Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW. Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership via ShowbuzzDaily:
RAW Viewership
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.842 million viewers, which is down from the 1.913 million viewers last week.
This was the lowest-rated episode of the show for the year. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:
Hour 1: 1.940 million (1.994 Last Week), 0.59 Demo (0.59 Last Week)
Hour 2: 1.866 million (1.913 Last Week), 0.56 Demo (0.57 Last Week)
Hour 3: 1.720 million (1.832 Last Week), 0.54 Demo (0.52 Last Week)
RAW featured three Money in the Bank Qualifying matches – Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy, Aleister Black vs. Austin Theory, and Apollo Crews vs. MVP – as well as Nia Jax vs. Kairi Sane, Liv Morgan vs. Ruby Riott, and WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Angel Garza in a non-title match that served as the main event.
SmackDown averaged 2.187 million viewers on FOX. This is down from the 2.317 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.192 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.304 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.239 million viewers while the second hour did 2.145 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.372 million viewers while the second hour did 2.235 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins has been announced for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank PPV.
Last week on RAW, Rollins attacked McIntyre, who had just beaten United States Champion Andrade in a non-title match in the main event.
Fast forward to this week, McIntyre opened the show with an in-ring promo about Rollins’ attack. This is where he issued a challenge for a WWE Championship Match at the upcoming pay-per-view event.
Later in the show, Rollins cut an interesting promo about how he accepted McIntyre’s challenge and vowed that he would take the title from McIntyre.
Former WWE NXT star Dan Matha shared an incredible story in a recent post on social media.
Last week, WWE let go of several wrestlers, staff, and employees due to the financial impact of the coronavirus. One of the wrestlers who were cut was Matha.
The former NXT star took to his official Twitter account where he recalled a wild last few weeks that he had. He was in a car crash that sent him flying through the windshield of his vehicle that ultimately left him with a hole in the back of his head.
He was then informed by the company that the WWE was releasing him. All of this happened as the world is dealing with coronavirus and most of the United States being on lockdown.
In his own words, from the world dealing with the virus, his crash, and losing the job has been a “WILD 21 days.”
The photos that he posted in the message showed him in a bed with the gauze behind him bloody from the hole in the back of his head.
Also, there’s a photo of the whole closed up and the hole in the windshield by the driver’s side. You can see the post here:
He joined the company in 2016. He wrestled under the name Dorian Mak in NXT. Despite the accident, he stated during an Instagram live session that he wants to continue wrestling.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is teaming up with HBO once again.
Variety reported on Monday that The Rock, Issa Rae and Dany Garcia will be executive producing a new series for the creation of a backyard wrestling promotion that will air on the network.
The series is currently titled \”TRE CNT\” for \”TRE COUNT.” Each episode will be thirty-minutes and comes from writer Mohamad El Masri.
The show is about Cassius Jones, a young docker worker and struggling pro wrestler, who uses inherited life-insurance money for start-up money, and the deed to a shotgun house from his grandfather, to start a hip-hop centric backyard wrestling empire in the Third Ward of Houston, Texas (The Tre). Jones creates the empire with the help of his working-class family, friends and neighbors.
In addition to writing the project, El Masri is an executive producer.
Judah Miller will executive produce and serve as showrunner. Rock and Garcia will executive produce along with Hiram Garcia as part of their Seven Bucks Productions company.
Rae and Montrel McKay will executive produce via their Issa Rae Productions. Dave Becky, Tom Lassally, and Jonathan Berry will executive produce for 3 Arts Entertainment.
The Rock\’s involvement brings a layer of authenticity to the project due to his background in the pro wrestling business after having a successful career with WWE.
Johnson previously worked with HBO on his hit series \”Ballers,\” which ran from 2015 to 2019.
After a recent message on social media, there is now speculation that The Revival could be headed to the NWA.
Earlier this month, WWE released the former WWE Tag Team Champions from their contracts. The Revival potentially going to AEW when their deals with WWE were up has been speculated about for over a year now.
Now that Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder are no longer under contract with WWE, speculation among fans as to where they would be headed next has begun.
