WWE SmackDown Preview For This evening (6/19/2026): Kansas City, MO.
In an interesting turn of events, WWE’s blue brand returns tonight. The June 19 airing of WWE SmackDown is live this evening at 8/7c on the USA Network from th...
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NEWS
To Be The Champ: Ric Flair Explains How He Was Fined For Not Taking A Photo For WWE
That’s a weird hill to fight on. There are all kinds of wins and accomplishments in WWE, with some of the company’s championships being among the most known in the wrestling world. It can mean a lot for a wrestler to win one of those titles, but now we are hearing about a situation where one wrestler refused to be seen with his title and even paid thousands of dollars to avoid having to do so. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Ouch: Update On Injured WWE Star, How Long He Will Be Out Of Action Ric Flair won the Intercontinental Title at Unforgiven 2005 and went on to hold it for about five months. During the latest episode of his To Be The Man podcast, Flair talked about how WWE does not have an official photo of him with the title. Flair refused to take a photo with the title as champion and was fined $5,000 as a result. When fined, Flair said that WWE had a talent development problem if they had to fine a 55 year old man for not taking a photo with the title. Flair did not make it clear why h..
NEWS
Lawyer Up: WWE Facing Lawsuit Over Injury At WrestleMania 38
That’s a bad one. WWE is a multi billion dollar wrestling promotion and the most powerful in all of the industry. That is the kind of thing that can lead to a variety of issues, as the company is going to have to deal with a bunch of problems. Several of these involve situations that take place at their events, and now they might be in trouble involving a lot of money. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: REVIEW: March To WrestleMania IX: They’re Marching The Wrong Way According to PWInsider.com, WWE is being sued by a man named Marvin Jackson, who claims that a pyro display at WrestleMania 38 caused him to lose the hearing in his left ear. The lawsuit claims that Jackson sat near the stage at WrestleMania but WWE did not post any kind of notification of the dangers of being so close to the pyro. As a result, WWE is facing accusations of negligence, gross negligence and strict liability. Jackson is seeking a jury trial and more than $1 million in “damages of any kind, penalties, costs, expenses, p..
NEWS
WRESTLING RUMORS: Very Interesting Report On WrestleMania 39 Main Events
The big change? We are coming up on the Road To WrestleMania 39 and that means it is time to start getting ready for the biggest event of the year. As a result, WWE is going to be putting together the storylines that will culminate at SoFi Stadium in front of tens of thousands of fans over two nights. Now it seems that we have an idea of what might headline both of those events. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: One More? 51 Year Old Former WWE And Impact Wrestling Star Would Consider Comeback Wrestlingnews.co is reporting that WWE has a current plan for the main event of both nights of WrestleMania. The matches would be as follows: Night One WWE Championship: Seth Rollins vs. Drew McIntyre or Cody Rhodes Night Two Roman Reigns vs. TBD Reigns’ opponent depends on if the Rock is available for the show. If the Rock is available, he will face Reigns on Night Two. If not, Rhodes will challenge reigns for the Universal Title. It is not clear if Rhodes will face Rollins for the title if Rock faces..
NEWS
Well Who Hasn’t: How Vince McMahon Spent $30,000 On Worms
That’s a lot of money. WWE has long since been the world’s biggest and most dominant wrestling promotion. The company has more money than it knows what to do with, which has led to some questionable spending choices before. Some of these are absolutely bizarre but now we might have the most out there decision that wound up costing WWE tens of thousands of dollars. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: HIM? WWE Discusses Possible Men’s Royal Rumble Winner (And It’s A Big One) During a new interview with the Wrestling Perspective Podcast, former WWE creative team member and MLW owner Court Bauer told a story about the Boogeyman. At the time, Boogeyman was feuding with John Bradshaw Layfield, who was in the ring when Boogeyman caused worms to rain from the ceiling. Layfield wound up rolling around in worms and Bauer says Vince McMahon found the visual hilarious. McMahon then asked how much the worms cost and a writer’s assistant said that due to the worms being organic, the stunt cost $30,000. Bauer a..
