Tag: WWE

Ronda Rousey – ‘I Wish I Wrestled In The Triple H Era Of WWE And Not Vince McMahon’

Ronda Rousey would have loved to wrestle under the new Triple H era of WWE.

While speaking with Denise Salcedo of “Instinct Culture,” Rousey looked back at her WWE in-ring debut at WrestleMania 34. She said,

“It was an incredible introduction. Part of me wishes the time that I wrestled would have been in the Triple H era and not the Vince (McMahon) era because he [HHH] was the one that believed in me from the very beginning.”

She continued, “I’ve been hearing incredible things about how he’s running stuff now. It was such an experience.”

Rousey was last seen at WWE SummerSlam 2023.

Source: eWn

WWE NXT Preview 8/13/2024

WWE will present a new episode of NXT TV tonight on the USA Network at 8:00 PM EST.

NXT North American Championship: Oba Femi (c) vs. TBA

NXT Tag Team Championship: Nathan Frazer & Axiom (c) vs. Chase U (Andre Chase & Ridge Holland)

NXT Heritage Cup Match: Tony D’Angelo (c) vs. Charlie Dempsey

Lexis King vs. Eddy Thorpe

Dakota Kai Out 8-10 Weeks With A Torn Meniscus

Dakota Kai is unfortunately no stranger to knee surgery in her career, and it appears she’s headed for another one, as per “WWE Raw” commentary. Kai, who was attacked last week by Shayna Baszler, Sonya Deville, and Zoey Stark — a group now known as The Pure Fusion Collective — needs surgery for a torn meniscus in her right knee and is expected to be out of action for 8-10 weeks.

It’s unclear when the injury actually took place, but Kai hasn’t wrestled a match since July 27 at the WWE SuperShow live event in Tokyo, Japan, where she and IYO SKY defeated former WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill. She was slated to take on Deville on last week’s “Raw,” having laid down the challenge the week prior, but was seemingly written out of that match by the backstage attack and replaced by her Damage CTRL ally SKY, who emerged victorious. On Monday’s episode, Kai was nowhere to be found while SKY and Io Shirai competed against Baszler and Stark in a No. 1 Contenders’ match for The Unholy Union’s women’s tag titles, a match that ended in a no contest when the champions attacked both sides.

Kai suffered a torn ACL in the same knee last year and only returned to action in February. Damage CTRL has been plagued by knee problems in 2024, with Asuka still recovering from her own injury with no timeline for her return having been announced.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

(Report) Possible Name Change For The Judgment Day

A big change is reportedly in store for The Judgment Day faction in WWE.

And it could begin tonight on WWE Raw in Austin, Texas.

Ahead of tonight’s three-hour WWE Raw on USA Network, sources are reporting that “plans are in motion to rebrand the ‘new’ Judgment Day.”

The report from Wrestle Votes claims that the group’s “essence will stay the same, but a name change is likely.”

Additionally, the report states that the leading candidate for a new name for the group is the “Street Trash” insult that GUNTHER used for Damian Priest heading into their WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE SummerSlam 2024.

Report – New Theme Song For Roman Reigns Is Ready To Go

Roman Reigns may be debuting a new theme song in the near future.

Fightful Select is reporting that a new full theme song has been produced for the WWE Superstar.

The report notes that the music is ready to go whenever WWE wants to use it. The song is said to be “expansive and lengthy to say the least.”

As of this writing, there is no word on whether the song will be used for Reigns moving forward. But it is there if needed.

Speaking of Roman Reigns, he made his return on this week’s episode of WWE SmackDown.

During the main event of this week’s show, Solo Sikoa came to the ring to proclaim that he was the new Tribal Chief and if Reigns had a problem with it, he could come down and attempt to take the title from him.

Reigns eventually came out and took out Tama Tonga & Tonga Loa. As Solo and Reigns began to brawl, the latter was about to take out Solo with a Superman Punch, but Loa pulled him out of the ring.

It’s worth noting that Jacob Fatu was not present for the segment. Fatu is currently dealing with an injury. It isn’t known how long he’ll be out of action.

Source: eWn

WWE SmackDown Preview 8/9/2024

WWE SmackDown air live tonight on FOX, from the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

  • Fallout from SummerSlam
  • The return of Roman Reigns
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes will appear
  • New WWE United States Champion LA Knight will appear
  • Celebration for new WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax
  • AJ Styles may appear

Report – Ricky Starks To Sign With WWE After AEW Deal Expires

Ricky Starks last appeared on the March 30th episode of AEW Collision, during which he suffered an injury scare, which changed the planned outcome of the match.

