Impact Wrestling aired the first episode from their most recent set of TV tapings last night. The promotion has remained in Orlando’s Impact Zone this week following their most recent Redemption PPV. The show opened with Austin Aries addressing the Impact roster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHzQFiTEhfk

• Austin Aries Addressed Impact Wrestling Roster

  • After losing the Impact World Championship to Pentagon on Sunday, Austin Aries addressed the Impact locker room in the opening segment.
  • Aries, with his arm and a banana in a sling, claimed he was still the promotion’s World Champion as he still holds the Grand Championship and whatever belt he holds is the most important in the company.
  • He also mentioned that he is not a guy who makes excuses but if he was he’d point out that he wrestled 2 challengers instead of just one. This was mentioned a few times.

• Brian Cage defeated Trevor Lee

  • Cage continues to roll over his opponents on Impact.
  • At Redemption, Cage also picked up a victory in the 6-way match.
  • It might not be long until the Machine finds himself in title contention.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sURSXE6NH0

• Eddie Edwards Has Been Driven To the Brink

  • At Redemption, Edwards was so preoccupied with getting revenge on Sami Callihan he didn’t notice his wife was standing behind him. As Edwards swung the cane behind him it clipped his wife. She had to be taken to hospital.
  • Edwards was shown entering the arena. Tommy Dreamer attempted to tell him to go to the hospital and be with his wife but his comments fell on deaf ears.
  • Edwards challenged OVE to come out (which they do) but as he’s fighting them off, a video airs on the screen. Sami Callihan is shown in Alisha Edwards’ hospital room and tells her “he just wants to talk” before the screen cuts out.

The classic match of the week featured the Steiner Brothers against Team 3D.

DJZ, who suffered a serious injury in Mexico last year, was featured in a vignette. The X-Division star talked about how difficult it was to return from the injury.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFENlK9-i0I

• Moose defeated Braxton Sutter

  • After the match, Moose cut a promo referring to himself as Mr. Impact Wrestling. He said he’s going to be the one to take the title from Pentagon.
  • Sutter announced on Twitter yesterday he’s leaving the promotion.

While Matt Sydal was being interviewed in the back, cameras cut to a shot of someone unconscious on the ground. It might have been Jimmy Jacobs but it was hard to tell. Jacobs and Kongo Kong have a rivalry building with Johnny Impact.

A segment featuring Santana and Ortiz from LAX was shown. They were wondeirng where Konnan was and why Homicide hasn’t been answering his phone. They decide to focus on getting the tag titles back first, however.

• Knockouts Championship
  Allie (c) defeated Taya Valkyrie

  • Allie beat Lucha Royalty in a good match to defend her title. It’s a little surprising they beat Taya with little build-up, however.
  • After the match, a flock of undead brides ominously walked a coffin to ringside.
  • Su Yung blindsided Allie and looked to shove her in the coffin.
  • The lights went out and Rosemary made the save for Allie.
  • The lights went out again and Su Yung was gone.

• Eddie Edwards Attacked Sami Callihan

  • Edwards arrived at the hospital and attacked Sami Callihan in his hospital room.
  • Josh Matthews later revealed on commentary that Edwards had been arrested. Callis was not surprised by this.

• Impact Wrestling Tag Team Championships
  Eli Drake & Scott Steiner (c) defeated LAX

  • Steiner cut a promo before the match saying Konnan missed Redemption because he was at Taco Bell.
  • After picking up the win in the tag match, Eli Drake cut a promo mentioning he still has the briefcase which contains a contract for a World Title shot.
  • Austin Aries came out and referred to his Grand Championship as the real world’s title. Pentagon then came out and a fight broke out between Aries & Pentagon against Drake and Steiner.
  • After Pentagon and Aries cleared the ring, Aries handed the Impact World Championship belt to Pentagon but continued to hold on after Pentagon grabbed it. They stared each other down and then Aries left Pentagon in the ring to close the show.

According to WWE, there are only 23 officially announced participants in today’s Greatest Royal Rumble match. This leaves 27 entrants still to be named (math credit: Scott Steiner).

