Category: WWE News
Jon Moxley Named Sports Illustrated’s 2019 Male Wrestler Of The Year
Below are Sports Illustrated’s Top 10 male wrestlers of 2019: 10. Nick Gage 9. Kofi Kingston 8. Will Ospreay 7. Kota Ibushi 6. Kenny Omega 5. Chris Jericho 4. Tie: Kazuchika Okada and Seth Rollins 3. Cody Rhodes 2. Adam Cole 1. Wrestler of the Year: Jon Moxley Follow @wrestlepages
WWE Shareholders Sue Vince McMahon Over XFL
An Oklahoma firefighters pension fund, who hold a stake in WWE stock, have filed a lawsuit against Vince McMahon over the new upstart XFL. The lawsuit, filed on Dec. 26 in Delaware Chancery Court, claims there is “a credible basis to believe” that McMahon and other WWE senior officers breached their duties to investors by…
Arn Anderson Exposes Dissension Between WWE Creative Team And Producers
Arn Anderson recently shed some light on dissension between the WWE creative team and producers in a new podcast. “Very rarely in those last 4 years was anything that anyone of us had offered, because you would get a sheet with the Producer suggestions, and names that go by with them, and they never would…
SmackDown Viewership Ticks Upward; Doing Well In Key Demographics
This week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown did an average viewing audience of 2.439 million viewers on FOX, which is up from the 2.415 million viewers from last week. SmackDown also won the night on almost all the demographic breakdowns for network TV. It led in adults 18-34, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 for…
Bray Wyatt Responds To Kevin Spacey Video
Bray Wyatt has issued a response to actor Kevin Spacey. For those that missed it, Spacey published a video on Twitter, which was compared to Wyatt’s work in WWE. The WWE superstar had the following to say about it: ”Every day people (falsely) accuse me of drawing inspiration from them. I laugh, because I am…
Universal Championship Match Set For Royal Rumble, Roman Reigns To Compete At NYE On FOX
– Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz and King Corbin on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown to earn the right to challenge “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the Universal Championship next month at Royal Rumble. Your winner and facing 'The Fiend' @WWEBrayWyatt for the Universal Championship at the #RoyalRumble: @WWEDanielBryan! pic.twitter.com/bmgTFcz9Or — WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX)…
Triple H Lists WWE Talent He Would Like To Have Match Against
During a recent appearance on the After the Bell podcast with Corey Graves, Triple H discussed which superstars he would like to have a match against. “If I were to look at it now, clearly for me from the white meat Shawn Michaels-selling babyface side, [Johnny] Gargano. [Tommaso] Ciampa is different – he’s more like…
Backstage News On The Usos Returning To WWE TV
With Jimmy Uso being acquitted of DUI charges earlier this month, the WWE creative team has been instructed to come up with ideas to re-introduce The Uso brothers tag team on television. The current plan is for them to remain on Raw. Follow @wrestlepages
Early Location News For Survivor Series 2020 & Royal Rumble 2021
The early front-runner to host Survivor Series 2020 is Dallas, Texas. The current favorite to host Royal Rumble 2021 is Seattle, Washington. The rumors were reported earlier by WrestleVotes on Twitter: Source: Location news… clear front runners, if not already official: 2020 Survivor Series: Dallas, TX2021 Royal Rumble: Seattle, WA — WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) December 27,…
Moment Of Bliss Segment Set For Tonight’s SmackDown
WWE has announced Alexa Bliss will host Lacey Evans in a new segment of A Moment of Bliss during tonight’s SmackDown in Detroit. #AMomentOfBliss returns TONIGHT as @AlexaBliss_WWE welcomes @LaceyEvansWWE to sit down and dish on #SmackDown! https://t.co/TYCCrqT2gV pic.twitter.com/8hWRmB40DK — WWE (@WWE) December 27, 2019 Also on tap is a number one contender’s match pitting…
WWE NXT Viewership Up On Christmas; No Match For ‘A Christmas Story’
Both AEW and WWE had the week off from live TV on Christmas Day, but NXT aired taped matches on USA. On TNT, A Christmas Story marathon took over the cable time and 13 of top 20 spots on the ratings chart. NXT did 831,000 viewers on the USA Network, up from the 795,000 viewers…
Update On Vince McMahon Being Heavily Behind Raw Star
Erick Rowan may be in for a big push on Monday Night Raw as Vince McMahon is said to be “heavily behind” him. There’s no word yet on what the long-term plans are for him as he has been squashing jobbers for a number of weeks along with the mystery caged item at ringside. As…
