Shane McMahon has given his reaction to UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell expressing interest in a potential move to WWE.
This comes after “The Iceman” told TMZ that he would be interested in doing one match.
McMahon gave his take about the possibility when asked about it by the media outlet. It should be noted that the two are friends and McMahon has tried to convince him of doing this in the past.
\”I know Chuck very well, so all he has to do is give me a ring. I\’d love to do that with Chuck, that\’d be awesome.\”
It should be noted that Liddell has never trained for pro wrestling but does have an amateur wrestling background.
McMahon is not an executive for WWE and hasn’t been in years. Instead, since making his return to the company a few years ago, he has only been used as an on-air talent whether that be a general manager or wrestler.
McMahon was written off of WWE television in October when he lost to Kevin Owens.
Visit our partner site MMANews.com for more news from the world of Mixed Martial Arts.
For now, WrestleMania 36 is still being planned but that is likely to change in the coming days.
Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated reported that he reached out to over 20 members of the WWE roster to get their feelings about the coronavirus, which has impacted all industries and led to WWE airing their weekly television shows from the Performance Center in front of no fans.
It was noted in the report that “Each expressed concern about performing in front of such a massive crowd, especially with the possibility of the situation worsening before WrestleMania.”
While talent ould only speculate on the fate of WrestleMania, it was noted that the majority of stars he talked with felt it will be canceled due to the evolving situation with the outbreak.
On Saturday, the United States Government announced that the UK and Ireland have been added to the US travel ban list. It begins at midnight (ET) on Monday.
This comes after President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that a 30-day travel ban between the United States and Europe due to the Coronavirus situation was in place.
The overwhelming belief is that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon will be forced into postponing WrestleMania 36.
Jeff Hardy made his return to in-ring action on WWE television after being on the sidelines for nearly a year.
He did so on Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. As seen on the show, WWE set up the contest in a backstage segment which is where it was revealed that Hardy would be battling Baron Corbin in a singles match. This contest saw Hardy go over.
Last week Hardy was spotted at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida in order to have his progress towards an in-ring return checked on.
While his deal with WWE was scheduled to expire on Sunday, March 1, WWE has added extra time to the contract to make up for the time he’s been out. WWE has done this with various stars in the past.
Hardy underwent knee surgery back in May with the expected timeline that he was going to be out of action for approximately 6-9 months following surgery to repair a damaged knee.
In January, it was reported that WWE officials have pushed Jeff to address his personal health as a result of those charges, which he has been working hard to do so. He confirmed this during an appearance on WWE Backstage.
Paige isn’t giving up on the idea of a potential in-ring return.
Page was interviewed by Inside The Ropes where she talked about a wide range of topics. This includes the possibility of one day returning to action and competing in the ring.
\”I think it is always a possibility one day, you can never say never,\” Paige said. \”It\’s not going to be any time soon. That\’s mostly all I can say about it, it\’s really hard because I just had a neck surgery in August.
My neck is just getting healthier quicker the second time around which is crazy, I feel absolutely fantastic. So, we\’ll see where it goes.\”
The former WWE Divas Champion and SmackDown General Manager has spinal stenosis, which has kept her from not being medically cleared by WWE doctors to wrestle again.
Previously, WWE hadn’t cleared talent to make a return to the ring with such an injury. However, WWE Hall of Famer Edge dealt with the same injury.
Now, he’s back in action as he’s slated to take on Randy Orton in a match at WrestleMania 36.
AEW Dynamite In Jacksonville Still On Despite Coronavirus Ruling
For now, the latest location for next Wednesday\’s AEW Dynamite episode on TNT is still on.
There have been several changes within all industries due to the coronavirus pandemic. Originally, AEW was going to run Rochester, NY next week for their weekly television show but it was moved to Jacksonville, Florida at Daily’s Place.
On Friday, Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry announced that the city is suspending all events and gatherings at city facilities. This decision came after the COVID-19 outbreak hit Duval County this week.
TIAA Bank Field, which is one of the impacted venues on the list, is connected to Daily\’s Place, the location of where Dynamite will be held.