Since that show, Starks has publicly stated that he is not injured and expressed uncertainty regarding AEW’s decision not to involve him in programming. Meanwhile, AEW President Tony Khan publicly expressed his desire to bring Starks back to television.

There were plans to reintroduce Starks to television as a babyface and initiate a storyline involving a betrayal by Big Bill, leading to a feud between the two. However, the planned babyface turn did not materialize due to Starks’ decision not to pursue this direction.

Pwinsider reported earlier this week that there is “certainly interest” in several AEW stars, including Starks, whose deals are close to expiring or who have been absent from TV for some time.

According to the latest update by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Starks is expected to sign with WWE when his AEW contract expires.

The length of Starks’ AEW deal is unknown.

Source: eWn

Kevin Sullivan Dies At Age 74

Kevin Sullivan, best known for his villainous performances and stint as lead booker for World Championship Wrestling, has reportedly died at age 74. The news was broken Friday morning by Pro Wrestling Insider. Sullivan had been dealing with health issues lately following complications from emergency surgery.

Sullivan is perhaps most notable to a certain generation of wrestling fans as the leader of the Three Faces of Fear and the Dungeon of Doom, stables that menaced Hulk Hogan in 1990s WCW prior to Hogan’s heel turn and “Hollywood” persona as part of the New World Order. He’s also remembered for his role in the intricate backstage politics of WCW, including his personal and professional rivalry with the late Chris Benoit and the infamous “I respect you, bookerman” incident involving Brian Pillman. Appropriately, Sullivan’s last match as a wrestler was against Pillman’s son, current “WWE NXT” star Lexis King, in 2019.

WWE issued the following on the death of Kevin Sullivan:

WWE is saddened to learn Kevin Sullivan has passed away at age 74.

A unique and influential figure in sports-entertainment history, Sullivan found success both in the ring and behind the scenes with his penchant for far out ideas that pushed creative boundaries.

As a villain, Sullivan was a major rival for the ring’s most legendary heroes, including Dusty Rhodes, Hulk Hogan and The Road Warriors. He specialized in leading dangerous factions, which included his wicked Army of Darkness, collegiate bullies The Varsity Club, and the wild Dungeon of Doom, which introduced Big Show to the wrestling world. The onetime “Taskmaster” also became a creative force behind the scenes for WCW.

WWE extends its condolences to Sullivan’s family, friends and fans.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

WWE To Shake Up Commentary Teams For RAW & SmackDown

WWE is shaking up its commentary teams following the arrival of Joe Tessitore.

Tessitore will debut on RAW in Denver, Colorado, on September 2. This move aligns with Cole’s transition to SmackDown, prompted by Pat McAfee’s return to College GameDay.

This rearrangement will result in Cole partnering with Wade Barrett on SmackDown, while Tessitore will collaborate with Corey Graves on RAW.

WWE RAW is scheduled to move from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025. The ten-year agreement is valued at over $5 billion, translating to at least $500 million annually.

WWE’s current contract with the USA Network expires in September 2024, and RAW will continue to air on the network as a transitional phase before moving to Netflix.

Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline is reporting that the changes to the WWE commentary teams are temporary. Tessitore will join SmackDown in January, and Cole will return to RAW upon its move to Netflix.

Moreover, Tessitore will continue working at ESPN, where he serves as a broadcaster for college football and Top Rank boxing.

Source: eWn

Wes Lee Turns On His The Rascalz Teammates Following Tag Title Match Loss At NXT GAB

The Rascalz are no more following a heel turn by former NXT North American Champion Wes Lee following a loss for the NXT Tag Team Championships against Axiom and Nathan Frazer on Tuesday’s episode of “WWE NXT.” Lee and Zachary Wentz, collectively known as MSK, fought for the championships they never lost, as they were forfeited when Wentz was previously released from WWE, but the pair came up short. Frazer and Axiom had been having their own issues as a tag team for weeks, and even suffered miscommunication in the match where Axiom accidentally super kicked Frazer, but the pair held on to the gold.

Following the match, Trey Miguel got in the ring to console his stablemates, but was met with violence from Lee’s end. The group hugged in the middle of the ring, but as Miguel pulled away, he ate a kick from Lee and Wentz received a low blow. Lee said he wanted to be left alone and continued beating down his partners, end sending Miguel through the ring barricade and Wentz into the ring steps. As he walked back the ramp with his head held high, Lee offered no explanation for his actions. As for Wentz and Miguel, as of this writing, there is currently no word on if they will continue to appear on “WWE NXT” through the company’s ongoing relationship with TNA Wrestling to continue a feud with their former friend.

Source: Wrestling Inc.