NEWS
I’ve Seen That Before: Fans Accuse Sarah Logan Of Copying Independent Wrestler’s Look
They do look similar. The look is one of the most important concepts in all of wrestling. A wrestler needs to do something to catch your attention and looking a certain way is often near the top of the list. This could be in the form of a costume or something to make your face stand out and there are limitless possibilities. Now though, a WWE star is being accused of ripping off another look. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Sarah Logan made her return to WWE this week on SmackDown, along with the Viking Raiders. Logan laid out Zelina Vega and B Fab before posing with the team. She was also sporting a new look, which included having the top half of her face painted. Fans are now calling out Logan for copying the look of independent wrestler Max The Impaler, who uses a similar look. Logan has not yet commented on the accusations. Look, I absolutely love Sarah Logan but her new look makes me think of if you wanted Max the Impaler but instead you got the Wish version. pic.twitter.com/sEBiwPeGu2..
NEWS
Ric Flair Blasts Fellow WWE Hall Of Famer, “What A Joke!”
Can’t they all just get along? There have been all kinds of stars throughout the history of WWE, with only a small handful reaching the top of the company. It means a lot to see one of those stars becoming all time legends, meaning they are remembered long after they hang up their boots. At the same time though, not all legends get along and that is the case again, with one having something to say about the other. WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair took to Twitter this week to bash fell Hall of Famer John Bradshaw Layfield for his history of bullying accusations. Flair said that WWE’s anti-bullying campaign must not apply to Layfield, with Flair naming Joey Styles and “Jason” Roberts (presumably Justin Roberts, who accused Layfield of bullying) as former victims. Layfield currently appears on Monday Night Raw as Baron Corbin’s manager. I Guess The Anti Bullying Program You So Heavily Endorsed Does Not Apply To Bradshaw!! Jason Roberts And Joey Styles!! What A Joke! And He’s In The HOF! Sad!..
NEWS
WWE Scrapped Plans For Unlikely Pair
That could have been different. Managers can be very valuable for a wrestler as they can cover up a lot of gaps that a wrestler might have. Putting the right people together can make for some great moments, but having the wrong combination can do quite a bit of damage. Now we know an idea that WWE had which wound up not being used as one of the two wasn’t wild on the idea. According to Fightful Select, WWE originally planned for Scarlett to manage Damian Priest when the two were in NXT. However, this pairing never came together as Priest did not feel it was a good fit for him. Instead, Scarlett was held back until her future husband Karrion Kross came to NXT when she was paired with him. While the date of a potential pairing was not specifically known, it was thought to be around the time NXT debuted on USA in September 2019. Opinion: That is a pairing that could have worked out very well had WWE chosen to go in that direction. It would have been interesting to see Priest with a mana..
NEWS
WRESTLING RUMOR: How WWE And USA Currently View Monday Night Raw
They’re doing something right. WWE is a huge wrestling company and its two flagship programs air on major networks. This includes SmackDown on FOX and Monday Night Raw on USA, both of which receive major attention every single week. WWE has to work hard to make sure that the networks are happy and now they have some good news on one of those fronts. According to Andrew Zarian, both WWE and the USA Network are pleased with how Monday Night Raw is currently going. This includes the viewership and cable rating, both of which saw boosts this week. The show included the surprise return of Brock Lesnar, which may have been a “make good” on the lack of Bray Wyatt appearing on the show. Wyatt is expected to be part of the SmackDown roster going forward. USA network and WWE are both very happy with the direction of Raw. Lesnar returning on the show felt like a “make good” to many at USA for not having Bray on Raw following the buzz from Extreme Rules. https://t.co/q2MieiJjNr — Andrew Zaria..
NEWS
REVIEW: WrestleCon USA vs. The World 2022: The Better Version
Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? WrestleCon: USA vs. The World Date: April 2, 2022 Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Veda Scott This is about as obvious of an idea as you can get: take a bunch of wrestlers from WrestleCon weekend and put them in a bunch of matches, one country vs. the rest. This show has a tendency to be one of the weaker of the WrestleCon offerings but there are some talented people on the card. Let’s get to it. Warrior Wrestling Lucha Libre Title: Sam Adonis (USA) vs. La Hiedra (World) vs. Mr..
