Tag: WWE

Backstage Update On Jeff Hardy’s WWE Status

Jeff Hardy could be returning to action soon as he’s scheduled to be at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando next week.

Hardy is set to visit the Performance Center to have his progress towards an in-ring return checked on, according to PWInsider. Jeff has been out of action with a leg injury since shortly after WrestleMania 35 in April 2019. It was originally reported that he would be out of action for 6-9 months.

Regarding Jeff’s WWE contract, it was scheduled to expire on Sunday, March 1 but WWE would add extra time to the contract to make up for the time he’s been out with the injury.

Matt’s WWE contract is still scheduled to expire on March 1. PWInsider reports that the talks between Matt and WWE continue, but his status has not changed beyond that. As we’ve noted, the “major hurdle” between the two sides on a new deal is not money, but how Matt would be used creatively moving forward.

As noted before, Jeff is scheduled to be back in court on Monday, April 6, the day after WrestleMania 36, for the charges related to his DWI arrest from October 3, 2019 in Moore County, NC. Jeff was also arrested in Myrtle Beach, SC on July 13, 2019 for public intoxication, but there’s no update on that court case as of this writing.

It was reported back in early January that WWE officials have pushed Jeff to address his personal health in the wake of those arrests, and that he has been working hard at doing that.

Stay tuned for updates on The Hardys.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 2/10/20

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Toyota Arena in Ontario, California with what WWE is billing as two “epic main events” for the show.

WWE has not posted an official preview for tonight’s RAW.

Matches announced:

* RAW Women’s Championship: (C) Becky Lynch vs. Asuka

* The Authors of Pain and RAW Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins & Murphy vs. Kevin Owens, Samoa Joe and The Viking Raiders.

The arena is also advertising Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rusev, Natalya, Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson, and others, but no appearance by WWE Champion Brock Lesnar.

WWE Announces WrestleMania 37 Location

WrestleMania is returning to the city of angels in 2021, as WWE has announced the annual event will take place at the yet-to-open SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California on March 28, 2021.

WWE will hold a news conference tomorrow at the stadium about the big event.

Below is WWE’s full announcement:

STAMFORD, Conn. – February 10, 2020 – Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. and WWE® (NYSE: WWE) are proud to announce that SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park in Los Angeles will host WWE’s pop-culture extravaganza, WrestleMania, on Sunday, March 28, 2021.”There is nothing quite like WrestleMania Week,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “It is a one-of-a-kind event that provides an economic boost to the region — and fans from around the world will find a city that is ready to host them and welcomes the spectacle.”

“The city of Inglewood is thrilled to say that WrestleMania will add to the growing number of national and internationally followed events that will be hosted in our city over the next eight years,” said Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. “WrestleMania brings excitement and is followed by almost every age demographic. With the scheduling of this marquee event, we can say without contradiction, the only thing that has changed in Inglewood is…everything.”

“WrestleMania is one of the world’s most-watched events, and we are proud to welcome WWE to the Inglewood community,” said Jason Gannon, Managing Director, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park. “WWE’s commitment to community is consistent with our mission to provide a lasting positive impact in the community. We look forward to making a difference with WWE.”

“On behalf of everyone at WWE, we are excited to bring WrestleMania back to Los Angeles,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “WrestleMania will set the bar for future sports and entertainment events held at SoFi Stadium as we add this facility to the list of iconic venues that have hosted our pop-culture extravaganza.”

WrestleMania is more than just a one-day event; it’s a week-long celebration. In addition to WrestleMania 37, other events include Friday Night SmackDown®, NXT® TakeOver™ and Monday Night Raw® at Staples Center, WrestleMania Axxess, WWE’s interactive fan festival at the Los Angeles Convention Center, as well as the 2021 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. WWE will also host more than a dozen community outreach events, including hospital visits and Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, designed to give back to the local region.

Over the past 13 years, WrestleMania has generated more than $1.3 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event. This year, WrestleMania 36 takes place Sunday, April 5 from Raymond James Stadium.

WWE Announces SummerSlam Week 2020 Details And Tickets

WWE has officially announced that SummerSlam 2020 tickets will go on sale Friday, March 6 at 10am ET. Travel packages will go on sale Tuesday, February 18.

WWE SummerSlam 2020 will take place on Sunday, August 23 from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusettes.

WWE also confirmed today that the TD Garden will host SmackDown on August 21, the NXT “Takeover: Boston” event on August 22, and then RAW on August 24. Tickets for those shows will go on sale beginning Friday, April 17 at 10am ET.

Below is WWE’s full SummerSlam 2020 announcement released today:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESUMMERSLAM ® TICKETS AVAILABLE FRIDAY, MARCH 6

TRAVEL PACKAGES AVAILABLE TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18

STAMFORD, Conn., February 7, 2020 – WWE ® (NYSE: WWE) today announced that SummerSlam tickets will be available on Friday, March 6 at 10 AM ET. SummerSlam takes place Sunday, August 23, 2020 from TD Garden in Boston and streams live around the world on WWE Network.

Ticket prices range from $25-$500 and can be purchased via http://www.ticketmaster.com or in person at TD Garden Ticket Office. SummerSlam Week four-pack tickets will also be available.*

In addition, SummerSlam Travel Packages, which include tickets to SummerSlam Week events, hotel accommodations and exclusive WWE Superstar meet-and-greet experiences, will be available Tuesday, February 18 beginning at 12 noon ET at http://www.SummerSlamTravel.com.