After the announcement by the Mayor, this caused speculation as to whether next week’s Dynamite episode would take place. However, Dave Meltzer provided an update as to where things stand right now.
He did so when he reported on Twitter this afternoon that Wednesday\’s episode is still on for Daily\’s Place in Jacksonville.
\”Just a note from AEW, Wednesday\’s show at Daily\’s Place is still on. Things are still having to be worked out as far as details go but it will have to be without fans,\” Meltzer wrote.
Adam Page Shares Funny Changes
Adam Page took to social media to address the ongoing virus. It’s supposed to be a funny press release, which it is.
It actually notes in the header text, \”Typed onto a piece of paper by an AEW errand boy at the drunken behest of Hangman Adam Page\”. You can read it here:
More news regarding Rob Gronkowski reportedly signing with WWE has surfaced online.
The first news of this story broke earlier this week thanks to a report by The Wrap, who noted that the former NFL player had signed with WWE.
Per the report, he will be making his SmackDown on FOX debut during the March 20 episode from New Orleans.
It was also added that he would be making an appearance at WrestleMania 36 to begin a storyline that will lead to a match at an upcoming pay-per-view event.
In an update, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Gronk\’s role at WrestleMania is still being decided and an appearance is not a lock at this point.
What is known is the fact that he’s expected to wrestle at least a few matches under his WWE contract. It’s likely that he will step into the squared circle to wrestle at the SummerSlam pay-per-view in Boston from the TD Garden.
The idea for him wrestling at the show is due to him getting a good reaction and likely help attendance as he played his entire NFL career with the New England Patriots. His opponent at this show is unknown.
A new episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown is here and it features an interesting lineup.
With just hours until bell time, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of SmackDown.
Several segments have been announced thus far for this show including the return of former Divas Champion Paige to confront WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.
WWE holds this show from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for SmackDown.
The event was originally slated to be held in Detriot, Michigan at the Little Caesars Arena but that was changed due to coronavirus concerns. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Jeff Hardy to make his return to WWE television
Paige to confront WWE Smackdown Women’s Champion Bayley
John Cena will appear this week on Friday Night SmackDown to address his WrestleMania opponent Bray Wyatt.
WWE will also be announcing matches for existing feuds that will take place heading into the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event that is still scheduled for next month in Tampa, Florida.
Join us here later tonight for WWE SmackDown Results and our post-show SmackDown Takeaways feature.
AEW has announced the relocation of two scheduled episodes of Dynamite.
All Elite Wrestling was slated to hold next week’s episode from Rochester, NY and then the special edition of the show, Blood & Guts, at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey the following week on March 25th.
However, due to concerns about the coronavirus, those shows have been moved. Next week’s show will take place in Jacksonville, FL from Daily’s Place. The location of the Blood & Guts is unknown at this time.
“As a precautionary measure against COVID-19, we are relocating next week’s AEW DYNAMITE show on March 18 from Rochester, NY, to Jacksonville, FL. Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Rochester show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 8. Additional details will be forthcoming.
In addition, the DYNAMITE show on March 25 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, will be relocated to a new venue, which will be announced shortly. This show will be televised live on TNT on March 25, and be managed under a restricted attendance policy. The DYNAMITE show in Newark will be rescheduled for Wednesday, July 22, at the Prudential Center.
Fans who have already purchased tickets to the Newark show will be offered a refund via the point of purchase, or have their original ticket valid for admission to the event on July 22. Additional details will be forthcoming.
We appreciate your understanding as the safety and well-being of our fans and talent is always our top priority. We will continue to closely monitor this evolving situation related to COVID-19 and be guided by government officials, health organizations and venue management.”
The Prudential Center issued the following statement about shutting the arena down:
While John Cena landed one of the biggest movie roles thus far in his acting career, fans will have to wait even longer to watch it.
The former WWE Champion joined the cast of “Fast & Furious 9.” Vin Diesel, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, and more star in the film.
The film, which will be the ninth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise, was scheduled to be released on May 22, 2020, by Universal Pictures.
