The new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions followed up on their vow to take the belts to every brand … including NXT.
Sasha Banks and Bayley made their NXT homecomings during last night’s NXT TV taping, much to the excitement of the Full Sail Crowd, to show off the new hardware.
They reiterated their promise to defend the belts in NXT, as well as RAW and SmackDown.
Scoop #37: Sasha says it’s good to be home, you never forget where you came from, their journey started in NXT
Bayley says the last time Sasha was in the NXT ring was the first ever Women’s Iron Women Match at NXT Takeover: Respect
As previously reported, The Undertaker signed a deal and is scheduled to appear at the Starrcast 2 wrestling convention in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 25. The convention falls on the same date as All Elite Wrestling’s Double Or Nothing event, and the two are affiliated with one another, but Starrcast is not considered to be an official AEW event.
The news about Taker appearing at Starrcast 2 was apparently a big deal to WWE CEO Vince McMahon and it did not go down well with him, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio. He notes that McMahon is under the impression that Starrcast and All Elite Wrestling are directly related to one another, and he’s not happy with the developing situation.
“With [a few] exceptions, I got everybody I wanted,” Thompson said. “There will be a lot of star power at Starrcast 2. And I started with – hey, let me make a list of everybody that wasn’t available for the first one for whatever reason, and let me try to book those guys. I was successful in doing so. Hypothetically, if Undertaker were at Starrcast, that would be a pretty big deal, huh?”
In our conversation, Thompson also reiterated that AEW and Starrcast are separate.
“It was a thrill as a wrestling fan to be a part of something so historic [at the rally],” Thompson stated. “No, I don’t work there (AEW) and there’s lots of people saying, ‘Oh, Starrcast is an AEW event.’ No, we’re featuring a ton of AEW talent, but Starrcast is owned by me and it’s an independent thing. There will be a ton of wrestlers from other companies there. It’s the exact same as the first [Starrcast]. It’s sort of the official unofficial – if that makes any sense.”
Meltzer also mentioned that there are still no definite plans for The Undertaker at this year’s WrestleMania, including any set special appearances. A large portion of the WrestleMania card is still in flux and has yet to be established. Even John Cena is reported as not having a determined opponent for this year’s “Show Of Shows”.
Starrcast II will be taking place in Las Vegas from May 23-26 and tickets are now available.
This week in WWE, RAW and SmackDown audiences were exposed to some of the most talented stars NXT has to offer when Ricochet, Aleister Black, NXT North American Champion Johnny Gargano, and NXT World Champion Tommaso Ciampa made their main roster debuts on WWE TV.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explained that WWE had a different episode of RAW put together sometime last week, one that didn’t include any new call ups. A week of ratings continuing to decline, All Elite Wrestling continuing to gain momentum, and the announcement that Undertaker is joining Starrcast 2 on AEW Double Or Nothing weekend, left McMahon feeling “off”.
McMahon decided to add some top tier wrestlers to the main roster, so he accessed the pool of available NXT stars and asked them to fly out their best four guys. Meltzer notes that Triple H didn’t initially know about the call ups and there was a lack of communication throughout the process.
The RAW match that ultimately saw Bobby Lashley & Lio Rush vs. WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor & new NXT call up, Ricochet, was reportedly set to be Finn Balor vs. Ricochet in a singles match just before the show aired. It’s believed that Triple H made the call to switch up the singles match between the two babyface characters because he was concerned about how the crowd would react, and he didn’t want either star going over the other after Balor had just won the title and Ricochet had just debuted.
It was also noted that, for the foreseeable future, Ricochet, Black, Gargano, and Ciampa will be performing on WWE NXT, RAW, and SmackDown. The idea is to give each superstar their respective push and be “put over like crazy” in the process.
It will be interesting to see how this translates to NXT’s TakeOver special on WrestleMania weekend. It was mentioned that NXT already had storylines and a card laid out for the upcoming TakeOver event but the sudden change of plans may alter that.
