Tag: WWE

WWE SmackDown FOX Premiere Viewership Draws Big Numbers

This week’s WWE SmackDown FOX premiere and 20th Anniversary episode drew 3.869 million viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is up 84% from last week’s 2.099 million viewers for the final USA Network episode. To compare, Monday’s RAW season premiere drew an average of 2.571 million viewers, up from last week’s 2.210 million viewers.

SmackDown won the night in the coveted 18-49 demo, averaging a 1.35 rating over the two hours. The closest number to SmackDown for the demo was Hawaii Five-O from 8-9pm, which scored a 0.7 rating for Adults 18-49.

For the night in terms of overall viewership, SmackDown was #4 behind Blue Bloods on CBS (7.387 million viewers), Hawaii Five-O (6.393 million), Magnum P.I. (6.024 million) and The Blacklist (3.965 million).

Below is 2019 SmackDown Viewership Tracker:

January 1 Episode: 2.091 million viewers (New Year’s episode, taped)
January 8 Episode: 2.032 million viewers
January 15 Episode: 2.143 million viewers
January 22 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
January 29 Episode: 2.137 million viewers (post-Royal Rumble episode)
February 5 Episode: 1.841 million viewers (State of the Union competition)
February 12 Episode: 2.034 million viewers
February 19 Episode: 2.269 million viewers (post-Elimination Chamber episode)
February 26 Episode: 2.150 million viewers
March 5 Episode: 2.155 million viewers
March 12 Episode: 2.198 million viewers (post-Fastlane episode)
March 19 Episode: 2.208 million viewers
March 26 Episode: 2.393 million viewers
April 2 Episode: 2.141 million viewers
April 9 Episode: 2.199 million viewers (post-WrestleMania 35 episode)
April 16 Episode: 2.219 million viewers (Superstar Shakeup episode)
April 23 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
April 30 Episode: 1.833 million viewers
May 7 Episode: 1.931 million viewers
May 14 Episode: 1.827 million viewers (taped episode from London)
May 21 Episode: 1.983 million viewers (post-Money In the Bank episode)
May 28 Episode: 2.072 million viewers
June 4 Episode: 2.016 million viewers
June 11 Episode: 1.930 million viewers (post-Super ShowDown episode)
June 18 Episode: 1.859 million viewers
June 25 Episode: 1.921 million viewers (post-Stomping Grounds episode)
July 2 Episode: 1.890 million viewers
July 9 Episode: 1.853 million viewers
July 16 Episode: 2.122 million viewers (post-Extreme Rules episode)
July 23 Episode: 2.162 million viewers
July 30 Episode: 1.911 million viewers
August 6 Episode: 2.088 million viewers
August 13 Episode: 2.164 million viewers (post-SummerSlam episode)
August 20 Episode: 2.142 million viewers
August 27 Episode: 2.088 million viewers
September 3 Episode: 2.130 million viewers
September 10 Episode: 2.061 million viewers
September 17 Episode: 2.064 million viewers (post-Clash of Champions episode)
September 24 Episode: 2.099 million viewers (final USA Network episode)
October 4 Episode: 3.869 million viewers (FOX premiere episode)

2018 Total: 122.304 million viewers
2018 Average: 2.352 million viewers per episode

2017 Total: 132.401 million viewers
2017 Average: 2.546 million viewers per episode

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Jeff Hardy Arrested Again On Thursday Night For DWI, Matt Hardy Comments

WWE SmackDown Superstar Jeff Hardy was arrested on Thursday evening in Moore County, North Carolina, according to PWInsider. Hardy was charged with Driving While Impaired.

Moore County police confirmed that Hardy was released from custody at around 11:30pm ET on Thursday night. They declined to give additional details, citing the ongoing investigation.

This arrest comes after Hardy was arrested for public intoxication and impairment in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina back in mid-July.

Jeff is currently out of action for WWE, recovering from knee surgery that he underwent in May. It was reported that he would be out of action for 6-9 months.

Matt Hardy has taken to social media to offer a statement regarding the incident.

“Since so many have asked me about my brother,” Matt said on Twitter. “I love my brother & want him to be happy & healthy. I’ve expressed that to him as much as I can. Jeff has to make his decisions about his life.

“I have to focus on my 2 boys & soon to arrive son. I can only control MY actions.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Edge Reportedly Cleared For A WWE Ring Return, Edge Apparently Responds To The Reports

WWE Hall of Famer Edge is now expected to make his WWE ring return soon.