Scott Dawson has changed his name to Dax Harwood while Dash Wilder has changed his name to Cash Wheeler. Dax Harwood’s real name is David Harwood and Cash Wheeler’s real name is Daniel Wheeler.
Wheeler responded to a tweet sent out by the NWA that fans which tag team they\’d like to see in the Crockett Cup. He wrote, \”FTR.\”
— Daniel “Cash” Wheeler (@CashWheelerFTR) April 20, 2020
It should be noted that the tag team has trademarked \”Fear The Revolt.\” Whether his response was a reference to that name or \”For The Revival\” remains to be seen.
Either way, the possibility of this could happen even if it’s for a short run. On a related now, Harwood shared this photo that appears to be their new logo going forward:
The New Day have dethroned The Miz and John Morrison as the SmackDown Tag Team Champions
The title change happened on Friday Night SmackDown when Big E beat Jey Usos and The Miz in a Triple Threat Match with the titles on the line. This marks the eighth time that The New Day has won WWE Tag Team gold.
Just a few weeks ago, WWE had Morrison defend and successfully retain the titles in a Triple Threat Ladder Match against Kofi Kingston and Jimmy Uso at WrestleMania.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that a three-way tag team title match between The New Day, The Usos and Miz & Morrison will take place at WWE’s next pay-per-view event, Money in the Bank.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_Gt9lKhVmM/
WWE has also confirmed matches for next week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX.
Among the matches set for the show includes two Money in the Bank Qualifying bouts. Here is what\’s on tap for the show:
WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champions Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. Dana Brooke & Carmella.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Drew Gulak vs. Baron Corbin.
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans.
WWE is thinking outside the box for the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view.
The company is billing this year\’s event as one of the most unique in company history.WWE announced on Friday that this year\’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will take place at corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
The company also revealed the rules for the contests. The matches will begin on the ground floor, with Superstars fighting their way to the roof. The briefcases will be suspended above a rooftop ring in what will surely be a sight to remember.
The tagline for the show is, \”Climb The Corporate Ladder!\”
Thus far, Shayna Baszler, Asuka, and Nia Jax are representing RAW in the women\’s Money in the Bank ladder match, while Dana Brooke has qualified on the SmackDown side. More competitors will be added to the match in the coming weeks.
Rey Mysterio vs. Murphy, Aleister Black vs. Austin Theory, and Apollo Crews vs. MVP will compete in qualifying matches for the men\’s Money in the Bank ladder match this coming Monday night on RAW.
As noted, WWE has already confirmed that Braun Strowman will defend the Universal Championship against Bray Wyatt in one of the top matches at the show.
In fact, it will mark the first time Strowman has defended the title since winning it from Goldberg at WrestleMania 36.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank PPV and it features the top title on the SmackDown brand.
Bray Wyatt vs. WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman is now official for the show. WWE had Michael Cole announce the match on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX.
There’s speculation that Wyatt may be wrestling the match as himself instead of The Fiend. As of this writing, that’s not confirmed.
If you recall, Wyatt wrestled as himself back in December when he faced The Miz at the TLC pay-per-view event. He dressed like his character that appears during the Firefly Fun House segments.
WWE presents the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, May 10, 2020. The event was slated to be held at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, MD but plans were changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Updated WWE Money in the Bank Card
WWE Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Braun Strowman
TBA vs. TBA – Men\’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match
Nia Jax vs. Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Dana Brooke or Naomi vs. TBA vs. TBA – Women\’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match
As expected, WWE is continuing to release talent due to budget cuts and now the releases are coming from the NXT brand.
On Wednesday, WWE decided to release or furlough several wrestlers as well as producers from their contracts with the company.
WWE made it publicly known that they had plans to cut back on talent expenses in addition to other areas of business expenses due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
PWInsider.com reported today that the following NXT stars were released from WWE over the past few days:
Tino Sabbatelli
Cezar Bononi
Mars Wang
Taynara Conti
Nick Ogarelli also revealed that he was released. It should also be noted that there are some wrestlers who have been removed from the Performance Center roster page as well.