That all changed on Thursday when the franchise issued a statement announcing that the film’s global release date has been delayed until April 2021 and it will open on April 2, 2021 in the United States due to the coronavirus.
“To our family of Fast fans everywhere, We feel all the love and the anticipation you have for the next chapter in our saga.
That’s why it’s especially tough to let you know that we have to move the release date of the film. It’s become clear that it won’t be possible for all of our fans around the world to see the film this May.
We are moving the global release date to April 2021, with North America opening on April 2. While we know there is disappointment in having to wait a little while longer, this move is made with the safety of everyone as our foremost consideration.
Moving will allow our global family to experience our new chapter together. We’ll see you next spring. Much love, Your Fast Family”
While Cena will be joined the cast, there won’t be one familiar face featured and that’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as he will not be returning in the film.
The card for Friday’s (March 13, 2020) ROH 18th Anniversary Show has been finalized but the show has been canceled due to coronavirus concerns.
Ring of Honor was slated to hold its latest pay-per-view event of the year at the Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was supposed to headlined by ROH World Heavyweight Champion Rush vs. Mark Haskins.
ROH announced the cancellation of the show with the following statement:
\”Dear ROH Family,
After much consideration and consultation with local officials regarding COVID-19, ROH has decided to cancel this weekend’s 18th Anniversary (Friday, March 13th) and Past vs Present (Saturday, March 14th) shows at Sam’s Town Live in Las Vegas.
This extremely difficult decision was made in conjunction with the most recent developments surrounding COVID-19, known as the Coronavirus.
While the marquee \”18th Anniversary\” and the very special \”Past v Present\” events were ready to show the world why Ring of Honor is truly the \”Best Professional Wrestling on the Planet,\” the safety and health of our fans, talents and staff are always our utmost priority.
Additional Information will be provided as soon as possible regarding refunds and potential rescheduling of the events that were set to transpire this weekend.
Once again, thank you for understanding and we truly appreciate your continued patronage and support.\”
Other top matches featured on the card included ROH TV Champion Dragon Lee vs. Bandido and ROH Tag Team Champions Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon.
ROH 18th Anniversary Show Card
ROH World Heavyweight Champion Rush vs. Mark Haskins
ROH TV Champion Dragon Lee vs. Bandido
ROH Tag Team Champions Jonathan Gresham & Jay Lethal vs. Marty Scurll & Flip Gordon
The Briscoes vs. Dalton Castle & Joe Hendry
Shane Taylor vs. Dan Maff vs. Kenny King vs. Bateman – Dealer’s Choice: Winner Gets a Title Shot of Their Choice
Jeff Cobb vs. Slex
Session Moth Martina vs. Nicole Savoy
Eli Isom vs. Bully Ray
PCO and Brody King of Villain Enterprises vs. Rey Horus and Alex Zayne
Viewership data is in for this week’s battle in the WWE NXT vs. AEW Dynamite Wednesday Night War. AEW won in total viewers. It was close in every demographic group including the +50 which NXT slightly won.
Here is the breakdown of the live and same-night DVR viewership, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
WWE NXT Viewership
NXT on the USA Network averaged 697,000 viewers, which is down from 718,000 last week. In the 18-49 demo, they drew a 0.21 rating, down from the 0.23 rating that the show did last week.
The episode featured North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes, Tegan Knox vs. Deonna Purrazzo, Dakota Kai vs. Mia Yim, The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle), and Kushida vs. Raul Mendoza.
AEW Dynamite on TNT was watched by 766,000 viewers, down from the 906,000 viewers last week. In the 18-49 demo, Dynamite pulled in a 0.26 rating, down from the 0.35 rating that the show did last week.
AEW Dynamite featured such as Bea Priestley & Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida & Kris Statlander, Adam Page and Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho, Cody Rhodes vs. Ortiz, Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela and Private Party, and Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade.
The drama of whether or not WWE will hold WrestleMania 36 as scheduled in Tampa, Florida due to the coronavirus will remain a possibility.
On Thursday, the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group decided against calling off WrestleMania or any events in the area, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Per the report, the group could reconsider in a week based on how the virus spreads. This comes after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis encouraged to cancel mass gatherings and events scheduled for the next 30 days.