Here are the officially announced participants:

1. Daniel Bryan
2. Braun Strowman
3. Kurt Angle
4. Shane McMahon
5. Chris Jericho
6. Mark Henry
7. Rey Mysterio
8. Elias
9. Kevin Owens
10. The Great Khali
11. Bobby Roode
12. Baron Corbin
13. Big E
14. Kofi Kingston
15. Xavier Woods
16. Apollo Crews
17. Shelton Benjamin
18. Sin Cara
19. Chad Gable
20. Goldust
21. Titus O’Neil
22. Mojo Rawley
23. Dolph Ziggler

There are 24 wrestlers competing on the card but not in the Rumble match itself. Additionally, Hornswoggle and Shawn Daivari have been spotted in Saudi Arabia. Even if all of those names are in the Rumble match as well, it still leaves one spot open. This could be covered by Sunil Singh who presumably has travelled to Jeddah in order to be in Jinder Mahal’s corner for his match against Jeff Hardy.

THIS FRIDAY: It will truly be the GREATEST #RoyalRumble match EVER as 50 MEN compete for ultimate supremacy at #WWEGRR! #RAW pic.twitter.com/BZttYkMtcg

— WWE (@WWE) April 24, 2018

Jerry Lawler insinuated on his podcast that he would like to be included in the match. He also mentioned he is on WWE’s “No Touch” list as well, however. This fact makes it unlikely he is included in the Rumble today.

Other members of WWE’s extended roster, backstage producers/agents, commentators, and even Vince McMahon himself could possibly be entrants today.

Final Lineup For Today’s Greatest Royal Rumble

• John Cena vs Triple H
• Casket Match
  the Undertaker vs Rusev
• Universal Championship Match
  Steel Cage 
  Brock Lesnar (c) vs Roman Reigns
• WWE Championship Match
  AJ Styles (c) vs Shinsuke Nakamura
• Intercontinental Championship Match
  Ladder Match
  Seth Rollins (c) vs Finn Balor vs Samoa Joe vs The Miz
• United States Championship Match
  Jeff Hardy (c) vs Jinder Mahal
• Raw Tag Team Championships
  The Bar vs Matt Hardy & Bray Wyatt
• Smackdown Tag Team Championships
  the Bludgeon Brothers (c) vs the Usos
• Cruiserweight Championship
  Cedric Alexander (c) vs Kalisto

WWE announced on Friday morning that John Cena vs. Triple H will be the opening contest of the Greatest Royal Rumble event from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Join us here later today at 12pm ET for our Greatest Royal Rumble Live Coverage.

WWE has published a series of videos of Superstars hyping the Greatest Royal Rumble:

It’s safe to say that Ronda Rousey had one of the most impressive wrestling debuts ever. Her first wrestling match was at the grandest stage possible and it was praised by the majority of the fans.

Just recently Jim Ross had commented on Ronda’s first match, saying that her debut was the most impactful he has witnessed and now Triple H has also made similar comments.

The Game recently gave an interview to NewsHub and talking about the former UFC Star, he said that he can’t think of a more meaningful professional wrestling debut in the history:

“I can’t think of a more meaningful, more successful and more impactful professional wrestling debut of anybody in history. She woke a lot of people up and made them realize that Ronda Rousey wants to be a WWE superstar for a long time to come.”

Continuing on the topic, The former World Champion claimed that Rousey is a machine when it comes to training and said that he has no doubt that she will be great at this.

During the interview, Triple H also talked about his upcoming match with John Cena saying that this bout needs no buildup and more. You can check out his full interview here.

Triple H is set to face John Cena at the Greatest Royal Rumble event later today.

Impact Star Announces Departure From The Company

Impact Wrestling Star Braxton Sutter has announced his departure from the company. He revealed the news via the following tweet, while also thanking them for giving him his first wrestling contract:

https://twitter.com/BraxtonSutter/status/989648808849141762

Word is that Sutter asked for his release from the company and his wish was granted after the latest round of TV tapings. His bookings from the latest tapings also indicated that he was on his way out of the company.

Braxton first appeared for Impact Wrestling 3 years ago during the One Night Only event X-Travaganza 2015. While he never won any championships in the promotion, his departure is still considered a loss for the company as he did a great job promoting Impact whenever he was given a chance.

Tyler Breeze On The Unselfishness Of The Miz

Tyler Breeze and his partner Fandango were recently guests on E&C’s Pod Of Awesomeness podcast where they talked about a number of wrestling related topics.