As of this writing, there have been no reports as to whether the following talent has been released: Edgar Lopez, Faisal Kurdi, Hussain Aldagal, Jorge Bolly, Marcos Gomes, Mohamed Fahim, and Omari Palmer.
The following talent was let go on Wednesday by WWE:
WWE will have some interesting footage shown when they air the Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
Pwinsider.com reports that the company taped footage for the show at their corporate headquarters in Stamford, CT earlier this week.
As of this writing, there’s no word yet as to whether the content was filmed at the main WWE building or its TV studios or both. It was just noted that filming took place at the company HQ.
What’s interesting is that it was noted WWE filmed material on the roof of the main building, known as Titan Tower.
WWE is slated to hold its Money in the Bank pay-per-view event slated to be held on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
The show won’t be held in Baltimore or at WWE’s training facility, Performance Center, in Orlando, Florida. Instead, WWE has an unknown location in mind for the show.
This comes after it was revealed that WWE decided to make some big changes to its TV schedule through June. It should be noted that on the schedule, there wasn’t a date listed for May 10 at the Performance Center.
Since last month, WWE has been taping and airing shows from the Performance Center due to the outbreak of the coronavirus.
It appears that WWE wants fans to forget about Roman Reigns for now.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the current instruction for WWE TV is that no one is to ever mention Reigns.
As of this writing, there was no reason given for the edict. It is interesting considering Reigns is one of WWE’s top stars.
The former WWE Champion hasn’t been seen on WWE television for a few weeks now and it’s for a good reason.
Reigns was supposed to challenge Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 1. That all changed. Reigns announced his decision to pull out of the contest. The reason for this is due to his concerns about the coronavirus and rightfully so as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
Reigns didn’t feel comfortable with working the match because he is at a higher risk of complications from the virus.
Reigns has not been mentioned on WWE TV since that March 27 episode.
There\’s still no word on when Reigns will return to WWE action. The latest report about his status came after WrestleMania, which noted at the time that his status was unknown.
Meltzer added that it\’s up to Reigns on when he will return, and no one that was talking knew when that would be. It\’s possible that Reigns is away for several months due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Big Show recently spoke with FOX News where he took on the criticism from fans and media regarding WWE\’s decision to run shows during the coronavirus pandemic.
The company has been doing so at the closed-set WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida since last month. They’ve aired several episodes of RAW and SmackDown while airing NXT shows from in Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The former WWE Champion began by talking about how the company is eager to give fans the product and comfort they want during the pandemic. He also pointed out that despite their beliefs, WWE is taking their duties very seriously.
\”We\’re trying to do things the best that we can to entertain and also follow a lot of safety and health guidelines,\” Show said.
He brought up knowing that for a fact since he challenged WWE Champion Drew McIntyre for the strap. He mentioned how WWE had a medical screening, temperature taking, and social distancing.
\”It was really nice to see how much WWE went after making the talent as safe as possible and those that wanted to compete for the fans. And that was one thing that\’s been made very clear to all the talents — you don\’t have to. If you feel uncomfortable, stay at home, stay with your family.\”
Big Show continued, \”If you\’re not in a situation where you could put someone else at risk… and you want to try to entertain your fans, you can,\” he added. \”I thought they did a great job and WrestleMania turned out amazing.\”
Until the arenas start to hold events again, it appears that the Performance Center will be the home for the company holding events for the near future.
WWE is slated to hold its Money in the Bank pay-per-view event slated to be held on Sunday, May 10, 2020.
The card for the show has already been decided upon, according to a new report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
Before the outbreak of the coronavirus, WWE planned to hold this show in Baltimore. Now, the company will have to move the show. The belief was that it would be held in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
WrestleVotes reports that the show won’t be held at WWE’s training facility. Instead, WWE has a different location in mind for the show. As of this writing, there’s no word yet on where the show will take place.
WWE has already confirmed there will be both a men’s and women’s Money in the Bank Ladder bouts. Asuka, Shayna Baszler and Nia Jax have qualified for the women’s match.
