WWE ‘Monitoring’ Saudi Government’s Reported Involvement In Death Of Journalist

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WWE says they’re “monitoring the situation” involving the death of a journalist reportedly at the order of Saudi Arabia’s royal court.

A rep for WWE released a statement to the media saying, “We are currently monitoring the situation.”

For those unaware, the New York Times reported this week that officials believe Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was assassinated in the Saudi consulate in Turkey last week by a team who dismembered his body with a bonesaw.

Companies with ties to the Saudi government have since come under heavy scrutiny. On Wednesday, the New York Times pulled out as a media sponsor from an investor event later this month in Riyadh. Richard Branson also suspended business talks with the Saudi Arabian government in regards to a reported $1 billion investment in Virgin’s space companies.

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Backstage News On Why WWE Turned Bobby Lashley Heel, Vince McMahon Feeds Lines To Lio Rush

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Regarding the angle on Monday’s WWE RAW with Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush, the idea for them was a heel turn.

WWE officials had just decided on the heel turn earlier that day, according to The Wrestling Observer Newsletter. There was a long discussion over whether Lashley would be better off as a heel or a babyface right now, especially with the roster losing another top heel in Kevin Owens, who is out of action with a knee injury. Owens is expected to be out of action for around 4 months if he needs just a minor operation but it could be 8 months if the surgery is major.

The decision was made at RAW to turn Lashley, with the idea that if he’s better off as a heel and if the roster needs heels, they should do the turn right away. The turn made even more sense as they needed Lashley to injure Owens to write him off TV anyway.

It’s interesting to note that Rush was plugged-in to the back with an ear piece on Monday night. Vince McMahon was in Rush’s ear and was personally feeding him lines to deliver during the match.

Source: WrestlingINC

Mike And Maria Kanellis Debut On WWE 205 Live (Video)

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Mike Kanellis and Maria Kanellis made a surprise appearance on last night’s WWE 205 Live episode. Mike attacked Lince Dorado during Lince’s match with Lio Rush, which began after Rush issued an Open Challenge.

NXT UK Shows Set To Start Streaming Next Wednesday On WWE Network

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WWE announced that NXT UK will begin streaming on the WWE Network next Wednesday Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. BT/3 p.m. ET.

LONDON, England and STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE today announced that NXT UK, a new weekly episodic series featuring the greatest male and female competitors from the U.K., will stream on WWE Network on Wednesdays, beginning Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. BT/3 p.m. ET.

The one-hour episodes will feature the biggest names from NXT UK, including Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm, Tyler Bate, Trent Seven and Wolfgang. Joining the NXT UK broadcasting team as backstage interviewer is British broadcasting personality Radzi Chinyanganya, best known for hosting ITV game show “Cannonball,” and in his ongoing role as a presenter of the world’s longest-running children’s TV show, the BBC’s “Blue Peter.” Calling the action are commentators Nigel McGuinness and Vic Joseph, joined by ring announcer Andy Shepherd and NXT UK General Manager, the legendary Johnny Saint.

“NXT UK is the next step in our global localization strategy, and we are proud to do this in a place where WWE has had a special relationship for more than 30 years,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative.

WWE Network is the home of NXT UK plus all WWE live pay-per-view events — including WrestleMania — for $9.99 per month. WWE Network also includes groundbreaking original programming, reality shows, documentaries, classic matches and more than 10,000 hours of video on demand.

Upcoming live events for NXT UK take place in Plymouth and Liverpool on the following dates:

Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14, at Plymouth Pavilions

Saturday, Nov. 24 and Sunday, Nov. 25, at Liverpool Olympia

Tickets for these events are available via www.livenation.co.uk. Further information is available at www.wwe.com/events.

BREAKING: @NXTUK will begin streaming on @WWENetwork THIS WEDNESDAY, October 17, at 8 PM BT/3 PM ET! #NXTUK https://t.co/fHv5KZVoVS

— WWE (@WWE) October 11, 2018

WWE 205 Live, NXT And Mae Young Classic Preview 10/10/18

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Below are previews for 205 live, NXT and the Mae Young Classic airing on the WWE Network beginning at 7/6 C.

Tonight’s WWE 205 Live was taped last night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

* How will the Cruiserweight division shift with Buddy Murphy as the new champion? How will Cedric Alexander react to his stunning defeat?

* Lio Rush with an Open Challenge

* Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis and others will also appear tonight.

Tonight on NXT:

* NXT North American Championship: (C) Ricochet vs. Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole

* Keith Lee vs. Kona Reeves

* Will Velveteen Dream have an answer for Tommaso Ciampa?

* What does Nikki Cross know?

* Shayna Baszler vs. Britt Baker

* Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch vs. Tian Bing & Rocky

Week 6 of the 2018 Mae Young Classic:

* Mia Yim vs. Kaitlyn

* Zeuxis vs. Io Shirai

* Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li

* Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews

Edge to Appear At SmackDown 1000, Updated Line-Up For Next Tuesday

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WWE Hall of Famer Edge has been confirmed for next Tuesday’s SmackDown 1000 episode in Washington, DC. WWE has confirmed that he will be hosting a special edition of The Cutting Edge. Christian is likely to appear but he has not been confirmed as of this writing.

Below is the updated line-up for next Tuesday:

* The Undertaker and Kane return to SmackDown

* Evolution reunites with Triple H, Randy Orton, Batista and WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair

* Rey Mysterio returns to face WWE United States Champion Shinsuke Nakamura in a non-title WWE World Cup qualifier

* Michelle McCool, Torrie Wilson, Vickie Guerrero and WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long return, plus others

* Advertised matches: Daniel Bryan and WWE Champion AJ Styles vs. The Miz and Samoa Joe; Asuka, Naomi and Charlotte Flair vs. The IIconics and SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch

WWE’s announcement on Edge’s return reads like this:

Edge returns for a special edition of “The Cutting Edge” at SmackDown 1000The Rated-R Superstar is coming home.

Edge is returning to host a special edition of his talk show “The Cutting Edge” next Tuesday as part of SmackDown’s historic 1000th episode.

The WWE Hall of Famer was responsible for many of the blue brand’s greatest moments, whether it was stepping up as one of the SmackDown’s premiere Superstars after the initial brand split in 2002, his unforgettable Money in the Bank cash-in on The Undertaker or running roughshod over SmackDown with General Manager Vickie Guerrero in his corner.

What will he have to say? Find out when “The Cutting Edge” returns during SmackDown 1000, next Tuesday at 8/7 C on USA Network!

Source: WrestlingINC

Kevin Owens Reportedly Taking Time Off For Surgery

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WWE announced after RAW that Kevin Owens suffered injuries to both knees during the heel turn attack from Bobby Lashley.

John Pollock reports that the injury angle was done on RAW to explain Owens’ needing legitimate time off for knee surgery.

The hope is that the knee surgery is a minor procedure but they won’t know the severity of the injury until the knee is assessed. There’s a possibility that the injury is serious and then Owens would need more time to recover.

Due to his knee injury and surgery, Kevin Owens has been pulled from the Mixed Match Challenge

Stay tuned for updates on Owens’ status.

Source: WrestlingINC