While talking about the A-Lister, the Miz, Breeze explained him to be one of the most unselfish guys and gave the example of the WrestleMania 32 Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Championship:

“Man, Miz, by far, one of the most unselfish guys. he kind of proved that (at) was WrestleMania when he was standing up on a ladder and he let Zack Ryder climb up and shove him off to win the IC title. A lot of guys would have a problem with that, and Miz did it with a smile on his face, so that’s kind of cool and kind of rare in our business.”

Apart from this, Breezango also talked about the recent Superstar Shakeup, the stacked Tag Team Division of SmackDown Live and a possible feud with the revival.

Quotes via Wrestling Inc

The unfortunate news of Bruno Sammartino’s death was revealed last week, however, at that time not much details about The Legend’s passing were available.

In the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Newsletter, his various medical conditions were discussed in details, and it also reveals the cause of his death.

According to the Newsletter, the 82-year-old died after multiple organ failure due to heart issues. The heart issues date back to the time when Bruno was only 12 years old and it got damaged when he suffered rheumatic fever.

In recent years, the Hall Of Famer was having issues with his leg due to the damage that was done to his body during his wrestling days. A few years ago he also found out that one of his valves weren’t functioning well.

In normal conditions, the people suffering from similar heart issues as the former Champion are not expected to live past 60 years. However, Sammartino’s dedication to training compensated for his damaged heart and it’s believed to have added years to his life.

This once again shows that Bruno Sammartino was an inspiration not only inside but outside of the ring as well and losing him is probably the greatest loss of the pro wrestling industry till now.

On the eve Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble event, video has surfaces of various WWE executives and Superstars having a celebratory dinner.

Among those in attendance at the dinner were Vince and Shane McMahon, Triple H, The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Roman Reigns, Braun Strowman, Mark Henry, Rusev, the Great Khali and Dolph Ziggler.

• Greatest Royal Rumble SEScoops Staff Predictions

Join us here on Friday afternoon at 12pm ET for our Live Coverage of WWE’s Greatest Royal Rumble event.

https://twitter.com/CelebsArabicII/status/989587520194252801

Former NXT Champion and current SmackDown Live star Samoa Joe recently did an interview with The National to promote tomorrow’s WWE Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. The Destroyer first opened up about competing in Saudi Arabia for the first time in his career:

“It is going to my first time in Saudi Arabia and I am over the moon and excited about it. To have the chance to experience a new place and a new culture first hand is always a great opportunity.”

He also discussed his heated feud with Brock Lesnar last year and why he doesn’t fear the former UFC heavyweight champion:

“I watched grown men tap dance around Brock Lesnar because they are scared of him. There is an edict in the company that Brock Lesnar is a thing to be feared at all times and all this. I fear no man. I don’t believe in and respect anyone who fears other men. You know, Brock Lesnar is like everybody else in the world.

“You go out, you smash him in the face, get in the grill. You have to get up close and personal with Brock Lesnar. If you are going up against a monster you better be a monster yourself. You have to have a monstrous fury in your heart because that is what it is going to take to beat that guy. I am not done with Brock Lesnar. Brock Lesnar knows that. He knows I am not scared of him.”

You can ready Joe’s full interview with The National by clicking this link here.

WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross recently did an interview with MMA Junkie Radio to offer his thoughts on the professional wrestling debut of former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. Rousey partnered up with Kurt Angle to defeat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in a Mixed Tag Team match at WrestleMania.

Ross explained why, in 40 years of his professional wrestling career, Rousey’s debut was the most impactful he has ever witnessed:

“I thought that Ronda’s debut was the most impactful pro wrestling debut that I have seen in my 40-plus year career. If you look at her skill set, experience-wise, from this genre in pro wrestling, it was almost non-existent,” said Ross. “But she had so much pressure on her. The hype was amazing. The expectations were mixed.

“Some die-hard wrestling fans don’t even like her being there, which is absolutely insane. They are [sic] and goofy, no doubt about that. So, I was absolutely blown away by what she did and how she executed. She looked like an athlete; we knew she is an athlete. She’s a winner.”