Planned WWE Money in the Bank Matches
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre vs. Seth Rollins
WWE Universal Champion Braun Strowman vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Tag Team Champions Street Profits vs. Viking Raiders
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Champions Miz and Morrison vs. The Usos vs. The New Day
WWE SmackDown Women\’s Champion Bayley vs. Tamina
WWE Women’s Tag TeamChampions Nikki Cross & Alexa Bliss vs. Dana Brooke and Carmella
WWE officials have decided to make more changes to its TV schedule. After returning to live shows this week for RAW, NXT and SmackDown, starting next week, these shows will all be taped in advance for the next several months.
Original Taping Plans
As recently as last week, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon made the decision to tape several episodes of their TV programs that would get them through next month. That changed when WWE was deemed an essential business by the Florida Governor.
Last Friday, McMahon decided to scrap the mass filming format in order to run live shows every week.
WWE is attempting to increase the level of safety for performers during the outbreak of the coronavirus, which is why another change to its TV schedule was made.
WWE has decided to go forward with live episodes of next Monday’s Raw and NXT next Wednesday on the USA Network. They will also air live SmackDown episodes tonight and next Friday.
New WWE Schedule
Starting April 25, that will change. The company has plans to tape TV on various dates through July 1. Here’s the new schedule:
* Saturday, April 25: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown to air on May 1 and May 8
* Monday, April 27: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW – one for that night and one for May 4, the following week
* Wednesday, April 29: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT – one for that night and one for May 6, the following week
* Monday, May 11: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night and one SmackDown episode for that Friday, May 15
* Tuesday, May 12: WWE will tape one RAW episode for May 18, and one SmackDown episode for May 22
* Wednesday, May 13: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for the following week, May 20
* Monday, May 25: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW, one for that night and one for June 1
* Tuesday, May 26: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown, one for May 29 and one for June 5
* Wednesday, May 27: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for June 3
* Monday, June 8: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night, and one SmackDown episode for that Friday, June 12
* Tuesday, June 9: WWE will tape one NXT episode for June 10
* Monday, June 15: WWE will tape one RAW episode for that night and one SmackDown episode for June 19
* Tuesday, June 16: WWE will tape one RAW episode for June 22 and one SmackDown episode for June 26
* Wednesday, June 17: WWE will tape two NXT episodes, one for that night and one for June 24
* Monday, June 29: WWE will tape two episodes of RAW, one for that night and one for July 6
* Tuesday, June 30: WWE will tape two episodes of SmackDown, one for that Friday, July 3, and one for July 10
* Wednesday, July 1: WWE will tape two episodes of NXT, one for that night and one for July 8
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. For the second straight week, NXT won in total viewers, but AEW had the edge in the coveted 18-49 demographic.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 692,000 viewers, essentially even with last week\’s 693,000 In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.17 rating, down from 0.19 last week.
The episode featured Finn Balor vs. Fabian Aichner, Akira Tozawa vs. Isaiah Scott, Tegan Nox vs. Raquel Gonzalez, and NXT Tag Team Champions Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher vs. The Undisputed ERA (Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong).
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 683,000 viewers, down from the 692,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.25 rating, down slightly from the 0.26 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as AEW World Heavyweight Champion Jon Moxley vs. Jake Hager in a No Holds Barred Empty Arena Match, Chuckie T vs. Kip Sabian, Sammy Guevara vs. Pineapple Pete, Lance Archer vs. Colt Cabana in an AEW TNT Title Tournament First Round Match. Britt Baker vs. Cassandra Golden, and Shawn Spears in singles action.
The April 15, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from the Winter Park, Florida at Full Sail University.
The show was headlined by Matt Riddle and his new partner defending the NXT Tag Team Titles against The Undisputed Era.