However, the city of Tampa is keeping things as scheduled, which includes WrestleMania.
It’s been reported that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon traveled to Tampa today in order to meet with city officials regarding the pandemic and the status of WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre is likely to headline the show should it take place.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
The March 11, 2020 episode of WWE NXT aired live on the USA Network from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
The show was headlined by Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle vs. The Undisputed Era to for the NXT Tag Team Titles.
WWE NXT Results (3/11/20)
Keith Lee def. Cameron Grimes to retain the NXT North American Title
Mia Yim def. Dakota Kai to qualify for the #1 Contender\’s Ladder Match
KUSHIDA def. Raul Mendoza
Tegan Nox def. Deonna Purrazzo
Pete Dunne & Matt Riddle def. The Undisputed Era to retain NXT Tag Team Titles
Here are the 5 takeaways from this week’s show:
Keith Lee Retains NXT North American Title
Keith Lee
WWE NXT North American Keith Lee made his latest title defense against Cameron Grimes on this show.
It was a hard-fought battle and they went back and forth just as expected. The right call and likely predictable for most fans, Lee successfully retained the title.
WWE set up this contest last week when Lee was doing a promo in the ring and Grimes came out to rant about what he can do in the ring. Lee said that Grimes made the gravest mistake of his life.
Grimes bragged about beating Dijakovic in less time than Lee did, which led to Lee knocking him out of the ring.
This appeared to be a match that was for the title in hopes of getting a bump in the ratings and something to keep Lee busy heading into WrestleMania weekend.
Post-match, Damian Priest attacked Lee with a pipe but Dominik Dijakovic ran Priest off. Lee then got up and thought Dijakovic was the one who attacked him so he powerbombed him. Apparently, this feud with all three stars will continue.
The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle) put the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line in their latest defense against The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish).
It was up there with the quality that their original match had and the same finish, which was Dunne and Riddle winning in their first televised defense.
Dunne and Riddle beat Fish & O\’Reilly for the straps at the NXT TakeOver: Portland event at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon last month.
With WWE not waiting to book this rematch at NXT’s next special, TakeOver: Tampa next month, it appears that WWE has decided to go in a different direction for these two teams.
Tegan Nox vs Mia Yim with the winner being added to the #1 contender ladder match at NXT Takeover: Tampa was booked on this show in a late addition to the lineup.
It was a solid back and forth affair with the winner being Yim in a surprising move. After the match, Raquel Gonzalez beats down Yim.
Nox had been in a feud with Dakota Kai but it appears that the feud was ended after last week’s show that featured Kai going over in a Steel Cage Match.
Yim joins Chelsea Green in the contest to see who will be next in line for a shot at the title. Four spots remain with those being filled in the coming weeks.
WWE presents the NXT TakeOver: Tampa event on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida and will air on the WWE Network.
NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley came out for a promo where she talked about knocking Charlotte Flair on her a** come WrestleMania 36.
This led to Flair coming out and telling Ripley that she’s too much to handle.
Flair told her that she would take her into deep waters and drown the fastest rising star in the company. She added that Ripley wouldn’t do anything about it. This led to Ripley attacking her and a brawl broke out.
Flair hit her with a big boot then went for the Figure Eight submission but Ripley countered it until Flair knocked her down and attacked the left knee of the champ by hitting it against the ring post then locking in the Figure Four around it.
A solid segment with them actually getting physical to further their feud at WrestleMania 36 next month.
Tommaso Ciampa came out for a promo asking where Johnny Gargano was. This led to Gargano appearing on the big screen and telling him that they would do this on his time.
Gargano said that Ciampa is a horrible person and ran him down about being out due to neck surgery only for fans to chant his name when he returned. Ciampa walked to the backstage area and started a brawl with Gargano.
Security tried to break it up but Ciampa fought them off. They brawled all over the Performance Center. Gargano sent Ciampa crashing through a window in a door. Ciampa threw a weight at Gargano, who moved, and it crashed into glass. Ciampa and Gargano went crashing off a platform through the announce table to end the segment.