Tye Dillinger has requested his release from WWE. Dillinger revealed on Twitter and Instagram that he asked for his release.
Dillinger wrote:
Before rumors begin to spread, let me set things straight ahead of time:
This evening, I requested my release from WWE. In the past 5 and a half years with them, I have seen and done some wonderful things. Things that I am very proud of and will never forget. I have met and have worked with unquestionably, some of the greatest talent on this earth and the pleasure has been all mine.
I feel at this time this decision, as extremely difficult as it was, is what is best for myself and WWE. I wish to continue to grow as a performer and offer those paying hard earned money to watch a show I’m performing on, a little more of myself. To the male and female locker rooms, coaches and producers, to the production/ring crew, all the way up to the very top of WWE and most of all the fans…l wish you all the very best and thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything.
Dillinger did not specify if his release was granted, although it would appear to be the case with his post.
Dillinger had originally signed with WWE in 2006 and was trained at Ohio Valley Wrestling. He was released from his contract in January 2009. He re-signed with the company in 2013 and worked in NXT through 2017, before moving to the main roster on the SmackDown brand in April of that year. During that time, he was never really featured.
Dillinger was last seen on television in a match with then-United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura on an episode of SmackDown Live last September. He suffered a hand injury that required surgery the following month at a WWE live event in Macon, Georgia. He returned to action at live events earlier this month, however had not been used on television.
Fresh off the heels of NXT Stars – Johnny Gargano, Tommaso Ciampa, Ricochet & Aleister Black debuting on RAW and SmackDown live this week, WWE is teasing a “special announcement” for this week’s episode of NXT.
WWE.com posted the following:
Get ready, because this week’s NXT will feature a special announcement. With no additional details currently available, speculation about what’s in store for the black-and-gold brand is running wild. Be among the first to find out when NXT streams Wednesday at 8/7 C on WWE Network.
Last night in the opening segment of RAW, Triple H announced that NXT Stars – Ricochet, Aleister Black, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa would debut on RAW later in the show.
Video packages were played to hype each competitor.
The footage WWE shared on social media was captioned “Triple H introduces WWE’s newest Superstars” and Michael Cole welcomed them to WWE, so it sounds like a permanent call up. No word on what this will mean for Ciampa’s current NXT Championship run and Gargano appeared on RAW as the NXT North American Champion.
Ricochet teamed with WWE Intercontinental Champion Finn Balor to defeat Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush in tag team action. The match was made after Ricochet saved Balor from a double team by Rush and Lashley. The match saw Ricochet get the pin on Rush after hitting the 630 from the top rope.
Johnny Gargano teamed up with former DIY partner Tommaso Ciampa to defeat the RAW Tag Team champions The Revival.
Aleister Black interrupted Elias then went on to defeat him in a singles match.
WWE and ESPN have confirmed that DX will be going into the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame class during WrestleMania 35 weekend. It will be Chyna, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” BG James, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels going in together as a group.
“I think it’s the most meaningful for us all to go in together and to be recognized together,” Triple H told ESPN. “Because I think both groups were [just] as impactful.”
Triple H told ESPN that the idea to induct DX as a group had been “swirling around” for some time before a few key events and decisions allowed everything to slide right into place.
“It’s a funny thing, because DX was something that, before Kevin [Nash] and Scott [Hall] left, at the time we all talked about using ‘The Kliq’ as it was — kind of morphing that into television, since it was so out there anyways,” Triple H said. “But things worked out the way they did — they left, and the timing was right. Shawn and I still wanted to do it. Vince saw the value in it, I guess, and finally let us go at it. By that point in time I was looking for a heater, and we had brought Chyna.”
ESPN noted how fans have wanted Chyna’s role in WWE history to be better recognized, and how her induction with DX is a major step forward in that regard. Triple H said Chyna absolutely deserves to be in the Hall.