NEWS
WWE Airing Special Event On Fox Next Month
It’s a special. WWE is in a rather strong place when it comes to their current television contracts. While Monday Night Raw and NXT are on the USA Network on Monday and Tuesday, Friday features SmackDown on the FOX Network. That is the biggest platform WWE has ever had and it means something when FOX wants more programming. That is what they will be having again later this year. According to PWInsider.com, FOX will air a special looking at the WWE’s Top Ten Women’s Extreme Moments over the first weekend in October. The special will air at varying times throughout different markets. This special will be airing about a week before the Extreme Rules premium live event on September 8. FOX occasionally airs various specials such as this one for certain occasions. Opinion: This is one of those things that is very good to see for WWE as FOX is confident enough in WWE programming to put it on instead of anything else they have. WWE has a built in audience and if they can bring some of those ..
NEWS
KB’s Review: The Game Changer
It has been a summer of change in WWE, as the company has been shaken up in more ways than anyone would have believed to be possible. Vince McMahon finally (ahem) retired from the company and that means it is time to start filling in the power vacuum left behind. Triple H has filled in a big portion of that gap and has made some changes of his own in WWE. While there are a lot of them run together, we are going to be looking at what seems to be the biggest one, and how it ties into the future. Triple H did a lot of things during his initial time in power in WWE and the biggest contribution he made was the rise of NXT. What used to be little more than bonus content on WWE.com/the early days of the WWE Network because a viable third brand, to the point where NXT ran away with the Battle For Brand Supremacy at Survivor Series 2019. The show wound up getting two hours on the USA Network every week and things were starting to go great. Then came AEW and, long story short, Triple H’s NXT d..
NEWS
Another Wrestling Legend Preparing For His Final Match
One more time? Last month, Ric Flair wrestled his last match in front of thousands of people in Nashville, Tennessee. That is the special kind of show that only a legend is going to get and Flair would certainly meet that criteria. While there are few names in wrestling on Flair’s level, there are several other legends who would be interested in one last hurrah and another has added his name to the list. WWE Hall of Famer the Honky Tonk Man, 69 years old, has announced that he is preparing for one more match, though no details have been given on the specifics. The tweet making the announcement shows Honky Tonk Man putting on his knee pads and smiling at the camera. Honky Tonk Man’s most recent match took place in November 2019 at the WildKat Revolution Rumble. HTM preparing for one more match! pic.twitter.com/lL50hWVPF9 — Honky Tonk Man® (@OfficialHTM) August 9, 2022 Opinion: While I can’t imagine Honky Tonk Man is going to get the same kind of platform that Flair is getting, I’m s..
NEWS
Update On Karrion Kross’ WWE Return, Possible Huge Plans For Him
He might have a future. There have been all kinds of changes taking place in WWE in recent weeks and some of them have involved wrestlers making surprise returns. That was the case this week as Karrion Kross made his return on SmackDown. Seeing Kross back was surprising enough, but now it seems that he might be in for quite the push in his own right. According to Fightful Select, there have been pitches in WWE creative to immediately put Kross into the WWE Universal Title feud between champion Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre. One possible plan could see Kross challenging Reigns for one of his titles in a potential split of the championships. This comes as the USA Network has been requesting a title of its own as Reigns rarely appears on the show, with an interim title being pitched. There is no word on if such an idea was seriously considered by WWE. Opinion: I was surprised to see Kross back in WWE but going straight from that to the main event scene might be a bit too much of a jump..
NEWS
WWE NIL Signee Officially Charged With Sexual Battery, Warrant Issued For His Arrest
That’s a serious situation. Back in 2021, WWE announced the Next In Line program, which was designed to find non-wrestling athletes and bring them into the WWE system, with the chance of eventually becoming WWE stars. The program has brought in several prospects, but now one of them is facing some very serious legal issues that could change his career path in a huge way. According to the Oklahoman, WWE NIL signee and former Oklahoma State University wrestler AJ Ferrari is facing a charge of felony sexual battery with a warrant being issued for his arrest. Ferrari was accused of holding a woman down in Stillwater, Oklahoma on July 2 and performing unwanted sexual acts on her. The woman filed an emergency protective order against Ferrari three days later. WWE has not commented on the situation or on Ferrari’s future with the NIL program. Opinion: That is a very serious charge and if the accusations against him are true, I cannot imagine he is going to have much of a future with WWE. Fe..
NEWS
RUMOR: RAW Said To Be “Really Good” Tonight
This is only a rumor, so take it for what it’s worth. According to a tweet from the WrestleVotes Twitter account, tonight’s episode of raw he said to be looking really good and is a packed show. The tweet further states that the show is looking so good that the USA Network is allowing the 1st hour to be commercial-free if WWE wants. I’m told RAW tonight looks really good as of now, and is a packed show. So much so, USA Network is allowing the 1st hour to be commercial free if WWE wants. — WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) August 1, 2022 Tonight will be the first episode of Raw that is completely under the control of Triple H since he took over the role of head of creative. The company is coming off a very successful Summerslam event that had many people in the wrestling community buzzing about the future of WWE. Some of the highlights from Summerslam included the return of both Dakota Kai and Io Shirai, as well as a crazy main event that included Brock Lesnar lifting the ring with the ..
NEWS
The Miz Discusses Getting His Start on MTV, The Rock, Plans For Logan Paul
The Miz recently appeared on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen” on the USA Network, where he discussed several topics. Among them were getting his start on Reality TV, interactions with The Rock, his plans for Logan Paul at Summerslam 2022, and more. Below are some highlights from the interview: On getting his start on The Real World: “I was sitting in my fraternity, and I was like, ‘Oh my god, I can be on my favorite show? I can audition for it?’ And back then we had VHS tapes, I had to record myself,” he said. “We didn’t have camera phones back then.” On working with The Rock: “There was a promo that I cut,” he said. “I was getting lost in the world of The Rock and John Cena because it was The Rock and John Cena and I was an up and comer but I was a champion. So, I cut this promo on The Rock and the day after I got a voicemail from The Rock being like, ‘That’s it, that’s how you step up!’ It was motivation.” On his plans for Logan Paul at Summerslam: “Logan Paul fans, a..
NEWS
You Might Be Hearing A Lot More About The Vince McMahon Allegations Soon
More to come on that. There have been a lot of WWE stories this year but none of them come close to the official investigation into Vince McMahon over allegations of sexual misconduct. The accusations have already caused McMahon to step back from his leadership role in WWE and caused people to look back into his history. Now things might be about to get even worse. According to PWInsider.com, mainstream news outlets are looking to introduce new stories about the McMahon allegations. Some of the possible outlets to look into the situation are HBO’s Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel and the Wall Street Journal. There is no word on when the stories could come out, though the Wall Street Journal should be in the next few weeks. Both are looking to talk to former female WWE wrestlers. Opinion: This is something that you had to know was coming and that is not a bad thing. McMahon has been accused of a lot of things and now people are starting to talk about what those things might be. I’m not ..
NEWS
Crossover? NXT Fight Takes Place Backstage At WWE SmackDown
You have to get it in where you can. There are several WWE shows every single week with each one looking at a different core of wrestlers. This includes both main roster shows as well as NXT, which has its own world and group of stars. It can be interesting to see someone from NXT get involved with something on the main roster and now that has happened again (kind of). The NXT Twitter account has released a photo of a brawl that took place between Solo Sikoa and Von Wagner at last week’s SmackDown taping. The two have been feuding in NXT and it is unlikely that the brawl suggests that the two are being called up. Instead, the fight was likely held at SmackDown due to the show being taped near the Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. The footage will likely air on this week’s NXT. On Friday night there was an altercation between @WWEVonWagner and @WWESoloSikoa at #SmackDown. Tune in this Tuesday on #WWENXT at 8/7 C on @USA_Network to see what went down! pic.twitter.com/nH8Q7kJTd0 ..
NEWS
Backstage Confusion Over USA Censoring Brock Lesnar’s Monday Night Raw Promo
Call it mixed signals. WWE has been on television for a long time now, with Monday Night Raw approaching thirty years on the air. Most of that has been on the USA Network, which has had quite the strong relationship over the years. The two sides have worked together for quite the successes, but now some of their signals are a bit crossed in a bit of an odd way. This week’s Monday Night Raw opened with a Brock Lesnar in-ring interview. During the segment, Lesnar used the word s***, which was censored on the live broadcast of the show. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, USA had approved the word in their script of the show and WWE did not know it would be censored. There is nothing to suggest that WWE is angry about the situation, but they were surprised by the change. This comes as USA has reportedly planned to make Monday Night Raw a TV-14 show again. Opinion: This is one of those things that really doesn’t matter all that much, but it is the kind of thing that makes you wonder w..