Tag: WWE

Ruby Riott Returns From Injury, Attacks Liv Morgan

After months away from the ring, Ruby Riott is back! Unfortunately for Liv Morgan, the Riott Squad reunion was short-lived.

Last night on WWE RAW after Liv defeated Lana in a singles match. Ruby made her way to the ring afterward and an excited Morgan welcomed her friend into the ring. Before they could embrace, however, Liv’s former tag partner beat her down in the ring.

Ruby last wrestled in May of 2019 at a live event. That same month it was announced she was undergoing surgery to repair both of her shoulders.

The 29-year-old wrestler had reportedly been seen at the WWE Performance Center in recent months in possible preparation for a return to the ring.

WWE RAW Preview 2/3/20

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah as the Road to WrestleMania 36 continues.

WWE has not announced an official preview for tonight.

Will they announce any matches for Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia?

Ho will they follow-up on Randy Orton taking out WWE Hall of Famer Edge last week.

WWE has not announced Edge or any other stars for tonight’s RAW, but advertised on the website is RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, AJ Styles, Rey Mysterio, AOP, Samoa Joe, The Viking Raiders, and RAW Tag Team Champion Buddy Murphy. The arena also has Orton, Kevin Owens, Bobby Lashley, and RAW Tag Team Champion Seth Rollins advertised for tonight.

WWE Co-Presidents George Barrios And Michelle Wilson Departing Company

Nearly two years after they were promoted to Co-Presidents of WWE, George Barrios and Michelle Wilson are leaving the company.

The full announcement from WWE states:

WWE® Announces Management Transition
01/30/2020

STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today announced that Co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson will depart the company, effective immediately, and will no longer serve on its Board of Directors.

Frank A. Riddick III, who has served as a member of WWE’s Board of Directors for more than 11 years, has been named interim Chief Financial Officer, reporting to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon. WWE has commenced a search for both a permanent Chief Financial Officer and Chief Revenue Officer.

WWE remains well positioned to continue its growth and operate effectively against its strategic priorities, including content creation and distribution, digitization, and localization in key markets around the world. The Company expects its full year 2019 Adjusted OIBDA to be approximately $180 million.

“I would like to thank George and Michelle for their 10+ years of service and contributions to the organization,” said McMahon. “I am grateful for all that was accomplished during their tenure, but the Board and I decided a change was necessary as we have different views on how best to achieve our strategic priorities moving forward.

“We have a deep team of talented, experienced and committed executives across the organization, and the Board and I have great confidence in our collective abilities to create compelling content, engage our global fanbase across platforms, increase revenues, and drive shareholder value.”

Riddick previously served as CEO for FloWorks International, LLC, JMC Steel Group, Formica Corporation, and Triangle Pacific Corp., and President/COO of Armstrong World Industries, Inc. He has also served in executive management positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Controller, Treasurer, and Vice President of Mergers and Acquisitions during a career that spans 40 years. Riddick also served as Compensation Committee Chairman and member of the Audit Committee as a part of WWE’s Board of Directors.

Barrios and Wilson were promoted to their positions in February of 2018. At the time, it was said this was done “in recognition of their contributions to four years of record revenues and the successful transformation to a multi-platform business model.”

 

There has been a lot of speculation and some conspiracy theories about why Barrios and Wilson are gone, but word is that the main reason they’re out is that they and Vince had completely different visions as to how WWE could generate revenue, new and existing revenue, moving forward.

The timing of the announcement was very interesting as WWE is scheduled to report their fourth quarter and full 2019 earnings report next Thursday. PWInsider notes that this makes it clear that Vince isn’t happy with how things were going for the company, and he felt like it was time for a change. There’s a very small circle of people who know exactly what went down and it’s likely that the full situation and how it did go down won’t be known for a long time, due to corporate non-disclosures and severance packages. It’s believed that both Wilson and Barrios will receive a seven-figure severance package.

Sources: Pro Wrestling Sheet and Wrestling Inc.

wwe george barrios michelle wilson departing company

Luke Harper (Brodie Lee) Reportedly Making His AEW Debut Soon

Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Brodie Lee, f.k.a. Luke Harper, is reportedly expected to make his AEW debut soon.

The 40 year old Lee is expected to sign a new AEW contract and then make his debut during their March 18 Dynamite episode from his hometown of Rochester, NY, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. He will likely go back to using the Brodie Lee name in AEW.

The Observer noted that Lee, who is scheduled to appear at WrestleCon during WrestleMania 36 Weekend in early April, will be able to legally start with any other promotion before March 18, but the idea is that it’s best to debut him in Rochester as he’s guaranteed to receive a major reaction there. It was previously reported that Harper, Sin Cara and The Ascension would see their WWE non-compete clauses expire on Sunday, March 8.

