Tag: WWE

Backstage Updates On Luke Harper’s WWE Status And Release Request

Luke Harper reportedly asked Vince McMahon if he could be released from his contract in November, if WWE wasn’t going to use him, but Vince told him to take it up with Triple H. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter adds that Triple H then didn’t respond to Harper, at least as of press time.

We’ve noted how WWE officials chose to add 6 months to Harper’s contract to make up for the time he spent on the shelf after wrist surgery. The contract was to expire in November.

It looks like Harper will be paid to sit at home as The Observer notes that he has been given no future bookings, but they also will not let him out of his contract. It was reported before that Harper won’t be able to leave the company until around WrestleMania 36 time in 2020.

It was reported in early May that Vince informed Harper, in writing, that the company would not be releasing him from his contract. This was apparently a response to Harper requesting his release back on April 16. You can read our report on what went wrong with Vince and Harper by clicking here.

There had been some speculation on Bray Wyatt trying to get Harper back on TV for his “Firefly Fun House” storyline, but it looks like WWE will not be using Harper while he waits on his contract to expire, unless plans change.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Mauro Ranallo Reportedly Signs New WWE Contract

Mauro Ranallo recently signed a new deal with WWE.

The contract will keep Mauro as the lead announcer on the WWE NXT brand, according to PWInsider. The terms of the deal were agreed on about a month ago.

The deal will also allow Ranallo to continue working non-WWE gigs in the world of MMA.

Mauro first signed with WWE to work SmackDown in December 2015. He briefly left in April 2017, but returned in June to become the voice of NXT. It was reported then that Ranallo had signed a multi-year deal with the company.

Ranallo has also called the Cruiserweight Classic, and 205 Live for WWE. He does commentary work for Bellator MMA and the Showtime Networks.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Update On Vince McMahon’s New WWE Wild Card Rule And A Potential Issue For The Company

Vince McMahon’s new WWE Wild Card Rule could end up leading to issues for the company, as described on Wrestling Observer Radio today.

As noted, the rule will see four RAW Superstars appear on SmackDown each week while four SmackDown Superstars appear on RAW each week. The gimmick was created as a response to ratings pressure from NBCUniversal (USA Network) and Fox. Vince did not want to give up the idea of separate brands, but the networks want star power on both shows and there has been a feeling that the brands don’t have enough star power individually. Furthermore, it was also reported that Fox wants RAW and SmackDown storylines on the blue brand show when it goes to their network on Friday nights in October. There has been pressure from both networks to have the top WWE Superstars work both shows.

The Wild Card Rule will potentially cause issues for WWE live events, such as false advertising. Due to the way WWE creative operates these days, WWE likely won’t plan out these weekly Wild Card Rule appearances in advance, which could lead to incidents where Superstars have been advertised for live events, for weeks or even months, but they’re pulled from those live events to appear on TV at the last minute.

While WWE likely won’t plan out the Wild Card Rule appearances in advance, it was noted that Roman Reigns is expected to appear on both RAW and SmackDown often. We noted before how NBCU recently asked questions about why WWE gave up a star like Reigns to SmackDown in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up.

We’ve reported on how WWE has made recent hires to help bring live event business back up, and they noted during the Q1 2019 earnings call that they are focused on bringing that part of the business back to where it should be. The WWE Wild Card Rule could create more of a decline in live event business, at a time where they’re focused on getting it back up. There’s no word yet on if the Wild Card Rule really will help with the TV ratings, but we should know within the next few weeks. It’s believed that the gimmick could bring a small increase in the numbers, but likely not a huge turn around.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Daniel Bryan And Rowan Are New SmackDown Tag Team Champs

Last night on WWE SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan and Rowan defeat The Usos to capture the vacant SmackDown Tag Team Titles.

As noted, the SmackDown Tag Team Titles have been vacant since The Hardy Boys relinquished them last week due to Jeff Hardy’s right leg injury. Hardy will be out of action for 6-9 months.

Shane McMahon originally announce Bryan and Rowan as the new champions. The Usos took of advantage of the new Wild Card Rule coming to SmackDown from RAW and took issue with Bryan and Rowan being crowned champions without earning the titles. This led to Shane making The Usos vs. Bryan and Rowan for the titles. Bryan and Rowan won that match to begin their first title run together.

 

Bryan noted that they will be switching out the leather straps on the title belts because they disgust him. It looks like Bryan and Rowan will be using eco-friendly straps like he used on the WWE Title before losing it to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35.

 

WWE Made Change On Uploading Video Content From RAW & SmackDown On YouTube Reportedly To Help With Drop In Ratings

You may have noticed how WWE did not upload any YouTube videos from this week’s RAW and SmackDown episodes until late in the show. This was done as a way to potentially help combat the drop in ratings, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

The current plan is to cut back on the amount of uploads to YouTube during the RAW and SmackDown episodes. The feeling is that uploading videos as matches and segments happen on TV is potentially hurting the ratings.

WWE usually uploads clips from RAW and SmackDown matches shortly after they happen on TV, but that was not the case this week. WWE started uploading the first clips from Monday night’s show late into the third hour. All clips from RAW were uploaded within an hour of the show going off the air, which isn’t far from how they usually do it.