While not confirmed, this feud is expected to end at NXT TakeOver: Tampa next month.
As far as this segment goes, it was one of the best brawls in pro wrestling in recent memory.
Ricochet decided to take some time in order to send a message to fans.
He did so in a post on his official Twitter account after seeing fans comment on how they missed seeing him during this Monday’s RAW episode. Instead, he worked the Main Event TV taping before the show.
This is where he told them that they should be happy that he gets to perform for them at all.
\”Okay, I just want to say everyone should be happy that I get to perform for you all every week. Because at the end of the day, it doesn\’t matter to me in what capacity. So let\’s celebrate that and not dwell on anything else. #LifeIsGreat.”
Ricochet made another tweet earlier this afternoon where he wrote, \”Bouncing back is my thing!\”
This comes as his slump continues. He lost a squash to WWE Champion Brock Lesnar at the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia at the Mohammed Abdou Arena.
The following week, he lost another quick match to WWE 24/7 Champion Riddick Moss on RAW. Of course, this week Ricochet wrestled Eric Young on Main Event.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the original plan was for R-Truth to face Moss on RAW but WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon changed it to Ricochet being booked in the match.
After a week of speculation from fans, the client of WWE Hall of Famer Jake Roberts was revealed as Lance Archer.
The reveal was made during the opening segment of Wednesday’s episode of AEW Dynamite in Salt Lake City, UT at the Maverik Center on TNT when Cody Rhodes was battling Ortiz in a singles match.
The two men walked through the crowd and were sitting at ringside for the match.
Roberts made his All Elite Wrestling debut last week when he did a promo segment with Rhodes about how he didn’t like what the AEW executive was doing.
More specifically, how he was tired of hearing Rhodes complain and had a message for him. This is where he noted that he won’t take on Rhodes but his client will.
Archer was supposed to make his AEW Dynamite debut last week but it was pushed back after late-minute changes to the card.
Archer had a great year in 2019 that was highlighted with impressive performances in the G1 Climax tournament. He also earned his first title under the NJPW banner by winning the IWGP United States Title.
For those who may not recall, Archer, who’s real name is Lance Hoyt, had a run with WWE from 2009 to 2010 where he worked on the ECW and SmackDown brands as Vance Archer.
Tommaso Ciampa did a recent interview with Rick Ucchino of Sportskeeda where he spoke about the ongoing battle between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite.
It’s been billed as the Wednesday Night Wars between WWE NXT and AEW Dynamite.
While the two shows don’t draw the same ratings that Raw and WCW Monday Night Nitro did back in the Attitude Era, it’s a real fight.
The former WWE NXT Champion made it known that he wants NXT to win and thinks that people should care about the ratings between the two shows.
\”It makes it a little bit more fun. It brings that competitive edge out. I mean have friends over there and I also have people over there I\’ve never met or ever shared a ring with. It\’s awesome to see, you know, everyone just elevating their game. Everyone just wants it. I don\’t know if people say ratings don\’t matter… they sure as Hell matter. Like, you want to win.”
Ciampa stated now that NXT is on the USA Network, the promotion is doing live TV and no longer \’yeah buts’ but rather the NXT roster is doing everything that you would constitute as a main roster player.
Ciampa added that he thinks that\’s the main thing as they made a switch and the stink of NXT being a developmental brand is gone.
Aside from a few instances, NXT has lost the majority of the ratings battle against AEW in overnight and other TV ratings.
The ongoing story of Rob Gronkowski heading to WWE continues to evolve.
The first news to break about his status with the company started on Tuesday night when Ryan Satin reported on the weekly television show, WWE Backstage, on FOX Sports 1 that the former NFL player was close to signing a deal with the company.
Fast forward to Wednesday, The Wrap reported Gronkowski has indeed signed with WWE and is slated to make an appearance on the March 20th episode of SmackDown from New Orleans. This will make his debut on SmackDown.
Per the report, WWE already has plans for him in place including seeing him make an appearance at WrestleMania 36, WWE’s biggest event of the year, next month.
It should be noted that Gronk won’t be wrestling at the show. Instead, WWE plans for him to make an appearance in order to build-up to a match after WrestleMania.