Backstage News On Bray Wyatt’s Potential WrestleMania 36 Opponent
The latest rumor making rounds this week is that Universal Champion Bray Wyatt vs. Roman Reigns is said to be the leading SmackDown main event penciled in for WrestleMania 36. The Reigns-Baron Corbin feud was said to be a placeholder to cool Reigns off before building him back up in the first half of 2020.…
Major Championship Change At WWE Madison Square Garden Show
At Thursday’s WWE live event at Madison Square Garden, the United States Championship changed hands. Former NXT Champion Andrade defeated Rey Mysterio to claim the US Championship. WWE is known to have championship changes at MSG over the years. See the post from WWE’s Twitter below: HE'S DONE IT! ???????????? @AndradeCienWWE defeated @reymysterio to become…
WWE Backstage Viewership Sees Major Jump On Christmas Eve
Tuesday night’s Christmas Eve episode of WWE Backstage did 153,000 viewers on FOX Sports 1. This episode featured WWE’s 2019 Year End Awards and was up from the record-low 95,000 viewers from the week prior. WWE Backstage Viewership Tracker: Oct. 15, 2019: 597,000 viewers (Tuesday preview) Oct. 25, 2019: 426,000 viewers (Friday preview) Nov. 5,…
Toni Storm Opens Up About Fallout Of Private Photos Leaking Online
Toni Storm from WWE NXT opened up about the fallout over private photos of her that leaked online last year during an appearance on Lilian Garcia’s podcast. “I just shut down because I noticed stuff that had leaked because I was already kind of in a bad place mentally. I always really struggled with depression…
WWE Hasn’t Contacted Eric Bischoff About nWo HOF Induction
Eric Bischoff has NOT been contacted by WWE about being inducted into the Hall of Fame with the new World order next year. “No,” said Bischoff h/t WrestlingINC.com. “I was surprised they announced it this early as they usually announce it a little later in the year. But no, I haven’t spoken to anybody. I…
Big E Reveals Frustration With Kevin Owens Replacing Him
Big E revealed his frustration about being replaced by Kevin Owens in the New Day when he was injured. “With the meniscus thing, when I’m in the hospital, I’m in the bed. I just finished my surgery and I turn on the TV and I know [Kingston and Woods] have to do what you have…
WWE Looking To Sign Killer Kross, Fast Track Him On Raw Or SmackDown
WWE is interested is signing former Impact Wrestling star Killer Kross. In fact, there is a chance the company has already offered him a deal. WWE is open to fast tracking him to an upper tier spot on Raw or SmackDown. Kross was locked in a contract dispute with Impact Wrestling for months. He hasn’t…
WWE Worlds Collide Main Event Revealed, TakeOver Matches Airing On Next Week’s NXT
– It was announced during the Christmas Day edition of NXT that WWE Worlds Collide will be headlined by an 8-man tag team match pitting NXT’s Undisputed Era against NXT UK’s Imperium. Worlds Collide will emanate from Houston, TX on Saturday, Jan. 25th. – Next week’s New Year’s Day edition of NXT will feature three…
WWE Backstage Reveals 2019 Year-End Awards Results
WWE Backstage featured their first annual Year-End Awards for 2019 during the Christmas Eve episode. Below are the results: Moment of the Year – Kofi Kingston wins WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 Becky Lynch wins WrestleMania 35 main event Natalya vs. Lacey Evans in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel Braun Strowman tackles Bobby Lashley through…
WWE RAW Viewership Down For Taped Episode
This week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW did an average viewing audience of 1.835 million viewers on the USA Network. That’s down from the 2.054 million viewers the show did the week prior. Below is how the show did each hour: 8 PM: 1.955 million viewers 9 PM: 1.864 million viewers 10 PM: 1.686…
Backstage News On Two WWE Stars Paul Heyman Wants To Push
Paul Heyman is said to be high up on both Buddy Murphy and Aleister Black. The plan is for Murphy to be groomed into a top heel, with Black working as a top babyface. Despite his plans, some are skeptical about Heyman being able to successfully elevate them. Neither Murphy nor Black are typical “Vince…
WWE NXT Star Undergoes Reconstructive Surgery
Fandango suffered more than an elbow dislocation on the Dec. 11 episode of WWE NXT. The NXT Superstar underwent reconstruction surgery of his ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, a procedure known very well by baseball fans as Tommy John surgery. He could be out of action as long as 12 months. Fandango tore…