WWE NXT Results (4/15)
Finn Balor def. Fabian Aichner
Xia Li def. Aliyah
Akira Tozawa def. Isaiah \”Swerve\” Scott
Tegan Nox def. Raquel Gonzalez
Dexter Lumis def. Tehuti Miles
NXT Tag Team Champions Matt Riddle & Timothy Thatcher def. The Undisputed Era
Here are the 6 takeaways from this week’s show:
Finn Balor Back In Action
Finn Balor in NXT
Former WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor battled Imperium’s Fabian Aichner in a singles match on this show.
As expected, it was a stiff back and forth affair with Balor rightfully so going over.
This is the latest development in the build of Balor eventually challenging NXT UK Champion WALTER for the strap. Originally plans had called for this championship bout to take place at NXT TakeOver: Tampa earlier this month.
However, that wasn’t meant to be as the event got canceled due to the coronavirus. WALTER is stuck in the UK and won’t be able to make it to the United States for quite some time.
Thus, it appears that WWE will do a slow build to this match. The only problem is the unknown timetable as to when WALTER will be able to make it to the United States.
Matt Riddle and his new partner defended the NXT Tag Team Titles against The Undisputed Era (Bobby Fish & Roderick Strong).
It turns out that Timothy Thatcher ended up serving as the new tag team partner for Matt Riddle to help him defend the NXT Tag Team Titles while Pete Dunne is on the sidelines.
WWE had NXT William Regal go on the Bump on Wednesday to announce the news. He also booked a title match that saw Riddle put up the titles to defend against The Undisputed Era.
This was a fun match and probably the best contest on the show from a work standpoint despite having no fans.
With The Undisputed Era dropping yet another loss to Riddle, it’s likely that WWE will be moving forward with a new program involving the NXT Tag Team Titles.
It will also be interesting to see where The Undisputed Era goes from here considering they’re not holding the straps anymore.
For the first time in years, Charlotte Flair made an appearance on NXT TV as the NXT Women’s Champion. She did so by doing a promo that was pre-taped instead of being live.
Flair talked about how it feels good to call her shot and beat Rhea Ripley to win the title. She praised Rhea for being the future but she won’t apologize for her greatness.
She thinks this title win will complete her legacy because she is going to do something that no one else has done, which is to dominate three different eras – the past, the present, and the future.
Flair brought up beating Natalya for the NXT Title before then dethroning Nikki Bella as the Divas Champion and beat Paige and Trish Stratus as well.
Flair stated that for the past five years, she has been the most dominant star in the women’s division. She bragged about beating Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Becky Lynch among others. She talked about snapping Asuka’s undefeated streak and leaving Ronda Rousey a broken woman.
Now, we’re in the present and how she’s heard how great the NXT women’s division is. Flair vowed to run through the NXT stars.
This was an excellent promo by Flair and we should hope to see more of this.
The Interim NXT Cruiserweight Championship Tournament began when Akira Tozawa took on Isiah Scott in a singles match. This contest was part of the Group B section of the tournament.
WWE didn’t give them a ton of time but for what they were able to show off, it was fun. There were some near falls but in the end, Tozawa managed to pull off the win after hitting a backsplash off the top rope.
Some fans could argue that this was an upset win considering that Scott has been used more heavily on NXT television compared to Tozawa.
However, fans must remember that the Cruiserweight Title is more showcased on 205 Live despite the NXT tag in the name of the title.
The Velveteen Dream was waiting throughout the whole show for NXT Champion Adam Cole. However, the champ didn’t join him but rather made an appearance once again by his poolside.
This led to Dream getting on a podium where he cut a promo about how it was typical for Cole to no show, to leave him in the arena by himself. Dream said that Cole thinks he’s stupid. He said that Cole fancies himself as the leader of the Undisputed Era but all he sees him as is the last champion within the faction.
He praised Cole for being a dominant champion but he told him that Cole’s dream is over.
This led to Finn Balor coming out and telling him that he doesn’t know or like Dream. Balor said that the greatest NXT Champion is him and Dream needs to be careful because ignorant comments will get a date with the prince.
Great promos all around by the three men. With WWE holding off Cole defending the title against Dream, perhaps WWE is starting a feud with Balor and Dream for now. They have a match set for next week.
After a few weeks of airing teasers for the impending debut of former Impact Wrestling star Killer Kross, he has made another sighting.