While that is known, there’s still no word yet on who his opponent will be or when his in-ring debut will take place.
Pwinsider.com released a report of their own that stated Gronkowski will be working as an active pro wrestler and his deal was described as being similar to Ronda Rousey.
The former WWE RAW Women’s Champion worked a part-time schedule that included having matches at pay-per-view events and live events aside from making appearances on Monday Night RAW.
AEW will present a new episode of their weekly television show, Dynamite, tonight that will feature the build towards their Blood & Guts special show later this month.
Thus, it’s time to look ahead to tonight’s episode of AEW Dynamite. The show is expected to start with Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade in a six-man tag team match.
Although not confirmed, the belief is that Adam Page and a mystery partner vs. Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho will serve as the headliner. As of this writing, there\’s no word yet on who the mystery wrestler will be.
AEW holds this show in Salt Lake City, UT at the Maverik Center on TNT at 8 p.m. ET. AEW is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
Adam Page and a mystery partner vs. Sammy Guevara and Chris Jericho – Team Match
Cody Rhodes vs. Ortiz – Singles Match
Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela and Private Party – Six-Man Tag Team Match
Jurassic Express vs. MJF, The Butcher and The Blade – Six-Man Tag Team Match
AEW to reveal the rules for the Blood and Guts match in Newark, New Jersey later this month.
AEW will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds.
WWE will be presenting a different yet big episode of its weekly NXT television program. Thus, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of NXT.
The company is building up this show around two title matches – North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grime and The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) vs. NXT Tag Team Champions The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle).
WWE holds this show in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for NXT.
WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
North American Champion Keith Lee vs. Cameron Grimes.
The Undisputed Era (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish) will challenge NXT Tag Team Champions The Broserweights (Pete Dunne and Matt Riddle) for the titles.
How will Adam Cole react to The Velveteen Dream’s actions?
What does Johnny Gargano have planned for Tommaso Ciampa?
Tegan Knox vs. Mia Yim with the winner being added to the #1 contender ladder match at NXT Takeover: Tampa.
WWE will also be creating new programs and building on the hype for existing feuds heading into the NXT TakeOver: Tampa event that takes place on Saturday, April 4, 2020 from the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida
Join us here later tonight for our post-show WWE NXT Results and Takeaways feature.
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:
SmackDown Viewership
SmackDown averaged 2.456 million viewers on FOX in Buffalo, NY at the KeyBank Center. This is down from the 2.687 viewers that the show did for the previous week’s episode of SmackDown.
The show averaged 2.453 million viewers in the fast nationals, which was down from the 2.717 million viewers a week ago. This number measured the top metered markets.
The first hour drew 2.579 million viewers while the second hour did 2.326 million viewers. For comparison, the first show of last week’s show did 2.736 million viewers while the second hour did 2.697 million viewers.
SmackDown pulled in a 0.70 rating in the 18-49 demos, down from the 0.80 rating as last week’s show.
Monday’s edition of WWE RAW averaged 2.163 million viewers in Washington, D.C. at the Capital One Arena on the USA Network, which is down from the 2.257 million viewers the previous week.
Here is the hourly viewership breakdown, courtesy of ShowbuzzDaily:
Matt Hardy recently discussed a wide range of topics including his decision to leave WWE as well as a potential return to the company with PWinsider.com.
Hardy let his contract with the company expire back on March 1st. Since that time, while fans have speculated over his future, he has yet to sign a contract with any promotion.
In this interview, he was asked about leaving, which he noted, “I mean I was determined if I didn\’t get my dialogue and I didn\’t get my creative concerns addressed, I was going to leave. I just determined that.”
Hardy noted that he worked to do that. He did mention how he was treated great by WWE management as they were professional and took great care of him. Everyone from Mark Carrano to Triple H.
“It\’s like I didn\’t want to leave, but I had to leave that creative process.”
Matt Hardy Discusses His Future
While Hardy has talked to other promotions, there is still a chance that Hardy could make a return to the company, which he addressed. However, he knows the stage of his career right now.
