Nikki Bella was interviewed by WWE.com regarding her comeback and her thoughts on the New Era. Footage shows Nikki training at the WWE Performance Center with Bayley. The former Diva’s Champion discusses her health, the WWE Draft, and Sasha Banks. Nikki noted that she’s feeling “very, very good” and is very excited about returning.
Tag: WWE
Roderick Strong Heading To WWE
Source: WrestlingINC
Dave Meltzer reports in the latest and free edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, “it’s pretty clear that former ROH Champion Roderick Strong is going to the WWE.” Meltzer says this is bound to happen as Strong said his farewells to PWG during PWG 13, as you can see in the video above. Roderick most notably wrestled for Ring of Honor from 2003 to 2016, as well as other promotions such as PWG, TNA, Full Impact Pro, and Pro Wrestling Noah.
Backstage News On Why Charlotte Dropped The WWE Women’s Title, SummerSlam Plans
Source: WrestlingINC
Regarding reports that Charlotte dropped the WWE Women’s Title to Sasha Banks because Charlotte is taking time off, that is not the case. PWInsider reports that Charlotte is scheduled for all future bookings and at no point did she request time off and there were never internal discussions about her taking time off.
The decision to put the title on Sasha was made for two reasons – WWE creative wanted to open the first RAW of the New Era with a big surprise by having Sasha Banks accomplish her dream, and Vince McMahon felt that Charlotte’s run as champion helped to establish the title as legitimate.
Now that there’s a foundation for the title, WWE officials are more open to switching it around and using it to help the RAW storylines. Vince is said to be a big fan of Charlotte’s work.
Triple H is said to be a huge proponent of Banks’ work and since Banks vs. Charlotte was already planned for SummerSlam, the feeling was that the change would add another dimension to their SummerSlam match. F4Wonline.com notes that their rematch is still planned for SummerSlam and that Charlotte has a “brutal” schedule coming up.
WWE’s Second Quarter 2016 Earnings Call Recap With Vince McMahon – Brand Split, WWE Network, More
Source: WrestlingINC
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, Chief Strategy and Financial Officer George Barrios and SVP Financial Planning & Investor Relations Michael Weitz are hosting a Second Quarter 2016 earnings call today from WWE headquarters in Stamford. Below are highlights:
* Weitz opens the call and welcomes everyone, then gives the introduction
* Vince says they are pleased with the execution of their strategy when it comes to optimizing the value of their content. He touts record revenues announced this morning. He brought up the brand extension and touted the high rating for the WWE Draft. Vince says the brand extension is working extremely well right now and touted the competitive nature of RAW and SmackDown. He’s really proud of the 7.7 billion video views on social and digital platforms for the first half of the year. Vince says people are watching and enjoying them, whether it be on traditional TV, the WWE Network or other platforms. He also commented on the new TV deal in China, saying they are proud of that and hoping for a lot of growth there. Vince hands the call over to Barrios
* None of the growth from last year is being credited to WrestleMania 32, which fell in this quarter. Slides showing separate breakdowns with and without WrestleMania numbers were included for investors
* WWE Network launched in 6 new countries in the past year and revenue was up $7.7 million from this time in 2015
* They confirmed that they have purchased the building that houses the WWE TV studios in Stamford. The purchase will be completed next quarter
* Now it’s time for questions
* Regarding why they did the brand extension, Vince said they have a plethora of talent due to Triple H’s influence in WWE NXT and the Performance Center. Vince said you can’t just exploit all that intellectual property when you have it, so they went with the two brands. He says this allows them to have more pay-per-views, more live events and more income. He also touted more talent personalities, which opens up the door for more licensing opportunities. He called it a really big move on revenue and the brand in general
* It’s too early to tell if the brand extension is increasing Network subscription but they are excited about the split and hope it will improve business all across the company
* They have 150,000 hours of content on the WWE Network but aren’t sure if all 150,000 will ever be available. They will have 6,000 hours of content on the Network before the end of this year
* Regarding a possible sale of the company, Barrios said they are always open to listening to ideas if that’s what is best for fans and employees
Bobby Roode To Make NXT TV Debut Next Week
It was announced that Bobby Roode will make his NXT TV debut next week.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Preview: 7/27/16
The following is set for tonight’s 7/27 WWE Cruiserweight Classic on WWE Network:
Continuation of first-round tournament action
Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tyson Dux
The Brian Kendrick vs. Raul Mendoza
Tony Nese vs. Anthony Bennett
Drew Gulak vs. Hurv Shira
Former WWE Superstar Returning For The RAW Brand Soon, Update On Other Names Rumored To Return
Source: WrestlingINC
Former WWE Superstar Jinder Mahal has signed a new deal to return to the company, according to PWInsider. No word yet on when he will be back but he is returning for the RAW brand.
