Tag: WWE

Vince McMahon Reportedly Furious Over AEW Name-Drop During WWE RAW Segment, More Backstage Talk

There have been conflicting reports over whether or not Sami Zayn’s AEW name-drop on last night’s WWE RAW was scripted. Dave Meltzer noted on Wrestling Observer Radio that the line was scripted, but co-host Bryan Alvarez said he heard otherwise. PWInsider then reported that several sources said Zayn’s AEW line was not scripted, and was likely something that Zayn improvised as he is known to pitch his own verbiage for promos. PWInsider also pointed to how WWE could have used their 15-second delay to bleep the plug out, if they had a real issue with it.

In an update, Alvarez noted on Wrestling Observer Live yesterday that Vince McMahon was furious when AEW was mentioned live on RAW. Alvarez fueled the speculation with stories from multiple sources.

“These are two facts about the situation, alright? There are absolutely people who insist that Sami was given the OK to mention AEW, alright?,” Alvarez said. “I’ve even heard from one person who said that in the script that went around in the morning yesterday, it was in the script that he was going to mention AEW. One person said that. I had another person say, and Dave had people tell him that it was a scripted line. Now, with that said, I heard from multiple people, far more people in fact, and people that heard from other people, that all said, the line was not scripted, the line was not supposed to be said.

“I was also told from multiple people that when it happened, Vince flipped his lid. He was furious that this happened, OK? So, that’s literally… those are the two things that I can tell you. So, however you want to figure out what the hell is going on here, there’s various ways that you could explain this. The one that people seem to think is the most likely, is that a small number of people were told that he was given the OK, and that they’re working the boys and flipping out about it. I don’t know what the answer is, all I know is that some people were told that he was given the OK, but most people said that he wasn’t, and that Vince flipped out. I wasn’t there, I don’t know how the flip out occurred, I wasn’t there to witness it, but I do know that the people there who absolutely 100% believed that he was very angry, that this was not him putting on a show for people, that this was not him trying to work the boys, that he was angry when this got on the air. I don’t know how to explain everything, I just know that’s what happened last night.”

If the line was not scripted, it’s believed that Zayn could face some sort of consequences. Meltzer speculated that he could be suspended. Stay tuned for updates on the situation and check out the name-drop in the clip below. As we’ve noted, WWE did edit the AEW mention out of the segment that was posted to YouTube, seen below.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 5/28/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the road to Super ShowDown continues.

* Kofi Kingston to clash with Kevin Owens

* Dolph Ziggler to appear on “The Kevin Owens Show”

* Bayley goes one-on-one with RAW’s Lacey Evans

* How will Roman Reigns respond to Shane McMahon and his “insurance policy”?

* Can R-Truth make it through another night as 24/7 Champion?

Sami Zayn’s AEW Reference On WWE RAW Was Reportedly Scripted

Sami Zayn name-dropping All Elite Wrestling on Monday’s RAW episode was reportedly scripted, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. As seen below, WWE edited the line out of the video that they uploaded on their YouTube channel.

Sami was a guest for a new segment on RAW called “Electric Chair”, where a wrestler sat in an electric chair while Charly Caruso, Kayla Braxton and Sarah Schreiber took questions from fans in the crowd. After several questions, Sami ripped on the crowd for what he was being asked. Sami said that they could ask him about anything, including about his love life, if he was a good kisser and “even about AEW.” The crowd popped for the AEW reference and Seth Rollins’ music immediately hit.

The questions in the segment were from real fans, however their questions were screened. Meltzer said a backstage source noted that the AEW mention “was so f–king stupid.” Meltzer’s co-host, Brian Alvarez, said that he heard from a different source that the line wasn’t scripted, however Meltzer noted that the person who he spoke to was in the meeting before the show.

You can hear the name-drop in the Twitter clip below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Note on AJ Styles Injury, Reportedly “Banged Up”

AJ Styles was pulled due to injury from last night’s WWE RAW Fatal 4 Way Elimination match with Braun Strowman, The Miz and Bobby Lashley, with the winner going on to face WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins at Super ShowDown. Styles was replaced by Baron Corbin, who ended up winning the match.

Styles later appeared in a backstage RAW segment with Charly Caruso and noted that he felt his back pop during the recent Money In the Bank loss to Rollins. That was the last time he wrestled. Styles was dropped by Corbin in that backstage segment, but that’s the only physical action he saw this week. When asked how long he will be out of action, Styles noted that he still has more tests that need to be done.

There’s been speculation on Styles’ injury being a work, but apparently he has been working hurt. PWInsider reports that word going around RAW was that Styles is “banged up” but there’s no word on the nature of his injury beyond that.

Below is last night’s RAW segment with AJ.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Road Dogg Reportedly Working Full-Time On The WWE NXT Brand

According to PWInsider, WWE Hall of Famer “Road Dogg” BG James is now working full-time on the WWE NXT brand. His official role and title haven’t been confirmed yet though.

As it was reported earlier this month, James has been working at the Performance Center. He also made a cameo Sunday on the WWE PC Combine, which aired on the WWE Network.

