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Here’s How WWE’s SmackDown Depth Chart Looks

August 16, 2020 • Admin

What’s on your list? There are a lot of people on every WWE roster and that can be a good or bad thing. With so much talent, you can see a lot of outstanding matches and angles based on the wrestlers alone. At the same time though, it can make for some frustrating moments when a wrestler you like doesn’t get the biggest chance. WWE has its own mindset on these things and now we have a better idea of how that looks. SmackDown may not be the top show on the WWE pyramid, but it certainly has a lot to offer. This includes a host of top level stars, including a variety of legends and newcomers. That can allow for some very big matches on the blue show and as luck would have it, we are seeing some of those matches play out. That is an effective way of seeing who is the best around, but what does WWE think coming into those matches? According to Fightful, a backstage depth chart shows the top three babyfaces on the SmackDown roster. Braun Strowman is listed as the top face, followed by Jeff..

WWE Shifted Away From TV-PG This Week

August 16, 2020 • Admin

It would certainly be different. There are a lot of criticisms about modern WWE and one of the biggest is that it is too PG. Several fans are not pleased with what is considered a more family friendly version of the company, which has been in place for a very long time now. While you will see flashes of different kinds of programming, it is rare to see WWE offering more mature, adult style stories. That might be changing, at least for the short term. Some of these complaints make a lot of sense, but at the same time the PG model makes sense for families. If younger people are watching the show, they might not be able to get to a show on their own. That means coming with their parents, which means two (or even three) tickets sold, plus more concessions and possibly merchandise. Throw in better advertising opportunities and it is a fairly easy concept to follow. However, that philosophy was not the case this week. According to Wrestlingnews.co, this week’s SmackDown was rated TV-14 ins..

Saturday Night’s Main Event May Be Returning

August 15, 2020 • Admin

It’s a classic. WWE has been around for a very long time and has produced more television than any wrestling company in history. That is the kind of thing that can create a lot of history over the years, which can make for some rather interesting looks back through time. Monday Night Raw and SmackDown are their two most famous shows, but we might be seeing one of the other big ones making a return. One of the most important changes in the history of WWE is the introduction of Saturday Night’s Main Event. The company’s television moved from the smaller arenas without the best lighting to big sports arenas with top level production values and graphics. It changed the way the company looked and ushered in a new era. The show became a staple of the 1980s and made a brief comeback in 2006. Now, we might be seeing the same thing all over again. According to Wrestlinginc.com, WWE has filed a trademark application for Saturday Night’s Main Event. There is no word on any official plans to run..

Details On WWE Moving To Amway Center, Including Possible Fans

August 15, 2020 • Admin

The time scale is shaping up. One of the biggest stories of the week was news of WWE finally getting their television out of the Performance Center. The facility has been rather useful for WWE during the Coronavirus pandemic but there comes a point where it is time to move on. That is going to be the case starting next week, and now we know some more important details. There are several questions about WWE moving to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, but one of the most important is how they will be able to bring in fans. That has been one of the major changes over the summer and it is not clear how long it will be before WWE can run full arenas again. We now know a little bit more about their situation in the Amway Center, including how long they might be around. According to Jon Alba of MyNews13 in Orlando, WWE has an agreement in place with the city to have full use of the Amway Center, though they will not be allowed to have any fans in attendance through October 30. According..

First Title Match Announced For Payback

August 15, 2020 • Admin

They don’t have much time. We are just over a week away from Summerslam, which means we are just over two weeks away from Payback. WWE has decided to run two pay per views in back to back weeks, which is going to make for some interesting timing situations. That means they are going to need to set up the card in a hurry, and that is what they are already doing. One of the bigger stories of the year so far has been that of Bayley and Sasha Banks, who have completely taken over the women’s divisions in recent months. That has included them winning all three main roster titles, which is both a blessing and a curse. While it is nice to have all of the gold, it also means having to defend the titles, which is where this is going. During this week’s SmackDown, Banks and Bayley announced that they will be defending their Women’s Tag Team Titles at Payback. There were no opponents mentioned, but the titles are defended over all three brands, including NXT. Banks and Bayley are two time champ..