The big difference was that there were no YouTube clips from RAW while it was still airing on the USA Network, until the final hour. While WWE is changing their policy on YouTube uploads, at least for now, it looks like things will not change on Twitter. WWE uploaded photos and videos as usual on Twitter with content going up as it aired on TV.

As noted, WWE is currently facing pressure to bring the ratings back up from NBCUniversal (USA Network) and Fox. This is part of the reason why Vince McMahon introduced the Wild Card Rule.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE SmackDown Live Preview 5/7/19

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live will take place from the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

* Shane McMahon will crown new SmackDown Tag Team Champions

* Kevin Owens to respond to Kofi Kingston’s attack from last week

* Massive Six-Woman Tag Team Match to go down on the blue brand

* Ali and Andrade to square off tonight

* Which Raw Superstars will take advantage of the “Wild Card Rule?”

WWE Introduced Wild Card Rule On RAW And SmackDown To Help With Star Power Concerns From Fox And USA

Vince McMahon’s new Wild Card Rule on WWE TV is a response to ratings pressure from NBCUniversal (USA Network) and Fox, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

Vince McMahon reportedly did not want to give up the idea of separate brands. As noted, the Wild Card Rule will see 4 RAW Superstars be eligible to appear on SmackDown each week while 4 SmackDown Superstars are able to appear on RAW each week.

WWE has been facing outside pressure from NBCU and Fox to bring the ratings up. The networks will not be happy with how bad the ratings are this coming fall because of how much money they are paying WWE. Fox and NBCU want star power on the shows and there has been a feeling that the brands don’t have enough star power individually.

It was also noted that Fox wants RAW and SmackDown storylines on the blue brand show when it goes to their network on Friday nights in October. NBCU was reportedly upset about the recent drop in ratings, especially for the third hour, and they were asking questions about the decline, specifically why they would give away a top star like Roman Reigns to SmackDown. There has been pressure from NBCU and Fox to have the top WWE Superstars work both shows.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Rhyno Says He Turned Down Big Money Offer From WWE, Talks About AEW

Sounds like Rhyno will soon be done as an active competitor in WWE, as his contract expires in July and the wrestler says he’s not signing a new deal.

In a new video interview, Rhyno told Chris Van Vliet the following:

“July 17th is my last date there. They actually offered me more than twice my downside but it wasn’t where they would have to use me because the downside is so large and it wasn’t about money it was about me wanting to be on the road work and helping the younger guys kind of like a player coach.”

“It was a mutual understanding that we were not going to figure out a number. And they’ve been great, I can’t say anything bad about them. I had a lot of fun. I was afraid that they would say yes to a larger downside than what they offered me because I was afraid that they would still sit me at home. It’s not that they don’t like me, there is a lot of talent there and they have to cycle the talent which is normal because you want to get men and women out there to work. I was afraid that I would become miserable and that’s the last thing that you want to do when you’re doing something that you love. I would rather take a step back and work for some of these companies and work the independent scene.”

As for why … Rhyno says he wants to help the future generation of wrestlers find themselves, which he can’t do if WWE doesn’t book him to be on the road.

“On the indies, I can do that,” he explained. “And with other companies whether it’s AEW, Impact, Ring of Honor or New Japan … I’ve done that before in the past and that’s something I can do now in the future.”

Watch the full interview below:

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Location Revealed For Next Month’s NXT TakeOver: XXV

Triple H has finally revealed the location of next months’ NXT TakeOver event.

“Florida, Toronto, Los Angeles, London, Chicago, Texas, BROOKLYN, Phoenix, Philly, New Orleans… …to our TWENTY-FIFTH take over,” the WWE exec tweeted. “NXT TakeOver: XXV is LIVE from the [Webster Bank Arena] Sat, June 1, 2019. ”

For those unfamiliar, The Webster Bank Arena is located in Connecticut.

As you’ll recall, WWE announced the date of the event last week.

Tickets for NXT TakeOver: XXV go on-sale on Friday at 10 am.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

RAW Head Writer Ryan Callahan Fired From WWE

WWE RAW head writer Ryan Callahan was released last week, according to new reports from Pro Wrestling Sheet and Fightful. Callahan, who previously worked on The Bachelor and Monster Laws, among other shows, had been with WWE since December 2016.

Callahan was let go on the evening of Thursday, May 2, after butting heads with WWE’s Senior VP of Creative, David Kapoor (Ranjin Singh). The release was not a response to the recent drop in WWE TV ratings. Callahan was a member of the “home writing team” that does not travel to WWE events.

Kapoor reportedly felt like Callahan took some of the WWE creative changes too personally, and was difficult work with. His feeling was that this did not set a good example for the rest of the WWE writing team. It was also noted that Callahan and Kapoor were butting heads often.

As we’ve noted, there has been somewhat of a shake-up on the WWE creative team as of late as RD Evans, Dave Schilling, Kazeem Famuyide and WWE Hall of Famer “Road Dogg” Brian James also left or were released. Dana Warrior and WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett have joined the team in recent months.

Sources: Wrestling Inc., Pro Wrestling Sheet and Fightful