Backstage News On Samoa Joe’s Current WWE Status
WWE plans to transition Samoa Joe from a commentator back to an in-ring performer now that he has recovered from his fractured thumb. This is the reason for the closing segment on this week’s episode of WWE Monday Night RAW when he refused to move from the announcer’s desk and was taken out of the…
Most Disliked WWE YouTube Videos Of 2019 Revealed
Forbes.com published a list of the most dislike videos on WWE’s official YouTube channel for 2019. They are as follows: Charlotte Flair Replaces Becky Lynch in Anticipated WrestleMania Match—73,000 Dislikes Seth Rollins hits “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt with a Stomp—48,000 Dislikes Brock Lesnar Brutally Attacks Rey Mysterio and his Son—39,000 Dislikes Braun Strowman vs. Bobby…
Jerry Lawler Reveals Why Last Week’s WWE RAW Taping Was Difficult
Jerry Lawler explained on a recent episode of his podcast why it was difficult taping back-to-back episodes of WWE Monday Night RAW on 12/16: “That was a long night. We had 20 matches.” Lawler said h/t PostWrestling.com. “We started, and I bet a lot of people didn’t realize… it would be hard to realize it…
How Much Longer Matt Hardy Plans To Wrestle, Big Update On His Status
Matt Hardy recently answered questions from fans on Twitter. Below are the hilgihts: A live deletion match: “That would be a daunting challenge, but it’s possible. I would envision it as a DELETION battle meets Broadway.” Goals for the New Year: “Be a better father & husband. Be more present in the moment. Take care…
Ric Flair Comments On Charlotte’s Booking In WWE
Ric Flair recently addressed Corey Graves’ comments about his daughter Charlotte in a new interview with WrestlingINC.com. For those that missed it, Graves stated he feels like she’s going through the motions in the ring. Here’s the reaction from The Nature Boy: “I am not happy with the way they are doing it; I guess…
Bobby Lashley & Lana’s Wedding, TLC Rematch Confirmed For Next Week’s Raw
Next week’s Monday Night Raw in Hartford, the final one for 2019 and the decade, will feature the wedding between Bobby Lashley and Lana. We are the change the world needs. Love us. Hate us. Regardless we are history makers & are making the world a better place. #RAW pic.twitter.com/TEMfBbIZcK — CJ Perry (@TheCJPerry) December…
What To Expect On Tonight’s WWE Raw
Tonight’s pre-taped holiday edition of Monday Night Raw will feature the following, per WWE’s official preview: Randy Orton & The Viking Raiders vs. The OC Seth Rollins vs. Rey Mysterio (c) – United States Championship Match There’s a lot more on tap and we have those spoilers here at this link. Follow @wrestlepages
Steve Austin: “The Feeling That Anything Could Happen Is Lost”
Steve Austin made an excellent point with what’s missing in professional wrestling today while appearing on the Pardon My Take show. “When you used to watch back in the Attitude Era when we had the Monday Night Wars, Nitro had this hot open, and then we had our pyro coming down, pow, pow, pow, it…
Why Mauro Ranallo/Corey Graves And Jordan Myles Stories Weren’t On WWE Backstage
Several fans have noticed the stories of Mauro Ranallo/Corey Graves and Jordan Myles were not covered on WWE Backstage. Ryan Satin from ProWrestlingSheet.com, who is on the show, explained why in the following tweet: https://twitter.com/ryansatin/status/1208453540995198976 Richard Reacts: I couldn’t disagree more. Mental health issues are not going to go away by simply not covering them.…
SmackDown Viewership Up This Week
This week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown did an average viewing audience of 2.415 million viewers on FOX, which is up from the 2.339 million viewers from last week. Below is how the show did by hour: 8 PM: 2.493 million viewers 9 PM: 2.336 million viewers Average: 2.415 million viewers SmackDown Viewership Tracker:…
Even With Another Denial, Rumors Of Edge Returning Persist
As reported here on WrestlePages.com, WWE Hall of Famer Edge continues to shoot down rumors of an in-ring return in WWE. Even with another denial, multiple whispers around the company continue to speculate about him possibly returning to the ring. The justification for the rumors all stem from the fact he did the spear at…
WWE NXT Spoilers For Next Week’s Christmas Episode
WWE has pre-taped a number of matches at Full Sail University over the last two weeks and again at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn following last night’s SmackDown. While the exact match order is unknown at this time, below are spoilers for the matches scheduled for Wednesday’s pre-taped episode: Taped at Full Sail University: Candice…