The Rated R Superstar reportedly been cleared to return to in-ring competition for WWE, according to a new report from @fightoracle, who has broken several pro wrestling scoops over the years.

There’s no word yet on when Edge will wrestle again, but he is medically cleared and under contract once again.

As noted earlier today, via the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Edge recently signed a new WWE contract after negotiating with both WWE and AEW. This led to Edge receiving a significant offer from WWE to stay.

It was also reported earlier that the idea of having Edge wrestle has been discussed very privately within WWE. Edge recently performed a Spear on Elias at SummerSlam and was cleared for the move after years of not being cleared for anything. Edge, who turns 46 later this month, recently left his podcast with Christian, but Christian will keep it going. He noted on a recent show that he could do a WWE match, but likely would be blown up. He added that he believes WWE doctors wouldn’t allow it though.

 

WWE Hall of Famer Edge took to Twitter and apparently addressed the reports on his WWE future.

“No I’m not and no I’m not,” he wrote.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

 

Cain Velasquez Says He’s Not Officially Signed To WWE, Has Had Talks With AEW

UFC legend Cain Velasquez shocked the WWE Universe when he debuted on SmackDown earlier tonight … but apparently he’s still a free agent.

Velasquez debuted on Friday Night SmackDown’s FOX premiere last night and attacked his former UFC rival Brock Lesnar, who had just defeated Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship.

The former two-time UFC heavyweight champion told ESPN that he is yet to put pen to paper at this time, though the publication claims he’s currently in advanced talks with WWE.

“We’ve talked a little bit back and forth and nothing happened,” Velasquez told the publication in regards to his talks with WWE. “They wanted to see my development. I think they’re pleased with what I’m doing now.” ESPN reports WWE came back to the table after his impressive matches in AAA.

Velasquez said he’s also had discussions with other wrestling promotions, including All Elite Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Velasquez trained at the WWE Performance Center in July of last year. Pro Wrestling Sheet Editor-in-Chief Ryan Satin spoke with Triple H earlier this week and he talked about Cain’s current involvement in wrestling, noting there’s a lot Velasquez could do in WWE if his full focus is on professional wrestling.

“This is definitely my focus,” Velasquez told ESPN after tonight’s SmackDown. “My family is into it, they love it. They’re super excited. I haven’t seen them excited over something like this in a while. It’s

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

It was noted on MMAFighting.com by Dave Meltzer that Velasquez vs. Lesnar would likely take place at WWE Crown Jewel on October 31 in Saudi Arabia, or at WrestleMania 36 on April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida.

Brock Lesnar Defeats Kofi Kingston For WWE Championship, Confronted By Cain Velasquez

A ghost from Brock Lesnar’s past came back to haunt him before he could celebrate winning the WWE Championship on WWE Friday Night SmackDown’s debut on FOX last night.

Lesnar made short work of Kofi Kingston with one move, a F5, to capture the gold in the main event, but his smiles were short lived. Before The Beast could begin his celebrations, Rey Mysterio made his way to ring … alongside former UFC fighter Cain Velasquez.

Lesnar and Heyman looked on from the ring, shocked. Cain entered the ring and ducked a shot from Lesnar, then tackled him. Cain pounded on Lesnar on the mat as Lesnar resisted and tried to retreat. He finally escaped the ring and stared Cain down from the ramp. Lesnar teased going back in but finally walked back to the stage as fans booed him. SmackDown went off the air with Cain standing tall in the ring with Mysterio while Lesnar and Heyman watched from the stage.

In case you’re not aware, the last time these two men came to blows was in UFC back in 2010. Velasquez won that battle easily, so Brock will most certainly be looking for some payback.

Velasquez had been in talks with WWE, but was also interested in AEW.

Shane McMahon “Fired” By Kevin Owens After Losing Ladder Match On SmackDown

Last night on the Friday Night SmackDown debut on FOX, Shane McMahon has been “fired.”

It all went down at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Shane went one-on-one with his bitter rival Kevin Owens in a ladder match. The end of the match came about when KO powerbombed Shane onto a ladder, then climbed another ladder in the center of the ring to retrieve the briefcase and end the WWE career of Shane-O-Mac.

After the match, KO took a page out of the McMahon family playbook by grabbing a mic and yelling “YOU’RE FIRED!” at his former boss right before giving him a stunner.

WWE Friday Night SmackDown Debut On FOX – 20th Anniversary Special Preview 10/4/19

Tonight’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown debut on FOX will air live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Tonight’s show will also be the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special.

CM Punk – WWE Backstage FS1 Role Reportedly A “Done Deal”

It looks like CM Punk will be affiliated with WWE once again.

Punk signing with FOX for the WWE Backstage studio show on FS1 is said to be a “done deal,” according to @fightoracle, who has broken several wrestling TV-related stories in the past.

As we’ve noted, Punk recently tried out for the weekly WWE Backstage studio show after his agent reached out to FOX. Punk’s tryout reportedly went well.

The show premieres at 11pm ET on Tuesday, November 5 with Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T as the hosts. It’s been reported that FOX has been testing various formats for the show, and that other personalities will be used with Renee and Booker. Punk could be one of those personalities, but it seems like he would be used better in a prominent role.

It was noted in the new report from @fightoracle that Punk has signed on to work as a commentator on the show.

Punk would be working for FOX and not WWE as this is a show that FOX is running. WWE will obviously have some input and direction, but this is a FOX program. WWE would likely have to sign off on any personalities used. Punk appearing on a WWE-affiliated show each week will create obvious speculation on a WWE ring return, and it’s been noted that fans will expect that return once they see him on the show.

Triple H recently appeared on the Sports Illustrated Podcast and was asked about Punk possibly working on the WWE Backstage show, and if Punk appearing on the show would be something he’d sign off on, and be happy to see.

“Look, I’ve read about that as well,” Triple H said of the Punk – FS1 reports. “You know, to be clear, FOX is doing this show, and it’s their show, and it’s something they’re doing to talk about the WWE Universe and everything going on in it. They’ve had a long list of people they’ve been interviewing and everything, but as far as for us, one of the things I think this company has shown over and over again, is never say never.

“If the opportunity is right for everybody and it’s right for our fans, then we are willing to put the past behind us and move forward. So, I would say, never say never, but that’s also probably a long way from coming to. I don’t know. That’s also a little bit outside of my purview at the moment, but like I said, never say never.”

That same day, Punk appeared on Collider Live and confirmed the tryout reports.

“Yeah I did it,” Punk said. “I’m very much in a position where, ‘Well come talk to me.’

“I’m open to anything,” Punk continued, adding that this does not necessarily include wrestling. “If they come to me with, ‘Hey we want you to wrestle,’ I’ll say, ‘um, I’m not interested’.”

Punk also confirmed that he and his agents are dealing with FOX, not WWE.

“My agents just called me and FOX is throwing everything at this because they spent a lot of money on this and they’re all in to make it work. Originally I thought it was a WWE thing, so I was just like, ‘meh, no.’ But then they said, ‘this is FOX.'”

He continued, “I’m not dealing with anybody in WWE. They explained to me what it was and I love Renee Young. Renee Young is a great person… she’s Canadian, so obviously she’s super over-the-top nice and friendly. I prefaced it with, ‘Guys, I’m not going to come in and dump all over stuff just to dump on it. That’s old Phil. But if it’s bad, I’m not going to be able to pretend it’s anything but bad.’

“So they want to present it like it’s a real sport and just have a show that recaps stuff, just like they do with the NFL, just like the NHL Network would do with hockey games and stuff like that. That’s where we are with that.”

Punk also revealed that no one from WWE has contacted him since the FS1 tryout. He joked, “No, I’m the boogeyman!”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Tommaso Ciampa Returns To NXT Following Neck Injury

Tommaso Ciampa made his highly-anticipated return to NXT on last night.

The former NXT Champion resurfaced in dramatic fashion this evening following the conclusion of the main event tag team title match – which ended due to interference from Roderick Strong.

Adam Cole hit the stage after the match was over to congratulate his stablemates, when suddenly Ciampa’s music and the Blackheart stared him down as the show came to a close.

Ciampa was forced to relinquish the NXT Championship (a.k.a., Goldie) after undergoing anterior cervical fusion surgery back in March. He was then replaced in main event of NXT TakeOver: New York by Adam Cole, who lost to Johnny Gargano in a two-out-of-three falls match for the vacant title.

Finn Bálor Makes Surprise NXT Return

Former NXT Champion Finn Bálor made a surprise return to WWE NXT last night.

Bálor confronted current NXT Champion Adam Cole following his victory over Matt Riddle in the opening match.

Bálor proclaimed – “As of now, Finn Bálor is NXT.”

Bálor’s last NXT match was on 30 July 2016, when he teamed with Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat Bobby Roode and Samoa Joe. The former Universal Champion recently went on a hiatus from the main roster after losing to “The Fiend” at SummerSlam.

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