TD Garden will also host three other spectacular WWE live events including Friday Night SmackDown ® on August 21, NXT ® TakeOver ® on Saturday, August 22 and Monday Night Raw ® on August 24. Individual tickets for those events will be available beginning Friday, April 17 at 10 AM ET.

SummerSlam Week also includes activities designed to give back to the local community including Be a STAR® bullying prevention rallies, hospital visits and Make-A-Wish events. Additional information on these events will be announced in the future at https://www.wwe.com/shows/summerslam.

*All tickets are subject to service charges and facility fees.

WWE SmackDown Preview 2/7/20

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown will take place from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg will return to the blue brand tonight, presumably to reveal his Super ShowDown opponent

  • SmackDown to reveal “Who’s next for Goldberg?”
  • “Firefly Fun House” returns after Bray Wyatt’s Royal Rumble victory
  • Alexa Bliss, Naomi, Carmella and Dana Brooke meet in high-stakes Fatal 4-Way Match
  • The Miz & John Morrison to bring back “The Dirt Sheet” this Friday night on SmackDown
  • Daniel Bryan returns to Friday Night SmackDown

Shayna Baszler Reportedly Headed To The WWE RAW Roster

Former NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler is headed to the WWE RAW roster, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Baszler is scheduled to be a regular on the RAW brand soon. The move has been planned for a long time, close to a year or so.

There’s no word yet on what WWE has planned for Baszler on the red brand, but she’s been rumored for a WrestleMania 36 match with RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch. It will be interesting to see how Baszler debuts on RAW in the next few weeks to set that match up, if that is the plan.

Baszler coming to RAW also opens the door for a potential storyline with fellow Horsewoman Ronda Rousey. There’s no update on Rousey returning to WWE, but she’s recently expressed interest in working a shorter schedule.

Bowling For Soup Made A Song/Music Video About Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss stars in the new music video from Bowling for Soup in which the band sings all about her.

The song is called, you guessed it, “Alexa Bliss” and the video begins with two young boys (as well as the band) puling a Weird Science-like move by creating a real-version of her using a computer.

Alexa then spends the day hanging out with the two boys playing on the trampoline, shooting pool, playing uno and of course watching a wrestling match.

The chorus for the song is as follows:

(HEY!) Why can’t every girl be more like Alexa Bliss?

(HEY!) How can a chick on TV make me feel like this?

She’s got a finishing move called Twisted Bliss

And it’s like my heart is caught in a sleeper hold

Whoah-oh-oh

Vince McMahon Talks Potential “Transformative” WWE Network Deal, Selling PPV Rights

WWE announced today that the company is evaluating “strategic alternatives” for the WWE Network.

During today’s 2019 earnings call, Vince McMahon discussed the possibility of selling the rights of their major pay-per-views to another streaming service. McMahon said that they could continue on with their current model by adding new tiers (WWE quietly added a free tier to the Network last December), or they can “exercise the selling of our rights to all the major [streaming services]” to increase revenue.

“We have a lot of options,” McMahon said (h/t to The Wrap for the transcription). “We could continue on as we are now, with an enhancement of a tier… we also have an option right now, there’s no more better time to exercise the selling of our rights to all the majors who, quite frankly, all the majors are really clamoring for our content.

“So that could be a significant increase, obviously, in terms of revenue.”

McMahon did not confirm that the company would move in that direction, just that it was an option. He did say that they are far along in negotiations for potential deals for the Network and that if it is finalized, it “will be announced this quarter, that’s how far along we are.”

McMahon added that the potential deal will be “transformative” for the company.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Velveteen Dream Returns From Injury, Attacks Undisputed Era

The ominous tease showed on NXT last week was revealed to be for the return of Velveteen Dream last night, and he came back with a vengeance.

Last night’s show ended with Undisputed Era wrestling against Tommaso Ciampa, Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle to an apparent DQ finish.

Undisputed Era took advantage of the numbers game afterward and beat down their opponents. Adam Cole then grabbed a can of spray paint and tagged Ciampa’s back. As the show was ending, the tease for 2/5/20 hit the screen again and the camera panned back to show Velveteen Dream on the top rope. He then hit an axe handle smash on the group and went wild fighting them off.

Velveteen Dream continued his storyline with Roderick Strong, including wearing tights that said “Call me up Marina” and had Dream, Marina Shafir, and Strong and Shafir’s son airbrushed on them.

Dream has been out of action since October due to injury. He was written off TV with an attack angle in which Undisputed Era beat him down backstage.

Charlotte Flair Appeared On WWE NXT Following Rhea Ripley’s WrestleMania Challenge

Former NXT star Charlotte Flair returned to the brand on Wednesday night and learned there’s more unity on the roster than she remembered.

As you’ll recall, Ripley showed up on Raw this week as Charlotte was announcing who she’d wrestle against at WrestleMania due to her Royal Rumble victory. Rhea then dared Flair to challenge for her NXT Championship.

Last night on NXT, Bianca Belair was in the ring talking about what happened with Flair/Rhea this week when “The Queen” interrupted the promo.

Flair then made her way to the ring and received a “welcome home” chant from the crowd.

Charlotte pointed out how Rhea seems to have overlooked Bianca before their TakeOver: Portland match, but Ripley cut her off by making her entrance. The three women then had a war of words that ended with Rhea telling Charlotte “we are NXT,” then taking her down with Bianca Belair.