Change Made To Summerslam Match

August 15, 2020 • Admin

That’s what makes sense. Summerslam is coming up in just over a week and while most of the card is set in stone, there is still time to add a few things to the show here and there. Some of these changes will involve adjustments to matches that are already set and some of the changes are needed improvements. That is the case for one of the bigger matches from Monday Night Raw. Over the last several months, Seth Rollins and Rey Mysterio have been involved in one of the biggest feuds on Monday Night Raw. Rollins has taken out Mysterio’s eye twice, putting him on the shelf multiple times. That is the kind of thing that is going to require some revenge, with Mysterio’s son Dominik swearing to take Rollins out for his father’s sake. He can do that at Summerslam, and now it might be a little easier. WWE.com has officially announced that Rollins vs. Dominik will be a street fight. This is a change from Monday Night Raw, when the match’s stipulations only allowed for Dominik to use weapons. T..

Backstage Heat On Velveteen Dream Over NXT Return

August 15, 2020 • Admin

You had to know something like this was coming. The wrestling world is still dealing with the fallout from the SpeakingOut Movement, which shook up the industry in a big way. There were almost no companies without wrestlers being mentioned, with WWE certainly being included. One of the more prominent wrestlers has since returned to television, and it has not been going well. Earlier this week, the Velveteen Dream made his return to NXT in a surprise as the third entrant in a triple threat qualifying match for the Takeover: XXX North American Title ladder match. This was Dream’s first appearance since he was accused of sending sexual messages to underage people. While Dream was never charged with a crime, there was some rather convincing evidence against him. It was a big moment to have him come back, and fans are not pleased. According to Fightful Select, Dream’s return was not revealed to the NXT roster until the night of the television taping. There has been no mention of any punish..

VIDEO: Former Impact Wrestling World Champion Debuts On SmackDown

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Nice to meet you….again. The wrestling world may involve a lot of different promotions, but you can often see some of the people involved working in different places. It can be interesting when you see someone make an appearance for a promotion other than where they are best known, especially if they are someone famous. That was the case this week for someone who is hard to miss. While WWE has been the dominant promotion in professional wrestling for about the last twenty years, Impact Wrestling has carved out a nice niche for itself over the years. The company has done some nice things over the years and has its own group of wrestlers who are known for their work there. A lot of them have moved elsewhere, and one made his on-screen WWE debut this week. During this week’s SmackDown, Joseph Park, better known as former Impact Wrestling World Champion Abyss made his on-screen debut. Park appeared as AJ Styles’ statistician and was later attacked by Jeff Hardy. Styles mentioned Park by ..

RUMOR: WWE Running Events With Virtual, Interactive Fans

August 15, 2020 • Admin

It’s the best that they can do. The Coronavirus has caused a lot of changes to the wrestling world with possibly the biggest being the lack of fans in the arenas. That is the kind of thing that you can’t plan for and really does change the way the wrestling shows feel. Other sports have had the same issue, but there is a unique solution that we might be seeing soon. Fans in wrestling serve more purposes than just sitting in the stands and cheering. They can also show wrestlers what they like and don’t like, as you can see what is working for the fans who want to watch the show. WWE has been missing that kind of feedback as all they have at the moment is their NXT wrestlers serving as an audience. Soon though, we might be getting something else. According to the WrestleVotes Twitter account, WWE will include a virtual audience for its upcoming television shows starting with next week’s SmackDown. WWE’s television will be moving to the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida and the arena wil..

Ring Of Honor Undergoes Big Shakeup Over SpeakingOut Movement

August 15, 2020 • Admin

The changes continue. Earlier this year, the SpeakingOut Movement shook a lot of different parts of the wrestling world with no company being immune to the accusations coming from all over the place. Several wrestlers have been punished in one way or another with some of them being in bigger trouble than others. One of the more prominent names involved is in trouble as well, and now we know what that includes. One of the bigger stories from late 2019 into early 2020 was the status of Marty Scurll. As one of the bigger names outside of a major wrestling promotion, the question became where Scurll would wind up when his Ring of Honor contract expired. Scurll would up deciding to stay with Ring of Honor, though with the added bonus of being the promotion’s booker. Since then, Scurll has been named in the SpeakingOut Movement and things have been changed as a result. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Scurll is no longer the Ring of Honor booker, pending a human resources in..

