch it. The official launch could come some time in the next week. There have been plans to launch the full tiered version of the WWE Network, including a $14.99 version that would include non-WWE indie wrestling content, some time in January 2020, but there’s no word yet on if that is still the timeframe.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Natalya Says Jason Momoa Wants Her To Star In “The Wrestler 2”

It sounds like the sequel to The Wrestler is in the works.

As seen below in the WWE Total Divas bonus clip from this week’s episode, Natalya revealed to the other cast members that actor Jason Momoa wants her to appear in an upcoming movie, The Wrestler 2.

Natalya noted that Momoa wants her to play his former lover in the movie. Momoa will presumably play the lead role of the featured pro wrestler, but none of this has been officially announced. Natalya also said Momoa wants her to wrestle a match in the movie, and she was asked which other wrestler she thinks she would do well with in the ring.

“Once I found out who Jason Momoa is, I’m like, ‘this is pretty cool.’ He’s a really big star. He’s an actor who has been on Game of Thrones, he was in that movie Aquaman. So, the fact that he is now interested in having me in the movie is huge,” Natalya told the Total Divas cameras.

The Wrestler 2 would be the sequel to the popular 2008 drama that starred Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson. The movie was directed & produced by Darren Aronofsky, and also starred Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood. The film told the story of an aging Robinson, who continued to wrestle on the indies after mainstream success in the 1980s, while trying to find romance and repair his relationship with his daughter. The movie won several awards and made almost $50 million at the box office with a $6 million budget, according to film sites. Several wrestlers appeared in the movie and one of the matches with The Ram vs. Ernest “The Cat” Miller’s character took place at an ROH event, in an ROH ring. Wrestling stars who appeared in different scenes or as background extras in the movie included Miller, WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth, WWE announcer Nigel McGuinness, WWE NXT Superstar Robert Stone (Robbie E), Romeo Roselli, DJ Hyde, John Zandig, Necro Butcher, The Blue Meanie, Jay Lethal, Jim Powers, and several others. WWE Hall of Famer Afa Anoa’i and some of his trainers worked with Rourke to get him ready for the role.

The movie led to WWE promoting the film through a storyline that saw Chris Jericho go against several WWE Hall of Famers and Legends. After appearing at the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Rourke appeared at WrestleMania 25 for an angle that saw Jericho attack Ric Flair after his Handicap Match win over Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Snuka and Roddy Piper. Jericho then challenged Rourke, and the angle ended with Rourke entering the ring to drop Jericho with a punch.

There’s been no other word on The Wrestler 2 being produced.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Matt Hardy And Reby Hardy Welcome Third Child Together

Matt Hardy and Reby Hardy have reportedly welcomed their third son.

Reby gave birth to the new Hardy baby boy some time last night, according to PWInsider.

As seen below, Matt tweeted around 4:45am ET and wrote what presumably are the initials of the new baby boy. He tweeted, “BKH.”

The happy couple are receiving numerous congratulatory messages from fans and friends on social media.

Matt and Reby already have two sons together, Wolfgang and Maxel.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE NXT Preview 12/4/19

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air on the USA Network, live from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida.

  • Rhea Ripley looks for payback against Dakota Kai tonight
  • How will Adam Cole respond to Finn Bálor’s attack?
  • Can Lio Rush and Angel Garza be kept apart?
  • Kushida returns to action tonight

Kushida suffered a hairline wrist fracture in mid-September, but continued feuding with WWE UK Champion WALTER and Imperium into mid-October. He has been out of action since then.

It’s believed that tonight’s episode will also see Mauro Ranallo return to the announce table.

John Morrison (John Hennigan) Has Officially Signed With WWE

It was reported last night on WWE Backstage that John Morrison, 39, is headed back to WWE. It’s currently unclear which brand he’ll be assigned to. Terms of the contract weren’t disclosed either, but WWE.com is saying it’s a multi-year deal.

It was reported back in September that the former WWE Intercontinental Champion was returning to WWE after leaving in 2011.

Morrison had since worked for Impact Wrestling (fka Johnny Impact), Lucha Underground (fka Johnny Mundo), and other promotions.

On Twitter, Morrison commented, “Confirmed. I have signed with @WWE – I’ve never been as good at anything as I am at wrestling & I can’t wait to stand again in a #WWE ring opposite the most talented people in the business!”

Morrison will be the in-studio guest for WWE’s The Bump next Wednesday morning at 10am ET.

WWE RAW Preview 12/2/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee as the road to TLC continues.

For the third week in a row, WWE has not opened the day with an official preview for tonight’s show.

WWE has announced that tonight’s show will feature Seth Rollins issuing an apology to the red brand roster after last week’s apparent heel turn.

Charlotte Flair vs. WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match has also been announced for tonight.