As for those who aren’t a fan of Rousey and use her two back-to-back losses in mixed martial arts (MMA) as talking points, Ross has a message for them:

“Now look, some say, well, she lost her last two fights. Kiss my a**,” said Ross. “How’s that? C’mon. She won a lot of fights, guys. You know what I mean? She’s a winner. She goes to the Olympics and medals. She’s a winner. So I knew that she was not going to drop the ball.”

Ross said that Rousey handled the pressure of performing at WrestleMania in front of 70,000 people rather impressively:

“It’s WrestleMania, guys. If you’re an MMA fan, then you say, ‘Well, what does it matter? It’s still pro wrestling.’ There was almost 80,000 people there,” Ross said. “She had so much pressure at this massive event, it would’ve been very easy for her to slip the bit and not have a great outing. If she continues to train as diligently and as ferociously as she has been, the sky’s the limit for her. She can be really, really good.”

You can read Rousey’s full interview with MMA Junkie by clicking this link here.

Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho recently did an interview with ESPN to promote tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. Jericho last appeared on WWE TV for the RAW 25 episode earlier this year. He had a backstage segment with Elias in which he added him to The List:

“Once again, go with the flow. Make it good. It was fun. He’s got a lot of steam. He’s a great character. It was cool, but it was not planned until three hours beforehand … that’s how the business works.

“Let’s move on to the next thing. And that’s the best way to exist in the business and stay on top is to be diverse and always go with the flow, no matter what it is that you’re given.”

Y2J commented on getting the call to participate in the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia. He explained why he accepted the offer:

“It’s one of those things — I would have rather been a surprise, but I think WWE is going in there with all guns blazing and all hands on deck. When I got the call to do this, I was like, ‘It doesn’t get any bigger than that.’

“It’s much bigger than showing up even at Madison Square Garden, where we’ve been there a hundred times before. But doing it over in Saudi Arabia, it’s very majestic and very mysterious, adventurous, and that’s kind of what I’m all about.”

He then commented on his working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) ending for now:

“Things change. That’s how it goes. Sometimes things seem like a good idea at the time, and then when you look at it a little bit deeper and a little bit further, you realize it’s not gonna go the way you want it to go.”

You can read Jericho’s full interview with ESPN by clicking this link here.

WWE Hall Of Famer and former World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry recently did an interview with The National to promote tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia. He explained why he thinks the show is just as special as WrestleMania:

“You have a a lot of guys who have not wrestled in a long time in the WWE competing. Great Khali, Kurt Angle, Bobby Lashley, Rey Mysterio and myself and many others. It is an unbelievable thing. You also have the Undertaker up against Rusev. Triple H against John Cena. This is special. It is like WrestleMania in some of the special events we have going on here.”

As for the historic 50-Man over-the-top-rope battle royal main event in Saudi Arabia, Henry will be competing in the match and wants to have immortalized as the victor:

“If I am in it I want to win it. I am not here to look pretty. It is a historic event and if I win it my name will be immortalized in the record books so it is something that I am aiming for.”

Henry then discussed his 2011 feud with Randy Orton. The World’s Strongest Man has a huge amount of respect for Orton, who he won the World Heavyweight Title from at Night Of Champions 2011, and retained it at Hell In A Cell:

“Randy Orton is one of the people in the industry I respect the most. Not many people can be as smooth and polished in the ring as Randy is, and still be over with the fans, and he is one of the very best in the industry. For me to able to win over him twice in a row was one of the biggest things in my career as I have so much respect for him.”

You can read Henry’s full interview with The National by clicking this link here.

Triple H Says Saudi Arabia Is Misunderstood

WWE’s Triple H recently appeared on the “Tafaolkum” show in Saudi Arabia to promote tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event. The Game has some great words about the Saudi Arabian fanbase, and also said he believes Saudi Arabia is “misunderstood”:

“I’m always amazed when I come here, that the fanbase is so deep and their love for WWE is so intense. It’s such a welcoming place. To be honest, I think it’s misunderstood in a lot of the world when you come here to Saudi Arabia,” he said. “It’s just a wonderful place and the people are so friendly here, and they’re excited to see you.

“Especially when it comes to WWE. We are like superheroes come to life and they can see you walking down the street in front of them, they kind of look in awe. It’s a wonderful feeling. I know the WWE Superstars that are arriving today and tomorrow to come here for this event are really looking forward to being here and putting on a show for the fans.”

H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions

Former WWE Star Now Taking Bookings

It looks like recently released WWE Superstar and former Cruiserweight Champion Rich Swann is now accepting bookings again. This past March he had announced his retirement from wrestling, but he returned to the ring at a CZW event earlier this month. Swann can be booked via DM on Twitter @GottaGetSwann.

Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross On Flight To Saudi Arabia

The WWE is heading to Saudi Arabia for their Greatest Royal Rumble event. WWE has stacked the card full of huge names, including some at the commentary booth. WWE Hall Of Famers Jerry The King Lawler and Jim Ross are making the trip across the globe, and Lawler posted the following photos from their flight:

I'm a little better at selfies than @JRsBBQ …but here we go to Saudi Arabia! pic.twitter.com/cqrTaiUsu0

— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) April 25, 2018

Getting on our last flight of the day…Saudi Arabia here we come! @JRsBBQ pic.twitter.com/1dEvZuM2oI

— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) April 26, 2018

Paul Heyman Hypes Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar is set to defend his title against Roman Reigns inside a Steel Cage in Saudi Arabia tomorrow night for the Greatest Royal Rumble. There has been a ton of speculation regarding who will walk out of Saudi Arabia with the Universal Title, especially after Lesnar shockingly retaining the strap against The Big Dog at WrestleMania.

Lesnar’s advocate, Paul Heyman, took to Twitter to hype the upcoming Steel Cage title bout. Here’s what he had to say:

#WWEGRR @WWE @WWEUniverse @WWENetwork

My client @BrockLesnar and I are ready to make even more history. The accomplishments continue to pile up. The box office records continue to be CONQUERED by the Beast … the reigning … defending … undisputed … pic.twitter.com/9ix3n6nxv8

— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) April 25, 2018

After successfully defending his IWGP United States Championship against David Finlay on Tuesday, Jay White already knows who will challenge for his belt next. Ring of Honor announced today that Punishment Martinez has been granted a title shot at the May 11th War of the Worlds show from Toronto.

White and Martinez previously engaged in a feud on ROH programming last year. They wrestled each other 3x during White’s 2017 summer excursion to ROH. Martinez won 2 of the 3 matches including the Las Vegas Street Fight at Death Before Dishonor XV.

IWGP United States Championship 
“Switchblade” Jay White vs. Punishment Martinez

White is just the 2nd ever holder of the IWGP United States Championship. The title was introduced last year at NJPW’s Long Beach shows.

Kenny Omega defeated Tomohiro Ishii in the finals of the 2-day tournament to crown an inaugural champion. He then defended the title 4x successfully with wins over Juice Robinson, Yoshi-Hashi, Beretta, and Chris Jericho. Omega then dropped the title to White at the New Beginning in Sapporo on January 28th, 2018.

After winning the title from Omega, White successfully defended it against Hangman Page at Strong Style Evolved in Long Beach. His win over Finlay on Tuesday main event’ed the Road to Wrestling Dontaku show from Korakuen Hall.

As for Punishment Martinez, the 36-year-old is someone ROH has kept strong ever since his arrival in 2015. He won the Survival of the Fittest tournament in 2017 but dropped his World Title match to Dalton Castle. Martinez lost a #1 contenders match to Marty Scurll at the ROH 16th Anniversary show on March 9th this year. He later defeated Tomohiro Ishii at Supercard of Honor XII.

The IWGP United States Championship is defended on both ROH and NJPW shows, though this will be just the 2nd time the title will be up for grabs on an ROH show. Kenny Omega defended the title against Yoshi-Hashi at War of the Worlds: Chicago last year.

We’re just hours away from the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia tomorrow. The card is stacked from top to bottom and will feature a massive 50-Man Royal Rumble match in the main event, where the winner will receive a huge trophy for their triumph.

There are some rumors now floating around indicating that the event could have an hour-long intermission. On a recent edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer commented on the possibility.

Meltzer noted that it may be longer but typically in Saudi Arabian tradition a hour-long intermission is given for prayer. It seems that a prayer hour takes place in the middle of the show, which is why WWE could offer up the intermission.

The show is currently scheduled to be six hours long, and that’s including the kickoff show. It’s not yet known if that intermission would add to the six hours already in place for the show, or if it has already been included.

It should be stressed that this is still a rumor at this time, we’ll keep you updated….

Why Paige Missed SDL

This past Tuesday SmackDown Live General Manager Paige was not present for the episode. It turns out that the former Divas Champion was in England getting some much needed family time. She posted the following on social media:

“I miss them so much when I’m not here with them. But when I get to see them it means the world to me that they never forget their auntie Raya and give me as much cuddles as they can when I’m home. Next time I get to see you after this trip it’ll be me taking you to Disney land in FL! Love my nieces and nephews more than anything ?”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh6XRFYnrxq/?utm_source=ig_embed

VIP Sections For Greatest Royal Rumble Are Looking Very Luxurious

If you have ever attended a WWE event in the VIP section, you typically get to sit on a fold-up chair that you’re allowed to bring home with you after the show. Tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble will be a bit different.

A photo from the VIP section has surfaced on social media with some comfy looking armchairs in place of the usual fold-up chairs. Take a look:

A first for WWE… plush arm chairs at ringside for the Greatest Royal Rumble. (Pic was floating around online, don’t know who the dude is) pic.twitter.com/QGfSwB7HpG

— WrestleVotes (@WrestleVotes) April 25, 2018

The New Day & Chris Jericho Heading To Saudi Arabia (Photo)

The WWE is in Saudi Arabia today for tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event. Some huge names are on deck for the card, including former WWE Champion Chris Jericho. Xavier Woods, one third of The New Day, posted a photo of himself and his fellow New Day members alongside Y2J on their plane to Saudi Arabia:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiAbvfMhlM-/?utm_source=ig_embed

Lights Being Tested For Greatest Royal Rumble (Video)

Speaking of The Greatest Royal Rumble, WWE’s production team is deep in preparations for tomorrow’s event. Several photos and videos have been leaking out to social media from the King Abdullah International Stadium in Saudi Arabia. One such video is WWE testing out the lights for tomorrow’s show. You can check out the Instagram video here below:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bh_-vF0AnDt/?utm_source=ig_embed

Discussion: Do you think the Greatest Royal Rumble will be bigger than WrestleMania when it’s all said and done? 

WWE wants to take over the world. As the largest and most profitable professional wrestling organization, WWE has already expanded their brand on a global level with live events and talent being recruited from all corners of the map.

Now WWE is expanding even further by using their model for NXT in new locations around the globe.

Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who championed and helped built NXT into a feeder system for the main WWE roster, revealed plans for even more expansion to help cultivate and foster talent from countries all over the world.

“With ‘RAW’ and ‘Smackdown Live’ calling up all of my NXT superstars, I quickly realized NXT needed a feeder system of its own,” Levesque explained when speaking at the WWE 2018 Business Partner Summit. “We had to re-imagine once again how and where we were recruiting. Not only in the United States but outside as well.”

The plan to expand falls under what Triple H calls ‘global localization’ — a term he’s actually trademarking — where WWE will establish performance centers and NXT style brands in local markets around the world.

The first example of this kind of expansion was with WWE launching the United Kingdom tournament that crowned a champion last year with another version of that same event taking place again in June.

“We’ve got to find a way to transform the current pathway into a super highway” ~ Triple H

Now WWE plans to expand that same kind of footprint in new markets around the globe including the possibility of setting up a performance center and an NXT type brand with their new partners in Saudi Arabia after inking a 10 year deal there just recently.

“We’ve got to find a way to transform the current pathway into a super highway,” Levesque explained. “We’re going to do it through what I call ‘global localization’. Where we’re going into individual markets around the world, we will create scaled versions of the template we’ve created.

“Organizing tryouts, recruiting talent, establishing performance centers and building on the ground NXT style brands.”

The global expansion will look to build home grown talent from markets in Europe, Asia, and numerous other places around the world.

As Triple H revealed during his chat with those in attendance, 80-percent of the current WWE roster came from NXT, which serves as all the proof he needs to show that this expansion is not only good for the organization, it’s absolutely necessary to continue building the brand on a global scale.

There’s no word yet when WWE plans to launch these new performances centers and NXT type brands, but obviously plans are already underway with the return of the U.K. tournament in June.