REVIEW: Bash At The Beach 1998: Summertime Not So Blues

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Bash at the Beach 1998 Date: July 12, 1998 Location: Cox Arena, San Diego, California Attendance: 10,095 Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan Tonight is all about the celebrities as the main event is DDP/Karl Malone vs. Hollywood Hogan/Dennis Rodman. We’ve also got football player Kevin Greene vs. the Giant in what was supposed to be a tag match. Their original partners are in a world title match as new champion Goldberg defends against Curt Hennig. The midcard matches should be solid, meaning this has potential to be something good. Let’s get to it. The opening video focuses on the three major matches tonight with some shots of the beach cut in as well. The set is the usual intricate beach setting with sand, lifeguard towers and beach balls. The announcers wearing hula shirts is a nice touch as well. We get an intro from the announcers, bragging about all the media attention the show has been getting. Nothing wrong with that. Gene, in a white tuxedo, hypes up t..

Former US Champion Makes SmackDown Return After Long Absence

August 15, 2020 • Admin

I remember you. One of the scariest things a wrestler has to go through in wrestling is an injury. You never know when one is coming but at the same time, you never know how bad one is going to be. Someone could be out of action anywhere from no time at all to permanently and the waiting can feel like a lifetime. On the other hand though, there is a great feeling when someone returns from injury, which was the case this week on SmackDown. There are a lot of talented wrestlers on the WWE roster and that can create a problem if someone has to leave. With so many other people out there to take a spot at a moment’s notice, it can be difficult to work your way back into a spot. This can often be the case with an injury, but hopefully someone who returned from a long time off can manage to get their spot back. Kalisto made his return to WWE television this week on SmackDown, interfering in a match between Shinsuke Nakamura and Gran Metalik. This marked Kalisto’s first appearance since a De..

Update On Excalibur’s AEW Status

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Welcome back? Commentators are some of the most important parts of a wrestling show as they serve as the viewers’ guides. They tell you what is going on, where things are going, and tell the stories that the companies want. That makes the choices for commentators one critical decisions a company can make. A major company had to make a change in recent weeks but that change is coming to an end. Modern wrestling has offered wrestling fans a lot of benefits, including the ability to watch almost anything they want. These days, wrestling is saved online and a fan can find every show they choose. At the same time though, this isn’t the best situation every now and then as you can see some things that are not as well remembered. That is the case with certain promos, one of which got an AEW personality in trouble. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Excalibur is expected to return to the AEW commentary team during the August 26 edition of Dynamite. This comes after he has missed..

RUMOR KILLER On Major AEW Dynamite News

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Not so fast. The internet has changed the way the wrestling world works in ways that no one could have seen coming. Now fans can talk to each other and find out information from all over the world. That can allow fans to learn a lot of things, but it does not mean that everything you see is accurate. It seems that is the case this time around, as some results might not be entirely true. AEW Dynamite has gone from not existing a year ago to being one of the biggest wrestling shows every single week. It features some excellent action and storytelling with some of the biggest stars outside of WWE, if not the entire world. Some of their top stars are former WWE wrestlers and it is a big deal when some former WWE wrestlers make their AEW debuts. However, it seems that someone reported to be making his debut might not be quite the case. Earlier this week, some spoilers for next week’s edition of AEW Dynamite were posted on Reddit. These results included two new debuts, including Erick Rowa..

Rumored Intercontinental Championship Match Confirmed

August 15, 2020 • Admin

It had been previously reported that WWE was setting up a special Intercontinental Championship match for SummerSlam that would see AJ Styles go up against one of the great superstars of all time. However, while it looks like we may be getting the match, it won’t be when you think it is. It was revealed on this week’s episode of Smackdown that Styles will be defending his title against Jeff Hardy on next week’s edition of the show. Check out how the match was set up below: Editor’s Opinion: I actually like that they are doing this on next week’s show, instead of at SummerSlam. First, it will not keep the pay-per-view too long, as the bigger events tend to go over time. Plus, these two will hopefully get the time that they deserve, as this match could be outstanding. However, don’t be surprised if RETRIBUTION interferes with this match and it ends up on the SummerSlam card anyone. Also, it was GREAT to see Joseph Parks on WWE television! How has be not been an on-screen character un..