“Look, people believe what they want to believe. When I said a few years ago on the Austin podcast, or show, or whatever you want to call it, there’s complexities around it,” said Triple H. “But absolutely, definitely deserves to be in there. It’d be tough to pick a female that was more impactful on the business. She did something that was completely so out of left field that it wasn’t even being considered when we first brought it up for her to come in. It wasn’t even a consideration… it wasn’t an easy thing, and against all odds she did all of that. She earned everybody’s trust. She won over the fans. She won over the boys. She did all of it. From that standpoint, absolutely 100 percent deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, and should probably be more than once — as a group, but individually as well. There’s more complexity to that than meets the eye, but here we are. I’m just happy that it’s here. I’m happy for her family, the people that she was close to, that hopefully this is super meaningful to them. I know it would be to her. It’s a great thing — very deserving.”
Below is WWE’s full announcement on the induction:
D-Generation X to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019Are you ready?
As first reported by ESPN, D-Generation X, the most rebellious group in WWE history, are the first inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019. As first reported by ESPN, Triple H, Shawn Michaels (who now joins Ric Flair as a two-time inductee), Road Dogg, Billy Gunn, X-Pac and the late Chyna will take their place in sports-entertainment history during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., during WrestleMania 35 Week. Tickets for the ceremony will be available starting Friday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. ET.
DX was born out of the friendship between Shawn Michaels and Triple H, along with Chyna and their “insurance policy,” “Ravishing” Rick Rude. The two pals were lewd, rude and in-your-face, bucking authority and letting anyone in their way know that they had two words for them. Their penchant for crossing the line with regularity led to Bret “Hit Man” Hart calling Michaels “nothing more than a degenerate,” which HBK embraced, sparking the idea behind the alliance’s name.
When Michaels went on a hiatus from the squared circle following WrestleMania XIV, Triple H expanded the membership of the group, welcoming in The New Age Outlaws, Road Dogg & Billy Gunn, and the cocky X-Pac. Though you might not think it would be possible, the new DX turned up the irreverence to 11 and helped lead WWE into the Attitude Era. DX’s defiance wasn’t just limited to WWE. In one of the most infamous and groundbreaking moments of the era, the rebels hopped aboard a tank and drove from Monday Night Raw to rival WCW’s Monday Nitro, launching one of the biggest attacks in The Monday Night War.
The group eventually went their separate ways, but the DX name would not be limited to the history books after that. Following a long rivalry against each other, Michaels and Triple H patched things up and donned the green and black once again. The reunited DX may have only been the tag team of The Game & HBK, but that did not stop them from making Mr. McMahon’s life a living hell. The two troublemakers were a thorn in the side of the WWE Chairman, subjecting him to a flurry of pranks, even going so far as to vandalize Mr. McMahon’s personal limo and jet, and leaving their mark on the façade of WWE’s world headquarters. But it wasn’t only fun and games for Michaels & Triple H, as they also captured the WWE Tag Team Championship along the way.
Even though they disbanded once again and moved on to other roles within the industry, the DX Army maintained a close bond, and the tight-knit unit got the band back together for special occasions like Monday Night Raw’s 25th Anniversary, where they shared a “too sweet” moment with the Bálor Club.
And now, D-Generation X will enter the annals of sports-entertainment history. What will the rebels have to say when they take their place in the WWE Hall of Fame? Find out during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. during WrestleMania 35 Week. Tickets for the ceremony will be available starting Friday, Feb. 22, at 12 p.m. ET. Don’t miss your chance to witness history!
Iconic stable D-Generation X (DX) look to be the headliners of the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame ceremony … and Chyna appears to be going in with them.
An advertisement apparently aired locally in the New York area, seen below, which states the popular group will be inducted this year and tickets go on sale Friday.
Shawn Michaels, Triple H, X-Pac, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and Chyna are all featured in ad.
Chyna’s mother and friends have been on a public mission to get the deceased wrestler inducted into the Hall of Fame ceremony this year. Based on the advertisement, it looks like they achieved their goal.
This will also be the first inductions for Triple H, the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac.