Tag: WWE

Team Flair Vs. Team Hogan Match Set For WWE Crown Jewel

WWE has announced a big Team Flair vs. Team Hogan ten-man tag match for WWE Crown Jewel 2019 in Saudi Arabia.

WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan will be the two coaches for the teams. Hogan’s Team Captain is WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins, while Randy Orton will be the Team Captain for Team Flair. The match was announced during MizTV on tonight’s RAW season premiere.

Crown Jewel 2019, which will air on the WWE Network, will take place on Halloween, Thursday, October 31, from the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Others advertised for the event are The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, WWE Champion Kofi Kingston, WWE United States Champion AJ Styles, Roman Reigns, Big E, Xavier Woods, “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, Braun Strowman, Rey Mysterio and Mansoor Al-Shehail.

Crown Jewel 2019 will be a part of “Riyadh Season” that runs from October 15 through December 15. The Saudis will be holding 11 festivals during these two months, as a way to boost domestic and international tourism in the country, and Crown Jewel will be a part of the festivals. This will be WWE’s fourth big event under their ten-year deal with the Saudi General Sports Authority.

Regarding the Team Hogan vs. Team Flair match, Orton and Rollins will announce their partners over the next few weeks. Rusev will be on Team Hogan while King Baron Corbin is on Team Flair.

Bobby Lashley And Lana Make A Steamy Return To WWE TV

WWE Raw this week ended with the returns of Bobby Lashley and Lana whose surprise appearance together included an uncomfortably long steamy makeout session.

This week’s Raw was originally scheduled to feature Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio in the main event. Mysterio and his son Dominick was taken out by Brock Lesnar at the top of show and was  later replaced by Rusev.

Mid-way through the match, while cutting to commercial, a limousine was shown pulling up.

The match ultimately came to a no-contest ending when Lashley’s music hit and he hit the stage to taunt Rusev. Moments later, Lana joined Bobby onstage and they started their long steamy kissing session as Lana’s husband Rusev watched from the ring.

The Rock Set To Appear On Friday Night SmackDown’s FOX Premiere

Finally … The Rock has confirmed he’ll appear on FOX this week for the premiere of SmackDown.

The Great One made the much-anticipated announcement via Twitter and it was announced on last night’s RAW.

“FINALLY…I come back home to my [WWE] universe,” The Rock wrote, before vowing to buy everyone a tequila after the show.

Friday Night SmackDown will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the blue brand in just a few days. The Rock will be joined in the Staples Center by fellow WWE legends such as Hulk Hogan, Sting, Mick Foley, Booker T, Ric Flair, Goldberg and Lita.

Check out The Rock’s tweet below.

WWE RAW Season Premiere Preview 9/30/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW season premiere will take place from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

* Debut of the new RAW announce team with Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler

WWE Confirms Pyro Is Returning, New Sets And Graphics To Debut

WWE has confirmed that not only are new sets on the way, but pyro is also making a return.

The New York Post’s Joseph Staszewski tweeted saying, “Talked with #WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn about [WWE on Fox]. Confirmed there will be new sets, openings, logos, graphics & theme music for both #Raw and SmackDown. Pyro is also returning including “flames, lasers.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

CM Punk Films Test Material For WWE Show Earlier This Week, More Names FOX Brought In To Try Out

The rumblings on CM Punk and WWE continue.

Wrestling Observer Newsletter has reported how WWE has an impression that Punk wants to be back with the company, but right now it’s nothing they are counting on to happen. This report comes after it was revealed in the summer how Punk’s representative went to FOX to try and push Punk as a co-host of the new “WWE Backstage” studio show on FS1. WWE was not interested in Punk for that role, and it was officially announced this week that the show will be hosted by Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

In an update, multiple WWE sources have confirmed to PWInsider that Punk was at FOX Studios earlier this week in Los Angeles to discuss a potential on-air role for the WWE Backstage show on FS1, which premieres on Tuesday, November 5 at 11pm ET.

There’s no word yet on what all went down at the meeting, but Punk did do some on-camera testing. Renee was also present for the meeting.

It has not been confirmed that Punk has signed a deal to work on the show. We’ve noted how FOX brought in several WWE and non-WWE personalities to Los Angeles this summer to try out for the show. Taz and WWE Hall of Famer Sean Waltman were also brought in several times over the past few months to try out, according to PWInsider, and it was also reported that Paige and Rey Mysterio were considered. There’s also no word yet on which personalities will be used along with Renee and Booker.

FOX has experimented with different versions of the show and how it will be presented, ranging from 3-5 personalities hosting a panel discussion. A final decision on the format had not been agreed on as of earlier this week.

As noted, FOX will be taping the series each week, not WWE. Punk would technically be working for FOX and not WWE, if he signs on to be a part of the show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Lana Finally Returning To WWE TV Soon?

Lana could finally be returning to WWE TV soon.

WWE recently brought Rusev back to RAW but there was no sign or mention of Lana. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Lana wasn’t brought back with Rusev because WWE officials have other ideas for her character.

There’s no word yet on what WWE has planned for Lana, but they do want to use her in the storylines.

Lana last appeared on WWE TV for the April 23 post-Shakeup SmackDown episode, and last competed at WrestleMania 35 for the Women’s Battle Royal.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage Updates On The Future Of WWE 205 Live

It was reported earlier this week that the WWE 205 Live series is set to move to Friday nights on the WWE Network next week, and that WWE would still film the show after SmackDown each week.

In an update, Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that this is not a permanent schedule change. 205 Live will air from Los Angeles next Friday night, after SmackDown goes off the air, but the company has not decided on if they will keep the show on Fridays. It was noted that several ideas are being thrown around, including possibly ending 205 Live altogether. Until they come to a final decision on the future of the show, it will air on the WWE Network after SmackDown goes off the air on Fridays.

It was also reported earlier this week that the WWE NXT creative team is now handling 205 Live. Meltzer noted that Triple H is in charge of 205 Live and described it as “his show.”

Apparently 205 Live is suffering from low viewership on the WWE Network as well. Meltzer noted that Network numbers show that the show hasn’t done well in a long time. He speculated that it would be more cost-effective for WWE to sell an hour of weekly post-SmackDown programming to FS1 or some other network, than to tape 205 Live for airing on the WWE Network each week.

WWE should be making an announcement on the 205 Live timeslot change soon.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

John Hennigan Reportedly Has Signed A Deal To Return To WWE

Former WWE Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion John Hennigan (John Morrison, Johnny Impact) has signed a deal to return to WWE, according to PWInsider.

The 39 year old last worked for WWE in 2011. Since then he has had stints with Impact Wrestling, Lucha Underground and other promotions.

There’s no word yet on when Hennigan will make his return to the company, or if he will resume use of the Morrison name. Stay tuned for updates on his return.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Confirms New Announce Teams For Raw And Friday Night SmackDown, WWE Premiere Week News

WWE has announced new commentary teams with some big changes for Raw and SmackDown.

According to WWE, the announce teams going forward are as follows:

RAW – Vic Joseph, Dio Maddin and Jerry Lawler

Friday Night SmackDown – Michael Cole and Corey Graves with Renee Young as a Special Contributor

WWE announced the following:

STAMFORD, Conn. – WWE Premiere Week ushers in an unprecedented era of coverage with special episodes of Monday Night Raw, NXT, Total Divas and the FOX debut of Friday Night SmackDown bringing fans eight hours of primetime programming.

As part of WWE Premiere Week, new voices will be brought to the Raw, NXT and SmackDown broadcasts. Raw’s new announce team will include play-by-play from Vic Joseph with Dio Maddin and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler serving as analysts; NXT play-by-play will be called by Mauro Ranallo with Beth Phoenix and Nigel McGuiness as analysts; and SmackDown will feature Michael Cole handling play-by-play, Corey Graves serving as analyst and Renee Young as a Special Contributor.

Monday, September 30

The season premiere of Monday Night Raw airs at 8/7 C on USA Network as WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins defends his title against Rey Mysterio; The Miz hosts WWE Hall of Famers Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair on a special edition of Miz TV; Brock Lesnar makes a special appearance; AJ Styles defends his United States Title vs. Cedric Alexander; and Alexa Bliss takes on Sasha Banks.

Wednesday, October 2

NXT will make its two-hour live premiere this Wednesday, October 2, on USA Network at 8/7 C, as The Undisputed ERA defend their golden prophecy and the NXT Tag Team Championships in a match against the Street Profits. Also, NXT Champion Adam Cole defends his title against Matt Riddle; NXT Women’s Champion Shayna Baszler takes on Candice LeRae; Johnny Gargano competes against Shane Thorne; and fans can witness “The Velveteen Dream Experience.”

Immediately following NXT, season nine of Total Divas will premiere on E! at 10/9 C. The hit series is back with a season more personal and action-packed than ever. WWE Superstar Ronda Rousey joins Natalya, Naomi and Nia Jax for the new season, which also includes returning cast member Carmella and newcomer Sonya Deville. Nikki Bella and Brie Bella will make guest appearances in the series as well.

Friday, October 4

SmackDown’s 20th anniversary will kick off the new era of Friday Night SmackDown’s highly-anticipated move to FOX broadcast network on Friday, October 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, when WWE Champion Kofi Kingston puts his title on the line against Brock Lesnar. The Four Horsewomen also square off as WWE Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair team up against WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley and Sasha Banks in tag team competition. Later Kevin Owens and Shane McMahon look to finally settle their ongoing dispute in a high-stakes Ladder Match with the loser forced to leave WWE.

Prior to the premiere, the Friday Night SmackDown Kickoff Show “blue carpet” special will air at 7:30 p.m. ET/PT on FOX from the Staples Center, featuring celebrity, Superstar and Legend arrivals, as well as backstage access.

Michael Cole’s return to SmackDown marks the end of a long run on Raw for “The Voice of WWE.” He first joined the Raw commentary team in 2008 and has remained there since. Before that he was the lead play-by-play man on SmackDown for nearly ten years.

Maddin recently made his debut on commentary during a recent edition of 205 Live.

The NXT announce team will reportedly stay the same for now. No word at this point on where Tom Phillips and Byron Saxton will be utilized in the future.

Lawler will likely only be used for a short period of time on Raw. Other people are reportedly being looked at for the spot on a full-time basis. This could explain why Mickie James was featured on commentary this week during Main Event, but we’ve been unable to verify this.

As we previously reported, Renee Young will now be hosting WWE Backstage Tuesday nights on FS1. Young is reportedly thrilled by the move since hosting is her passion and now she gets to do it on a giant platform every week. She echoed this sentiment via Twitter by sharing the new show announcement and calling it a dream come true.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet