Tag: WWE

Report – TNA’s Jordynne Grace To Sign With WWE In 2025

Jordynne Grace may soon make a significant transition in her career.

Grace, currently contracted with TNA Wrestling, generated buzz after appearing at Royal Rumble 2024 and later on WWE NXT as part of the TNA-WWE collaboration.

Now, with her contract reportedly set to expire earlier than anticipated, speculation regarding Grace’s future is growing.

Fightful Select has shared new details about Grace’s situation. Originally, she was under contract with TNA until the spring or summer of 2025, but it seems her deal has been altered to end in January 2025.

The report suggested that many believe Grace may move to WWE once her contract concludes, stating, “You can guess where a lot of people think she’s going to go in January. She has posted that she has stopped doing her exclusive content… WWE clearly likes her. That leads to a natural conclusion that a lot of people expect her to go there.”

Grace’s appearances on WWE NXT, including a notable match against NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez at NXT Battleground 2024, received positive reactions from fans, fueling rumors of a potential WWE move.

Although Grace signed a new contract with TNA last year, the amended expiration date of January 2025 only increases her chances of switching to WWE.

Source: eWn

Lillian Garcia Returns To WWE, Replaces Samantha Irvin As Raw Ring Announcer

Veteran ring announcer Lilian Garcia is back with WWE following the departure of Samantha Irvin on Monday. Garcia was brought out during a commercial break on Monday’s edition of “WWE Raw,” and WWE posted the video on X (formerly known as Twitter). It was reported earlier in the day that Garcia was backstage at the show.

During the commercial break, Joe Tessitore got on the microphone to the live audience and told them to use their high energy to welcome back the veteran announcer, who had previously worked for the company for ten years from 1999 to 2009, before taking a two-year hiatus. She returned to WWE in 2011 and left the company once again in 2016, but made sporadic appearances throughout the years, before officially making her return as “Raw’s” ring announcer on Monday. Garcia also spoke to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania crowd during the break and said it felt good to be back.

Irvin’s announcement came as a shock to many on Monday afternoon when the fan-favorite announced she had finished with the company via a statement on her X account. Garcia seemingly passed the proverbial torch to Irvin during a “Raw” segment in May. While Irvin didn’t make her future plans known in her statement, her fiancé, former WWE star Ricochet, joined AEW back in August.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Ring Announcer Samantha Irvin Announces WWE Departure

In a surprising move, Samantha Irvin has announced that she has finished her run as the ring announcer for “WWE Raw” and is leaving the company. Irvin took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to reveal the news, with a lengthy statement offering a goodbye.

“WWE Universe, my time has come to an end as your Monday Night ‘Raw’ ring announcer,” Irvin wrote. “I love you all tremendously and this does not mark the end of my art, I have a lifetime more to share. Thank you to every WWE fan who accepted me.”

Irvin went on to give a special thanks to the wrestlers, especially her fellow women in the WWE locker room, as well as the company’s crew and a number of people behind the scenes who have helped her along the way. That list included Paul Heyman, Michael P.S. Hayes, Michael Cole, Brian “Road Dogg” James, and more.

It’s currently unknown if Irvin intends to stay within the world of professional wrestling or will look to branch out into other areas of broadcasting. Irvin is engaged to Ricochet, who recently departed WWE before arriving in AEW this past August. While that may lead some to speculate Irvin is bound for AEW, it’s worth noting that she also had a career as a singer prior to becoming a wrestling announcer.

Along with posting the announcement, Irvin updated her X page to black out her profile picture and banner. Additionally, her bio simply reads: “ARTIST.”

Irvin first joined WWE in 2021 and credits Mark Henry for helping her enter the industry. After a short time on “205 Live,” Irvin was made the announcer for “WWE NXT” before being promoted to main roster duties in early 2022, less than a year after she started.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

UPDATE

Pwinsider has shared details on the factors contributing to Irvin’s WWE exit.

According to the report, WWE was taken aback by Irvin’s decision to resign, as she was held in high regard within the company.

Several factors played a role in her choice to leave, with a major concern being her scheduling conflicts, as Irvin was juggling her responsibilities between WWE and her family.

Even though WWE’s travel demands have decreased compared to past years, Irvin still had to be away from her daughter for long periods.

Moreover, there had been conversations about Irvin possibly taking on a lighter schedule, but those plans fell through, which may have impacted her decision to resign.

With her partner Ricochet no longer part of WWE and having a different schedule in AEW, this scenario might also have contributed to Irvin’s decision to leave WWE, though sources have not explicitly confirmed this.

Furthermore, the absence of a reduced schedule made it more challenging for Irvin to explore outside ventures. The fame she gained via WWE television also drew greater interest from external parties, creating opportunities that influenced Irvin’s decision to resign months ahead.