Lee filed to trademark the “Brodie Lee” ring name back on November 26, shortly before he was granted his WWE release on December 8, along with Sin Cara and The Ascension.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Preview 1/31/20

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma with the fallout from the WWE Royal Rumble.

  • Roman Reigns and King Corbin gather their troops for rematch on Super SmackDown
  • Braun Strowman gets Intercontinental Title opportunity against Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Shorty G takes on Sheamus in Royal Rumble rematch
  • Heavy Machinery, Lucha House Party, The Miz & John Morrison & The Revival set for high-stakes battle

WWE NXT Preview 1/29/20

Tonight’s WWE NXT episode will air live from the NXT Arena at Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida with the finals of the 2020 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.

  • NXT Champion Adam Cole’s TakeOver: Portland challenger to be named
  • Matt Riddle & Pete Dunne to battle Grizzled Young Veterans in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Final
  • Former best friends Tegan Nox and Dakota Kai to battle
  • What’s next for new NXT North American Champion Keith Lee?

Samoa Joe Reportedly Injured On WWE RAW

During WWE RAW on Monday night, Samoa Joe teamed with Kevin Owens to face RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Buddy Murphy for the titles.

At one point during the match, Joe hit a dive and grabbed the back of his head. He was then pulled out of the match and taken to the back. Owens ended up finishing the match by himself, however was ultimately pinned by Murphy.

PWInsider reports that the injury was 100% legitimate and WWE medical personnel made the decision to pull him from the bout. After Joe was removed, the rest of the talent were calling the match on the fly.

Joe was evaluated backstage after the match. Dave Meltzer reported on Wrestling Observer Radio that the belief is that Joe suffered a concussion, although that is not definite yet.

Joe had just returned to action last month after suffering a thumb injury last September.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Andrade Suspended For WWE Wellness Policy Violation

Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that United States Champion Andrade has been suspended by WWE for violating the company’s Wellness Policy.

Andrade – real name Manuel Oropeza – was told of the suspension yesterday morning. It’s unclear what substance he tested positive for at this time.

In an effort to write him off television for the next thirty days, the 30-year-old wrestler was disqualified from his match on Raw tonight due to interference from Zelina Vega. His opponent Humberto Carrillo then took him outside of the ring in a rage and hit the Hammerlock DDT on Andrade on the concrete.

As per usual, WWE is expected to announce the suspension on their corporate website.

As you’ll recall, Robert Roode and Primo Colon were suspended in December for violations of the company’s Wellness Policy. Roode has since returned to television. Primo has remained in Puerto Rico and claims his violation was for refusing to travel to the United States to take a test.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

 

UPDATE:

WWE has confirmed that United States Champion Andrade has been suspended for 30 days due to his first violation of the WWE Wellness Policy.

WWE issued the following today to confirm the suspension:

WWE® SUSPENDS MANUEL OROPEZASTAMFORD, CONN., January 28, 2020 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) has suspended Manuel Oropeza (Andrade) for 30 days effective immediately, for his first violation of the company’s talent wellness policy.

Edge Explains How He Returned From Neck Injury, Then Gets Con-Chair-To’ed (VIDEO)

Edge addressed the elephant in the room Monday during his return to Raw … then his old tag partner Randy Orton showed up to ruin all the fanfare.

“The Rated-R Supertar” began the segment saying he’s been trying to get healthy again since retiring and immediately got to work making it happen nine years ago.

The WWE Hall of Famer revealed he got a second neck surgery and busted his ass to get cleared.

“I got in the best in the shape of my life at 46 years old, so that I could step back in here, so that I could end my career on my terms,” he added. Edge claimed to not know how long he’ll be able to wrestle again, but said he hopes all of the fans join him on this ride.

As we previously reported, Edge is expected to wrestle a few matches a year at big events under the terms of his new WWE contract.

During the speech on Raw, former Rated RKO partner Randy Orton interrupted and came to the ring to talk about their history together. Orton asked Edge if he wanted to team together again, but before he could answer Randy hit him with an RKO.

Orton then hit Edge with a chair and eventually a con-chair-to as the show came to a close.

Watch the end-of-show attack below.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

WWE RAW Preview 1/27/20

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas with fallout from the 2020 Royal Rumble event.

  • Liv Morgan battles Lana with Lashley and Rusev banned from ringside
  • Who will Drew McIntyre and Charlotte Flair challenge at WrestleMania 36 after their Royal Rumble victories