“I mean there would be a possibility, but I would need assurances. This is really important to me, like how I do these next three or four years. I\’m not 25 or 30 years old. I have some good matches left in me, but I don\’t have a good match every day of the week, and I can\’t do it four or five days a week like I used to. I just don\’t bounce back like that.”
Hardy has confirmed being in talks with various promotions such as AEW, NWA, ROH, and Impact Wrestling. He has yet to announce where he plans to join but has stated that it will be within the next 30 days.
After weeks of speculation, WWE has confirmed the exact date that Jeff Hardy will make his return to television.
On Monday night, the company officially announced that the former WWE Champion would be appearing on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown.
This will mark his first appearance on WWE programming (outside of his recent WWE Backstage interview) since last year. It should be noted that he’s been backstage at the show for the past few weeks but wasn’t used.
What could be an interesting segment that was also confirmed is former WWE Divas Champion Paige confronting SmackDown Women\’s Champion Bayley. You can watch the announcement here:
Roman Reigns and The Usos vs. King Corbin, Sheamus & Robert Roode in a six-man tag team match and Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura with Sami Zayn is being locally advertised for the show.
WWE holds this week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit, MI at the Little Caesars Arena on FOX.
This will mark the post-show of SmackDown for Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event, which saw John Morrison and The Miz successfully retain the SmackDown Tag Team Titles inside of the Chamber structure against several teams.
The journey to the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event is over and with the show in the rearview, it’s time to look ahead starting with tonight’s episode of Monday Night RAW.
The biggest thing thus far announced for the show is the return of WWE Hall of Famer Edge. This comes after he has been off of television since January due to him being attacked by Randy Orton, who also attacked Edge’s wife, Beth Phoenix, last week.
Elimination Chamber was a speed bump in the road for WWE storylines and now that’s it’s out of the way, WWE can put the throttle down on programs for WrestleMania 36.
WWE holds this show in Washington, D.C. at the Capital One Arena. As usual, fans should expect more matches and segments to be revealed this afternoon for RAW. WWE is advertising the following items for tonight’s broadcast:
The fallout from Sunday’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event
Edge will make his return to RAW to address Randy Orton’s recent actions
Although not confirmed, The Undertaker will reportedly make an appearance on this show
How will Becky Lynch react to facing Shayna Baszler at WrestleMania 36?
Join us here later tonight for our post-show RAW Takeaways feature.
As expected, Shayna Bazler is headed to WrestleMania 36 and will do so by being in a championship match.
WWE booked a Women\’s Elimination Chamber Match at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center on the WWE Network.
This contest saw WWE Women\’s Tag Team Champion Asuka vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Ruby Riott vs. Sarah Logan vs. Liv Morgan, vs. Natalya with the winner becoming the new #1 contender for the RAW Women’s Title, which is currently behind held by Becky Lynch.
As seen in the contest, Bazler won the match. As a result, she has earned the opportunity to challenge Becky Lynch for the strap at WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event on Sunday, April 5, 2020 in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium that will air on the WWE Network. WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts on Shayna Baszler winning this contest and challenging Becky Lynch for the RAW Women\’s Title at the biggest event of the year for WWE? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
Braun Strowman’s reign as the WWE Intercontinental Champion didn’t last long as he was dethroned by Sami Zayn.
The title change happened when Strowman defended the title against Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Sami Zayn in a 3-On-1 Handicap Match.
This contest served as the co-main event spot on the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view card at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that aired on WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network. Zayn pinned Strowman in the match earning him the title.
The four stars have been feuding for the past few months. Back on the January 31 episode of SmackDown, Strowman defeated Nakamura to win the Intercontinental Championship.
This marked Strowman’s first reign as the champion. It was a surprising outcome considering that Strowman won the title recently and he was a big favorite according to oddsmakers throughout the week in the betting odds.
As of this writing, there haven\’t been any reports regarding the creative direction for Strowman and the Intercontinental Title for WrestleMania 36. Time will tell where WWE goes from here.
What are your thoughts on Sami Zayn being the one to dethrone Braun Strowman to win the Intercontinental Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
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