WWE had Tommaso Ciampa cut a backstage promo while sitting on a production box about how he’s done with Johnny Gargano and Candie LeRae following last week’s match.
This is when Ciampa was knocked over from behind and attacked. We saw a boot then Kross entered the frame over Ciampa, who was laid out. Kross said tick tock and the show then faded to black.
So there you have it. Kross is getting a big push by facing one of the biggest stars in NXT going forward.
Moxley made his latest title defense as the AEW World Heavyweight Champion against Hager in an Empty Arena No Holds Barred Match on Wednesday’s episode of Dynamite on TNT.
Moxley went over in the contest to successfully retain the championship. It was a hard-hitting affair as both wrestlers used weapons and battled around the arena. The finish saw Moxley hit his DDT finisher to Hager on a chair.
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross called the match on his own. It served as the headliner of the show.
Moxley’s reign as the AEW World Heavyweight Champion began when he dethroned Chris Jericho in the main event of the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event in Chicago, IL from the Sears Center back in February.
Hager signed with the promotion when he made his on the October 2, 2019 episode of AEW Dynamite from Washington, D.C., at the famed Capital One Arena on TNT.
Hager beat Dustin Rhodes in a singles match that marked his in-ring debut with All Elite Wrestling at the AEW Revolution pay-per-view event.
WWE is planning to hold WrestleMania 37 next year in Los Angeles but the likelihood of the event taking place in the state of California is in question.
All businesses, countries, and states are being impacted right now due to the outbreak of the coronavirus. Thus, there is uncertainty surrounding almost everything including pro wrestling is high.
While WWE is still advertising holding WrestleMania in the city, more uncertainty looms over next year’s event.
A report by the LA Times has come out that states an internal Los Angeles Fire Department email was issued by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who suggested that large gatherings could be put off for at least a year. This would obviously impact concerts, sporting, and pro wrestling events.
“Large gatherings such as concerts and sporting events may not be approved in the city for at least 1 year,” said Garcetti. “It was also noted in the email that Garcetti would like to start reopening the economy, starting with “essential businesses and small businesses … phased in over a period of time (6-10 months).”
WrestleMania 37 will take place on March 28th, 2021 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The stadium holds 70,000. The belief is that seating can be expanded for an event like WrestleMania to hold upwards of 100,000 fans.
WWE isn’t likely to make an announcement of whether the event would need to be moved to a different location until it gets closer.
WWE managed to be deemed an essential business in the state of Florida thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis.
Now, WWE is free and clear to hold TV events at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.
The news was made official by Orange County, Florida Mayor Jerry Demings at a press conference earlier this week. This was after WWE was originally deemed non-essential. The Mayor claimed that the change happened after some talks with the office of DeSantis.
\”I\’m sure it had nothing to do with the fact that the McMahon family is very tight with the Trump\’s and the fact that Linda McMahon is raising $300 million dollars for Trump\’s Super PAC, and the governor is very tight with the President,\” Aronberg stated sarcastically. \”You know, I\’m sure it had nothing to do with that, right?\”
President Trump also named Vince McMahon along with other sports commissioners to advise him on getting the economy back up and running.
Aronberg realizes that pro wrestling business brings a lot of elements with it as there are more than ten people to put on a show. However, having no fans in attendance helps WWE’s cause to run the show.
\”Putting on the shows in a closed building where everyone is tested and there\’s medical staff there and social distancing except for the competitors in the ring; I don\’t think there is a threat to public safety and what they are doing,\” Aronberg said.
He added that there’s another way to look at the situation as some people will ask how WWE got an exemption. He thinks asking that question is haphazard in the process.
On Wednesday, WWE decided to release or furlough several wrestlers as well as producers from their contracts with the company.
This came after WWE had announced via a press release that they had plans to cut back on talent expenses in addition to other areas of business expenses.
These cuts will include reducing executive and board member compensation, decreasing operating expenses, and deferring spend on the build-out of the Company’s new headquarters for at least six months.