SmackDown Matches Set For Tonight, Interesting Names Backstage
The following rematches have been announced for tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown in Brooklyn: Dana Brooke vs. Bayley The New Day vs. Cesaro & Shinsuke Nakamura Also of note, PWInsider is reporting that Paige and Shane McMahon are backstage at the Barclays Center. There’s no word yet on if they are scheduled to appear on camera…
Dana Brooke Signs Five-Year Deal With WWE
WWE SmackDown star Dana Brooke recently revealed to Sports Illustrated that she has signed a new five-year deal with WWE. Below is an excerpt from her Q&A: Justin Barrasso: You have been on the main roster since 2016, and you started in NXT in 2013. Surrounded by such a talented, motivated roster, how do you plan…
Cain Velasquez Reportedly Booked For Upcoming WWE PPV
Dave Meltzer is reporting that Cain Velasquez’s next WWE match will take place at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on Jan. 26th in Houston, TX. There’s no word on what his role will be, though there’s obviously speculation on either a rubber match against Brock Lesnar or an appearance in the 30-man Royal Rumble match. Velasquez…
Edge Shoots Down New Rumors Of His In-Ring Return
A variety of rumors have been floating around over the last few days that Edge is closer to reaching a deal with WWE that would see him return to the ring in early 2020. Whether there’s any truth to those rumors remains to be seen, but the WWE Hall of Famer took to Twitter to…
WWE NXT Wins The Week In Viewership & Key Demographics Over AEW Dynamite
For the first time ever, WWE NXT swept the week in both overall viewership and the 18-49 demographic with a .27 to .25 advantage. Both faced big opposition due to the coverage of the US House Impeachment vote. This week’s episode of AEW Dynamite did 683,000 viewers on TNT, down from the 778,000 viewers the…
New NXT Women’s Champion Crowned, Two Returns, Next Week’s Matches & More
Below are news & notes from this week’s WWE NXT: – Rhea Ripley defeated Shayna Baszler in the main event to capture the NXT Women’s Championship for the first time. Ripley, a former NXT UK Women’s Champion, ended Baszler’s 415-day reign. ???? She stands tall above the rest. ????#WWENXT #NXTWomensTitle #AndNew @RheaRipley_WWE pic.twitter.com/afnm69A0C0 — WWE…
Jimmy Uso Acquitted Of DUI Charge
Jimmy Uso was found not guilty in his DUI case stemming from his arrest on 7/25 in Pensacola, Florida. A jury deliberated for about an hour in a Pensacola courtroom on Wednesday before announcing the verdict. Dashcam video appeared to show Uso, whose real name is Jonathan Fatu, speeding a swerving in his Cadillac Escalade.…
Paul Heyman Trying To Build Up Certain Stars On WWE RAW
Paul Heyman has been pushing for some talent on RAW to get more wins, which is the reason behind recent squash matches. The thinking is the stars that need built up need to get over as much as possible, so they’re scheduling short (one-two minute) matches to accomplish that. So the next time you see…
When To Expect Several Injured WWE Stars To Return
– Nia Jax and Ruby Riott are both scheduled to return to WWE in the first quarter of 2020. We could see either or even both back as soon as January. – Xavier Woods is out until at least May 2020. – Lars Sullivan is currently slated for a return in June 2020. Follow @wrestlepages
John Cena Never Took Paycheck From Total Bellas
Nikki Bella revealed that John Cena never took a paycheck for his role on Total Bellas and she doesn’t like how he didn’t have a voice when their breakup was showcased. “The one thing I really regret about showcasing the breakup is that no one got to hear [John’s] voice, and it just seemed so…
Former Wrestling Star Battling Cancer
Yesterday on his Facebook page, Tracy Smothers revealed that he is battling non-life threatening lymphoma cancer: “To all concerned I was diagnosed Nov.14 w Lymphoma cancer which now am on my 3rd treatment 3 to go Of Chemo which is shrinking the rapid growing tumors. Doc told me yrs ago I have blockage in my…
The New Day & Street Profits Sign Contract Extensions With WWE
As first reported on WWE Backstage, Kofi Kingston, Big E & Xavier Woods of The New Day, plus Montez Ford & Angelo Dawkins of The Street Profits have signed multi-year contract extensions with WWE. As previously noted, Kingston revealed on The New Day’s podcast that he’s signed on for five more years, so the same…