WWE Legend Returns To Raw This Week

August 15, 2020 • Admin

One of the focal points of Raw over the past few weeks has been the feud between Randy Orton and Drew McIntyre. They will compete for the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, but The Viper has been taking out WWE legends with his punt as of late, in order to further his claim that he is as dangerous as they come and truly is the “Legend Killer”. Tonight on Smackdown, it was announced that Shawn Michaels will be returning to Raw this coming week, in order to confront Orton. Orton eliminated his mentor, Ric Flair, by hitting him with the punt in the final segment of Raw last week. You can see the promo video and the attack below: Editor’s Opinion: You know that this is going to end with Michaels on the receiving end of a punt as well. I will say that the segment between Orton and Flair last week was some of the most compelling television that WWE has produced in quite a while. I cannot wait to see how HBK will defend his friend and mentor. Are you looking forward to seeing the Legend S..

SummerSlam Grudge Match Set With Special Stipulation

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Sometimes, a little extra incentive can go a long way. One of the most intriguing feuds over the past few months has been Mandy Rose vs. Sonya Deville. Ever since their team of Fire and Desire split up, they have had a bitter rivalry that has not had its culmination as of yet. That is about to change at SummerSlam. It was announced on tonight’s episode of Smackdown that the two former best friends will face each other in a Hair vs. Hair match. This is a result of Deville attacking Rose a couple of weeks ago and cutting a lock of her hair. You can see a clip of the attack below: From WWE.com: Mandy Rose wants to make things ugly in the latest showdown with her former best friend, and she and Sonya Deville will put their locks on the line in a Hair vs. Hair Match at SummerSlam. Sonya made the first cut toward the clash when she attacked Mandy backstage and took multiple snips of her hair with a scissor. The Golden Goddess debuted a new look and a revamped attitude the following we..

New Title Match Set For Summerslam With An Interesting Twist

August 15, 2020 • Admin

It’s a busy night. Summerslam is coming up and while it is traditionally a big show, WWE needs to think outside the box a bit at the moment. They have an ice cold product at the moment and need to come up with something to draw in the fans’ attention. One way they can do that is by shaking things up a bit, and that is what they are going to try in the women’s divisions. Bayley and Sasha Banks are dominating the women’s title scene at the moment, with Bayley holding the SmackDown Women’s Title, Banks holding the Raw Women’s Title, and the two of them reigning as Women’s Tag Team Champions. That is quite the resume and they could be champions for a long time to come. However, one person might have a lot to say about that at Summerslam. This week on SmackDown, Asuka won a battle royal to become the new #1 contender to the SmackDown Women’s Title, earning a shot against Bayley at Summerslam. Asuka is already #1 contender to Banks’ Raw Women’s Title, with that title shot coming at Summers..

SmackDown Live Coverage And Results – August 14, 2020

August 15, 2020 • Admin

Smackdown Date: August 14, 2020 Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves We have less than two weeks to go before Summerslam and it’s time to try and juice the interest a bit. Last week saw Retribution show up on Smackdown and this week it’s a bunch of guest stars in a tri-brand battle royal for the shot at Bayley’s Smackdown Women’s Title. That could go a lot of different ways so let’s get to it. The opening recap looks at Retribution’s attacks and antics over the last few weeks. Cole says that Retribution is “hiding behind current events.” Big E. vs. John Morrison Before the match, Big E. reminds us of his singles success and calls those who forget it false prophets. There’s no Miz here, but there are some flickering lights….and here’s Retribution. They chase off commentary and storm the ring, including taking out Big E.’s knee. A spear puts Big E. down and the team runs away, with Miz running out to check on Morrison. There were..

AEW Seems To Release Three Wrestlers

August 14, 2020 • Admin

So long, farewell and goodbye? The AEW roster is one of the most stacked in all of wrestling right now, with some veterans, rookies and others in the primes of their careers. That can make for a very nice mixture of stars and matches between them, but at the same time some changes have to be made at times. It seems that AEW has parted ways with some names, with at least one confirming such a change. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of issues with the wrestling world, especially when it comes to international wrestlers. This has been quite the problem as several wrestlers have not been able to get out of various other countries, meaning that they cannot get back to work in the United States. Some of the international AEW names seem to be finished with the company, possibly as a result. AEW has removed Sadie Gibbs, Bea Priestley and Jimmy Havoc’s profiles from its websites. Gibbs has since confirmed that she has left the promotion and also suggested that it was due to the trav..