Unfortunately, there was a long list of notable people who were let go by the company such as Lio Rush and Kurt Angle.
Talent released by the company included Deonna Purrazzo, Aleksandar Jaksic, Rusev, No Way Jose, Mike Kanellis, Maria Kanellis, Primo, Epico, Rowan, Sarah Logan, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, EC3, Drake Maverick, Curt Hawkins, Heath Slater, Eric Young, and Lio Rush.
Procedures who were let go included WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, Billy Kidman, Mike Rotunda, Pat Buck, Fit Finlay, Shawn Daivari, Scott Armstrong, Sarah Stock, Shane Helms, and Lance Storm.
Several wrestlers and producers took to social media to give their reactions to the news. You can see their reactions here.
I wanted 2 say thank you to the WWE for the time I spent there.I made many new friends and had the opportunity to work with so many talented people. To the Superstars, continue to entertain the WWE Universe as well as you possibly can. They’re the best fans in the world. #itstrue
The only thing I wanted to do in life was wrestle. I’m grateful I spent 14 years living my dream in WWE. Thanks to my fans & everyone who believed in me. As I was getting released, I was looking at this photo & smiling. I’m #AlwayzReady & beyond excited for the future. #NotTherepic.twitter.com/uKRVK7FboI
Last time I got fired I had a really funny tweet in response to it. Doesn’t really feel appropriate today. I will say this, a lot of very talented ppl lost their jobs today and out of this disaster the PRO WRESTLING community will rise stronger than ever! ??
I know everyone is waiting to hear my response to my release from WWE but after 16 years I’m going to need a little more than a few hours to really digest all my thoughts and emotions. For now, thank you all for all of your kind words and support during this time.
To everyone on Gods green earth. Thank you for the kind words. I’ve been doing this for 46 years(Wrestling)I pray you all get through this and we can share a hug and drink again. Stay healthy. (SD)
To all my friends,fans. And family. This is a crazy time and I want to say thanks to @WWEUniverse and everyone I’ve ever shared ring time with, working with or teaching. Stay safe. Especially to all the amazing girls (women) I’ve had the honor to work with. Stay safe y’all.
It’s widely known that AEW taped matches in Jacksonville and QT Marshall\’s gym in Norcross, GA last month that will air on future Dynamite episodes.
It’s been reported that the promotion has enough content taped to last them through mid-May.
A new report by Wrestling Inc notes that MJF, The Young Bucks, \”Hangman\” Adam Page, Nyla Rose, PAC, The Lucha Bros, SCU and Big Swole did not work the most recent TV tapings in Georgia.
Thus, fans shouldn’t expect to see them on future episodes of Dynamite. For now, Georgia is currently under a \”shelter in place\” order that will last the remainder of this month.
AEW does have the option of returning to Florida but they won’t be able to run Daily’s Place in Jacksonville.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has deemed pro sports leagues as “essential services” as long as they have essential people working, no fans in attendance, and production with a national audience.
This covers MMA and pro wrestling. Just like with WWE, AEW would be allowed to run TV tapings in the state.
AEW President Tony Khan has told talent and staff that if they don’t feel comfortable with working the tapings then they won’t face punishment over it.
Talent from states like New York and California were also not used at the TV tapings.
Viewership data is in for this week’s episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and Monday Night RAW.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
RAW Viewership
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 1.913 million viewers, which is down from the 2.010 million viewers last week.
This was the lowest-rated episode of the show for the year. Here is the hourly viewership breakdown:
Hour 1: 1.994 million (2.311 Last Week), 0.59 Demo (0.78 Last Week)
Hour 2: 1.913 million (2.063 Last Week), 0.57 Demo (0.69 Last Week)
Hour 3: 1.832 million (1.925 Last Week), 0.52 Demo (0.64 Last Week)
RAW featured Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax, and Sarah Logan vs. Shayna Baszler in Money in the Bank qualifying matches, Aleister Black defeats Oney Lorcan, The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar) defeat Cedric Alexander & Ricochet, and Drew McIntyre defeats Andrade in the main event.