WWE Raw Preview 10/21/2024

WWE Raw will air tonight on the USA Network from the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

  • WWE Intercontinental Championship Match: Jey Uso (c) vs. Bron Breakker
  • WWE World Tag Team Championship Contenders Tournament: New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. Authors Of Pain (Akam and Rezar)
  • WWE World Tag Team Championship Contenders Tournament: LWO (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. American Made (Brutus Creed and Julius Creed)
  • Seth Rollins and Bronson Reed go face-to-face

WWE Reportedly Has Booked The Former Home Of ECW (2300 Arena) For A NXT Show 11/6/2024

According to Dave Meltzer in the latest the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has booked the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Meltzer notes the date the venue is booked for is November 6, with the belief WWE hold an NXT show there. However, at the time of his report, nothing has been officially confirmed.

The report further indicates for first week of November, NXT is expected to air on the CW on Wednesday instead of Tuesday to avoid going up against election night coverage and will be going head-to-head with AEW Dynamite instead.

Meltzer said the following:

“WWE has a date booked for the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia. While not confirmed, the belief is that it will be on 11/6, which would be the NXT TV tapings on a Wednesday, the day after the election. The fact there will be a show has been confirmed by many, just not the date. NXT will be on the unfamiliar night and I presume they’ll loaded up going head-to-head with AEW. It makes sense the idea of NXT from the ECW Arena for the first time will get enough buzz to help grow the audience in the attempt to beat AEW.“

2300 Arena is formerly known as Viking Hall. However, it was made famous and given the name of the ECW Arena when the promotion under Paul Heyman would hold its television tapings and other shows at the venue between 1993, up until the promotion was sold to WWE in 2001.

ROH, under Sinclair Broadcast Group, TNA Wrestling and MLW have all held television shows from the 2300 Arena.

Source: WrestleView

WWE SmackDown Preview 10/18/2024

WWE SmackDown will air live tonight on the USA Network from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina.

  • Andrade vs Carmelo Hayes: Part VII (Series is tied 3-3)
  • Los Garza (Angel and Berto) vs. A new tag team – Expected to the debut of the Motor City Machine Guns (Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley)
  • Roman Reigns to appear
  • Randy Orton to appear
  • The issues between Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton continues

WWE NXT Preview 10/15/2024

WWE presents a new episode of NXT tonight on The CW. NXT returns to the Capitol Wrestling Center in Orlando this week. 

  • NXT Championship #1 Contenders Match: Ethan Page vs. Wes Lee vs. Je’Von EVans
  • Stephanie Vaquer vs. Wren Sinclair
  • Lola Vice vs. Nikkita Lyons
  • The Halloween Havoc Wheel returns
  • Tony D’Angelo’s Championship Celebration
  • Lexis King vs. Oro Mensah
  • Riley Osborne vs. Ridge Holland

AJ Styles Gives An Update On His Leg Injury

On the October 4th episode of WWE SmackDown, AJ Styles returned to face off against Carmelo Hayes in a singles match. The match wound up being stopped after Styles suffered a “mid-foot ligament sprain.”

On Monday, the Phenomenal One took to Twitter to respond to a fan who claimed that he wasn’t really hurt. In his reply, Styles confirmed the reports that he’s currently dealing with a Lisfranc injury.

https://twitter.com/AJStylesOrg/status/1846037869296537905
https://twitter.com/AJStylesOrg/status/1846038645066564069

As of this writing, there is no word on how long AJ Styles will be out of action.

Source: eWn

A Lisfranc injury is a foot injury that involves the Lisfranc joint complex, which is made up of the tarsometatarsal joint. It can range from mild to severe and can include a number of different types of injuries, such as sprains, subluxations, dislocations, and crush injuries.

Lisfranc injuries are uncommon and are often misdiagnosed or mismanaged. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment are important for favorable outcomes. Treatment options include non-operative (cast immobilization) or surgery, depending on the severity of the injury.

Erik & Ivar Return To WWE Raw As The War Raiders

The War Raiders’ Erik and Ivar made their triumphant return from injuries on “WWE Raw” on Monday, defeating Alpha Academy’s Otis and Akira Tozawa to advance in the recently-announced tournament for the World Tag Team Championships. “Raw” General Manager Adam Pearce had just announced the tournament to champions JD McDonagh and Finn Balor earlier in the night, and the returning War Raiders (previously known as the Viking Raiders) won the first match of the tournament, their first win together since September 2023. Their return had been alluded to in video teasers featuring the runic alphabet in weeks prior.

Otis and Ivar started off the match before Tozawa was tagged in. Erik slammed Ivar on top of Tozawa and the returning team took control of the match. Erik and Ivar took turns sending the smaller man into one another’s knees. Otis attempted to turn the match back around, but Ivar interrupted his caterpillar attempt. Tozawa tried to hit a missile drop kick, but was caught by Ivar. The War Raiders hit their new finishing move on Tozawa, with Erik throwing his opponent into the line of fire of Ivar’s splash from the top rope, for the victory. The bracket for the tag team tournament had not yet been revealed as of this writing, but the War Raiders are moving on for a shot at the World Tag Team Championships.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE Raw Preview 10/14/2024

WWE Raw will air tonight on the USA Network from the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

  • WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship: Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (c) vs. Damage CTRL (IYO Sky and Kairi Sane)
  • The Miz vs R-Truth
  • Bron Breakker vs Kofi Kingston
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes to appear
  • WWE World Heavyweight Champion Gunther to appear