Last month James stepped down as the co-lead writer of SmackDown Live. He quit the position because he was reportedly frustrated with Vince McMahon always making changes to the TV scripts.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE RAW Preview 5/27/19

Tonight’s WWE RAW will take place from the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.

* Brock Lesnar to announce blockbuster decision

* Future of the United States Championship to be addressed

* 24/7 Championship chaos continues

* Who will be Becky Lynch’s next challenge?

Rey Mysterio Gives Injury Update Following United States Title Win

WWE United States Champion Rey Mysterio took to Instagram this week and revealed that he has a separated AC joint in his left shoulder. Mysterio noted that he has been having trouble lifting his arm.

Mysterio is scheduled to be on Monday’s RAW to address the injury and the controversial finish to his win over Samoa Joe at WWE Money In the Bank earlier this month. Rey won the title in that match, which was rushed due to Joe’s busted nose, but he did not appear on RAW this week. Rey was seen in Birmingham, Alabama earlier this week, likely visiting with WWE doctors over the shoulder injury.

Mysterio noted that he’s been doing physical therapy at The Lab in Riverside, CA, and he hopes that will improve his range of motion, which has been really bad since the match with Joe. Rey blamed it on taking the Uranages from Joe.

You can see Rey’s full IG post below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Wild Card Rule To Be Used On Non-Televised WWE Live Events

The WWE Wild Card Rule will be used on non-televised WWE live events moving forward.

RAW Superstar Dew McIntyre has been advertised for several upcoming SmackDown live events. He is currently scheduled to miss the June 3 RAW in Corpus Christie, Texas and the June 10 RAW in Reno, Nevada.

McIntyre has been added to the following blue brand events:

* Saturday, June 1 in Waco, TX
* Sunday, June 2 in College Station, TX
* Monday, June 3 in Corpus Christie, TX
* Sunday, June 9 in Stockton, CA
* Monday, June 10 in Reno, NV

The June 3 RAW is the final episode before WWE Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia. McIntyre has not been announced for a match on that show as of this writing, but he could work the 50-Man Battle Royal or get involved with the Roman Reigns vs. Shane McMahon match.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Why WWE Created The WWE 24/7 Title, Pressure From The USA Network Continues

One main reason for the new WWE 24/7 Title was the USA Network, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

USA Network officials have reportedly been complaining for some time about the drop in ratings for RAW, in particular the third hour. The network has continually pushed Vince McMahon to try and fix the third hour as the 10-11pm hour of the show was always the highest rated, until recent years.

The third hour dropped so bad in recent weeks that WWE officials recognized they had to do something.

The move goes back to the idea of allowing top SmackDown Superstars to appear on RAW, and to make sure the blue brand show doesn’t become a secondary show while it’s preparing for the move to Fox in October.

USA officials have reportedly been sending WWE all sorts of ideas as of late, in an attempt to bring up the third hour numbers. One source close to the situation described the ideas as all terrible, but their best ideas was the 24/7 Title and Vince knew he had to take one of them.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Backstage News On Why Aleister Black And Kevin Owens Are Missing WWE Saudi Arabia Event

Daniel Bryan, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Aleister Black will not be appearing at the upcoming WWE Super ShowDown event on Friday, June 7th in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter that Black’s absence was a company decision due to some of his tattoos having a religious connotation. Black has generally kept quiet regarding the meaning behind his body art, although he did reveal the meaning of his back tattoo in an interview with The Daily Star in 2017.

“I don’t really talk about the meaning of my tattoos, but I will give you that one,” Black said. “The being on my back is Lilith, in some folklore she is the first woman to ever rebel against paradise. The reason she is there for equality, equality for every man and woman – which is the most important thing there is.”

Bryan is likely not appearing at the event for the same reasons that he skipped last November’s Crown Jewel show in Riyadh. While he wrestled at WWE’s first big show in Saudi Arabia, The Greatest Royal Rumble, last April, he had since learned more of the country’s treatment of homosexuals. Bryan was also upset that Sami Zayn was not being allowed on those shows because of his Syrian ancestry, which he felt was racist. Saudi Arabia cut ties with Syria in 2012, and Zayn had started a #SamiForSyria mobile clinic in Syria in 2017.

WWE issued the following statement at the time regarding Zayn’s absence from the event:

“WWE is committed to embracing individuals from all backgrounds while respecting local customs and cultural differences around the world.”

According to The Observer, company sources stated that Owens is declining to work the show because his family asked him not to go. It was noted that there may have been other reasons, including Zayn not being allowed to work the show. Owens had been in a program with WWE Champion Kofi Kingston. Dolph Ziggler was pulled out of an appearance in Australia the weekend of Super Showdown and will now face Kingston for the title.

The only other star that refused to work Crown Jewel was John Cena, who is not scheduled for WWE Super ShowDown.

WWE Super ShowDown takes place on Friday, June 7th, at the King Abdullah Sports City’s King Abdullah International Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Source: Wrestling Inc.