Tag: WWE

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.

https://twitter.com/WWE/status/1179553815550291968

WWE NXT Preview 10/2/19

NXT will air live on the USA Network from Full Sail Live in Winter Park, Florida at 8 ET.

The Bella Twins Returning To WWE On Friday’s SmackDown?

There’s now speculation on The Bella Twins possibly returning to WWE TV on Friday’s SmackDown FOX premiere from Los Angeles.

Nikki and sister Brie Bella participated in a special photo shoot on Tuesday, and Nikki posted a video to her Instagram Stories that is fueling the return rumors. You can see that video below.

“OK, doing a super fun soot today. It’s a surprise, can’t wait to tell all about it,” she said. She continued and pointed at a piece of her ring gear, adding, “I might have to wear that Friday. But yeah, so many surprises.”

Nikki later wrote in another IG post that featured her inside of a boxing ring, “little sneak peek”

You can see the related posts below:

https://twitter.com/WrestlingInc/status/1179403452537024512

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Gb5vElYWe/?utm_source=ig_embed

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Ga7dhFO1D/?utm_source=ig_embed

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Stephanie McMahon Reveals Daughter Is Training To Wrestle, Talks WWE On FOX

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon is making the media rounds this week to promote Friday’s big WWE SmackDown FOX premiere from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. As seen below, McMahon appeared on FS1’s First Things First program earlier today, with hosts Cris Carter, Nick Wright and Jenna Wolfe.

Stephanie was asked what the new FOX partnership means for WWE, and how exciting this time of year is for them. She said the partnership has been years in the making, if not destined to be, and the two companies are a perfect match.

“Words really can’t describe how excited we are,” Stephanie said. “This is a partnership that I think has been many, many years in the making, if not destined to be. FOX is the best at live television, the best at sports, the best at events, and I like to think that WWE is the same. So, we’re, I think, a perfect match. A perfect tag team, if you will.”

Carter noted how WWE has done a great job at re-branding, and asked Stephanie how to explain WWE to newcomers to try and generate more interest in Friday’s show, and why they should tune in. Stephanie said fans tuning in for the first time will see something they’ve never seen before, a true spectacle.

“They’re going to see something that they’ve never seen before,” she said. “It truly is a spectacle and it is the best combination of sports and entertainment. So, you break down the storytelling piece – it’s no different than anything else that’s out there. It’s protagonist vs. antagonist, with conflict resolution. The only difference is our conflicts are settled inside a 20×20 foot ring, with some of the greatest live action that you can see, in any sport or entertainment property.”

Stephanie and Triple H currently have three daughters together – 13 year old Aurora Rose, 11 year old Murphy Claire, and 9 year old Vaughn Evelyn. Carter asked Stephanie if she would encourage their daughters to get involved with the business once they were of age, and that’s when she revealed that Aurora has already started training for an in-ring career one day.

“My oldest daughter has already started training,” Stephanie revealed. “And I would encourage them to follow their passion, you know, whatever they believe in, as long as they work hard at it. I believe in a strong work ethic and I believe they can do anything in the world they wanna do, but they’re gonna have to believe in themselves and work hard.”

Stephanie also promoted The Rock’s big return to TV on Friday’s SmackDown FOX premiere, which will also be the SmackDown 20th Anniversary special.

“Absolutely, The Rock is going to be there on Friday, on Friday Night SmackDown,” she said. “This Friday, live on FOX at 8pm ET, and he’s going to layeth the smacketh down on the entire audience. I can’t wait to see what he’s going to do.”

Finally, Stephanie was asked if she plans on making a return to the ring.

“Well, I can’t give that away,” she laughed. “Anything can happen in WWE. Mother – daughter tag team? No, it’s not… but maybe.”

The hosts ended the interview by welcoming Stephanie and WWE to the FOX family. She said it’s her privilege to be a part of the family. She also talked about WWE changing the women’s division during the Women’s Revolution, female Superstars headlining WrestleMania 35, and more during the interview.

Source: Wrestling Inc.