SmackDown averaged 2.317 million viewers on FOX in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. This is down from the 2.398 million viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.304 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.375 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.372 million viewers while the second hour did 2.235 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.407 million viewers while the second hour did 2.342 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.60 rating in the 18-49 demos, the same from the 0.60 rating as last week’s show.
WWE has announced several important matches for next week’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
These bouts will be three Money in the Bank qualifying matches. WWE had MVP do a VIP Lounge segment backstage on Monday’s show where he announced that there will be a few first time ever matches.
Rey Mysterio will battle Murphy, Austin Theory will face Aleister Black, and finally, MVP against Apollo Crews. MVP called himself a ladder match legend.
This comes after Monday’s RAW that saw Asuka vs. Ruby Riott, Kairi Sane vs. Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler vs. Sarah Logan take place to earn spots in the women’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
WWE has already confirmed that this year’s men’s and women’s Money in the Bank ladder matches will have three wrestlers representing RAW and another three representing SmackDown.
The company confirmed Daniel Bryan vs. Cesaro and Dana Brooke vs. Naomi for this Friday\’s SmackDown.
With Money in the Bank needing a new location, it’s very possible that the event will take place in Orlando at the Performance Center. WWE has still advertised the event for May 10, but no new location has been confirmed.
Former WWE star Ryback has given his reaction to the situation of Roman Reigns pulling out of WrestleMania 36.
Reigns was supposed to challenge Goldberg for the WWE Universal Championship at WrestleMania 36 – Night 1 earlier this month. However, Reigns announced his decision to pull out of the contest due to his concerns about the coronavirus as he has a weakened immune system with his leukemia battle.
Reigns is at a higher risk of complications from the virus and he didn’t feel comfortable with working the match. Thus, WWE got Braun Strowman to replace Reigns in the contest and had “The Monster Among Men” beat the legendary pro wrestler.
Ryback defended Reigns from fan criticism during a recent talk with Wrestling Inc.
\”It\’s horrible and that\’s that wrestling fanbase, and it\’s more than wrestling, it\’s a human thing that\’s going on now and this is, again, social media,\” Ryback said. \”There\’s nobody in person who is going to go up and criticize him, it doesn\’t exist.”
Ryback continued by noting that when you get on social media, you need to have the full spectrum of it. He thinks the lowest of low people are the ones who are being critics of Reigns’ decision.
He thinks those people haven\’t evolved and just horrible human beings. He thinks that people need to be themselves and will get love and hate no matter what.
\”I\’m so happy he stepped up, and a guy in that position is actually doing it, but he\’s in that position. Now if he didn\’t have that and did it, the criticism he would get a hell of a lot more, and internally in WWE it would be a different situation.
He has that though, which is they cannot do anything with him, as far as depush him or anything of that nature. He has a little bit of built-in security with that.”
Ryback continued by noting that\’s the negative wrestling fans. He thinks these are the same people that don’t want Reigns here.
He thinks if Reigns does something and now that he’s not around, the name-calling is always a go to for that portion of the people. The reason for the name-calling is due to them not having any other options.
WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon has been officially given the green light by the state of Florida.
Mayor of Orange County, Florida Jerry Demings stated on Monday at a press conference that the WWE Performance Center in Orlando has been allowed to stay in business because they have been deemed an essential business.
Originally, WWE’s training facility wasn’t considered to be an essential business but things have changed thanks to the Governor of the state.
\”I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings stated before giving the explanation. \”With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. Therefore, they were allowed to remain open.\”
Demings didn’t further explain as to why the Governor\’s office changed its stance on WWE despite that a WWE on-screen talent had tested positive for COVID-19.
WWE stated in their statement that the person is under the belief that they didn’t spread it to other WWE personnel.
WWE had plans to tape several episodes of NXT, RAW and SmackDown in addition to Main Event and 205 Live from last Friday throughout the majority of this week. That has changed as WWE will air weekly TV going forward.
You can watch footage of Orange County (FL) Mayor Demmings talking about WWE being declared an \”essential business\” below.
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