As noted, former WWE star Curt Hawkins (Brian Myers) will also be returning soon. He’s set to work the SmackDown brand.
WWE just announced on SmackDown last night that Shelton Benjamin will be returning to SmackDown soon and Rhyno made his re-debut on the brand. Several other former WWE stars, including Melina, Tommy Dreamer, MVP and Carlito, have been talked about returning internally or have been contacted. We’ll keep you updated on other potential returns.
Cruiserweight Classic – WWE Contracts Offered To Additional Competitors, Including Zack Sabre Jr.
Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet
Pro Wrestling Sheet has learned that many of the wrestlers competing in the Cruiserweight Classic have been offered WWE contracts … but one big name couldn’t accept the deal quite yet.
Multiple sources tell us Zack Sabre Jr. was recently offered a contract. However, the young wrestler couldn’t sign it at this point in time due to a personal matter.
Good news though, we’ve learned he’s expected to take them up on the offer sometime next year.
Additionally, one well-placed source says contract offers have also been extended to TJ Perkins,Cedric Alexander, Noam Dar and Akira Tozawa. If all goes to plan, they’ll report for duty in September-October.
According to PWTorch, Kota Ibushi and Gran Metallik have inked deals as well. Ibushi has since done an interview though saying he hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet.
And lastly, tweets from Johnny Gargano and Tommasso Ciampa seem to suggest that both will soon be exclusive to WWE after finishing up their final indie appearances this summer.
Several Top Independent Names Offered Full-Time WWE Deals?
Source: WrestlingNews.Co
It looks like several of the names featured on the Cruiserweight Classic may stay on board after the tournament is over. Cedric Alexander, 26, Kota Ibushi, 34, Mascara Dorada, 27, and Akira Tozawa, 30, are believed to have been offered deals.
Also, Yoshihiro Tajiri, 45, is being considered. Dorada is wrestling in the Cruiserweight Classic as Gran Metalik so that should be a sign that a deal has been signed or that they have at least agreed to a deal because WWE does not change a talent’s name if they don’t expect to sign them to a deal.
Most, or all, of the names listed have not signed contracts because they have yet to go through the required medicals and background checks. Ibushi is someone that can go up to the main roster right away and with his neck issues, he may not be able to work at a high level for too many more years.
RAW Preview: 7/25/16
Source: WWE.com
The New Era of RAW begins:
What will Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and General Manager Mick Foley do to beat SmackDown Live?
Will Finn Balor and Nia Jax make their first appearances as RAW stars?
Kevin Owens was embarrassed at Battleground, who will he take it out on?
Without the WWE Championship – Where will Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins take their rivalry next?
Of all Superstars’ reactions to their Draft destinations, Cesaro’s was by far the most shocking. The typically soft-spoken Swiss Superman openly discussed his desire to be a member of the SmackDown Live roster, and his disappointment that he wasn’t selected to a show that prioritizes in-ring competition over the showmanship that has typically defined Raw. Who will step up to face Cesaro?