What are your thoughts on an NXT style expansion on a global scale for WWE? Sound off in the comments and let us know! 

Two former WWE Superstars have been spotted in Saudi Arabia and are presumed to be involved with tomorrow’s Greatest Royal Rumble event in Jeddah.

According to a report from PW Insider, Hornswoggle and Shawn Daivari have both been spotted in Saudi Arabia.

Shawn Daivari and Hornswoggle Returning To WWE?

It wouldn’t be a surprise if both wrestlers are returning to the company. Hornswoggle, 31, had a nearly 10-year run with WWE from 2006 to 2016. He was released on May 6th, 2016 after not having appeared on television since a Wellness Policy violation the previous September.

Swoggle was said to have been popular with kids during his run with the company. This fact may have led to his inclusion in the D-Generation X reunion storyline from 2009-2010. Real name Dylan Mark Postl, Swoggle also played the role of the Anonymous General Manager, Vince McMahon’s son, and Fit Finlay’s leprechaun. El Torito and Hornswoggle also wrestled in a well-reviewed “WeeLC Match” at Extreme Rules 2014. Recently, Swoggle has been a regular for Tommy Dreamer’s House of Hardcore promotion and competed in a tournament to crown an inaugural TV Champion.

Shawn Daivari was with WWE from 2004 to 2007. His most famous role was when he was aligned with the controversial Muhammad Hassan character from 2004 to 2005. Daivari would later align with the Great Khali as well. The Great Khali has been confirmed for the Greatest Royal Rumble match on Friday, so Daivari’s role on the show might be related to him.

The 33-year-old Daivari wrestled for TNA, ROH, and Lucha Underground after being released from WWE. In TNA, Daivari is a former X-Division champion. He was released from the company in 2009, however, when his Feast of Fired briefcase contained a pink slip.

Shawn Daivari’s younger brother, Ariya Daivari, has been wrestling in WWE’s Cruiserweight division on 205 Live since its inception. Ken Anderson and Shawn Daivari currently run “The Academy: School of Professional Wrestling” out of Minnesota.

Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Saudi Arabia features a star-studded card. WWE is pulling out all the stops as it relates to big names, stacking the show with legends including The Undertaker, Triple H, Kurt Angle, Rey Mysterio, Mark Henry and more.

According to former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman, WWE wanted to bring Shawn Michaels out of retirement for the Rumble, but he turned them down. On a recent episode of his X-Pac 1,2,360 podcast, Waltman revealed that some of the money being thrown around was earmarked for the Heartbreak Kid.

“It’s an insane amount of money being thrown around,” he said. “I know that this weekend I was in Baltimore and I was with Shawn Michaels, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash and we were talking about that. They wanted to get Shawn.”

Waltman said Michaels told WWE, “You know what, don’t even bother sending me an offer and trying to tempt me.” Despite a “huge money offer” – Michaels told WWE that he has plans with one of kids this weekend and “that’s all there is to it.”

Shawn Michaels retired back in 2010 after losing to The Undertaker at WrestleMania 26. He’s made multiple appearances for WWE since then, but has declined repeated offers to get back in the ring for one more match. Last year, he revealed that WWE pitched the idea of him facing AJ Styles at WrestleMania 33.

You can listen to the X-Pac 1,2,360 podcast at Afterbuzz.tv.

H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcribed quotes

This December, John Cena stars in Bumblebee, a spinoff of the popular Transformers movie franchise. Cena was in Las Vegas on Wednesday night to promote the film at CinemaCon and commented on his recent split with ex-fiancee Nikki Bella.

In a conversation with E! News, Cena quoted Walt Whitman’s poem O Me! O Life! in describing how breakups are unfortunately a part of life.

“‘The powerful play goes on and you get to contribute a verse.’ I love that Whitman quote. Life is sometimes tough, but it’s life and it goes on. Nicole knows I love her and I miss her, but that is what it is. And I’m still here, still going—and I choose to go.”

'VERY TOUGH': @JohnCena speaks on his split from #NikkiBella, says his heart aches for her and he will always love her https://t.co/BrwZEUAMDz pic.twitter.com/NVjGnt3P2C

— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) April 26, 2018

Cena said it’s hard to conceptualize the heartbreak he’s felt as their relationship came to an end. “When you love somebody, it stings. That’s why musicians write about it. That’s why poets write about it. If anything, just try to take away what went wrong and enjoy the good times you had with the person that you love.”

The breakup of John Cena and Nikki Bella is being promoted as one of the main storylines for the upcoming season of Total Bellas. According to the Wrestling Observer, the breakup that was filmed for the show was actually resolved three days later, so the relationship was on-and-off in the final months before they ultimately called it quits.

Total Bellas returns to the E! Network on May 20th.

Impact Wrestling held another round of television tapings on Wednesday night from Universal Studios in Orlando, FL.

– Xplosion: Petey Williams defeated Jake Crist

– Eli Drake hosts Fact of Life and says he took care of a big problem by breaking up with Scott Steiner. He lists the top 5 dummies in Impact: 5. The fans 4. Austin Aries 3. Management 2. The fans 1. Moose.

– A #1 contender’s match was announced between Eli Drake and Moose, with the winner facing World Champion Austin Aries at Slammiversary. Moose came out, cut a promo and Eli attacked him.

– LAX defeated The Cult Of Lee. Eddie Kingston joined LAX.

– Taya Valkyrie defeated Rebel.

– Brian Cage defeated Dezmond Xavier

– Madison Rayne defeated Tessa Blanchard

– The Cult of Lee defeated KM & Fallah Bahh

– Xplosion: Katarina Leigh defeated Scarlett Bordeaux

– Brian Cage defeated Rohit Raju. Afterwards, Matt Sydal cut a promo saying Cage is strong, but he can see that Cage is weak inside. Cage hits him with a F5.

– DJZ & Andrew Everett defeated Aerostar & Drago. Aerostar was reportedly hurt during the match and was helped to the back.

– Moose defeated Kongo Kong.

– Eli Drake defeated Scott Steiner.

– Matt Sydal defeated El Hijo Del Fantasma.

– Xplosion: Grado defeated Rohit Raju.

John “Big” Gaburick, Impact Wrestling’s former Executive Vice President of Television Production, is reportedly back with WWE.

According to the Wrestling Observer, Gaburick rejoined the company recently and was part of the team working on Friday’s Greatest Royal Rumble event from Saudi Arabia.

Gaburick worked with WWE for over a decade before signing with Impact Wrestling back in June 2013. At Impact, he held a number of roles, overseeing the production of television, marketing, advertising and other special projects.

When Anthem Sports and Entertainment took over Impact Wrestling, Gaburick was kept on board during the transition and acted in a consulting role before departing in January.

In recent months he’s been re-tweeting WWE-related posts, including one from last month from the official WWE Arabic account about WWE’s recent tryouts in the Middle East.

Another former high-ranking Impact official, Jeremy Borash, also left the company in January and is now working for WWE as well.

Cody Rhodes says WWE return is unlikely

Cody Rhodes has made his name outside of the company since leaving the promotion but his career started in WWE so the talks about a possible return never gets old.

A fan recently again asked Cody if he will ever return to the company he started in, and replying to it, the former ROH World Champion said that it’s unlikely:

Unlikely. They have a huge place in my heart. They raised me.

But my music is my music and I play it how I want, I am literally incapable of taking direction. https://t.co/1OKmD58nVN

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) April 25, 2018

Cody Rhodes left WWE back in May 2016 and he has since become a big indie star. Since leaving the company, he has joined the Bullet Club, won the ROH World Championship among various other titles and is also set to host a wrestling event of his own later this year.

More Hype For Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas

WWE announced a major addition to the SmackDown Roster 2 weeks ago by announcing the debut of the former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas.

After the announcement, the company started building the anticipation for his debut. They started airing ‘coming soon’ vignettes of the former Champion on SmackDown this week which was followed by this tweet from Zelina Vega:

.@AndradeCienWWE & @Zelina_VegaWWE let the #WWEUniverse know they are coming to TAKE OVER #SDLive! pic.twitter.com/gzZtuwpUFt

— WWE (@WWE) April 22, 2018

https://twitter.com/Zelina_VegaWWE/status/988945247853039619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Andrade made his NXT debut back in January 2016 and he won the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: WarGames in November last year. He dropped the belt to Aleister Black earlier this month and is expected to make his SmackDown Live debut soon.