The Montreal Screwjob, which was a result of Bret Hart signing a contract with WCW, is one of the most famous events in the history of professional wrestling.

However, the WCW run of the former World Champion that followed was a disappointment for many fans and despite him winning the WCW title two times during his time with the company, his tenure there is often described as lackstar.

WWE recently published a clip of Bret Hart’s upcoming interview with Steve Austin on Broken Skull Sessions. During the interview, the wrestling veteran talked about his disappointing run with the company, saying that they didn’t know what to do with him:

“There was so much talent I could have worked with—Booker T, [Hulk] Hogan—I should have worked with Hogan, right away, I should have had Hulk Hogan in a sharpshooter and done some big numbers with him. I went into WCW, I had more heat

I had wrestled you at WrestleMania 13, I beat Undertaker at SummerSlam, I knocked Vince [McMahon] out, I didn’t really lose to Shawn [Michaels].” recalled Bret Hart. “I had so much heat and they just didn’t know what the hell to do with me.”

Bret Hart had signed a three-year contract with WCW when he originally joined the company in December 1997. However, his run didn’t last that long.

He suffered a career-ending injury during his match with Goldberg at Starrcade 1999, and his WCW contract was terminated on October 2000.

• Related: Eric Bischoff Talks About Bret Hart’s Time In WCW

You can check out WWE’s preview of Bret Hart on the Broken Skull Sessions below.

Here are some of Bret Hart’s most memorable moments during his WCW run:

Jushin “Thunder” Liger is the latest inductee in the WWE Hall Of Fame.

Tokyo Sports first broke the news of his induction earlier today and WWE has since confirmed that the Japanese Wrestling Legend will be inducted into Hall Of Fame on Thursday, April 2, at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Liger started his wrestling career in high school as an amateur wrestler and later aspired to become a professional wrestler. But he was initially rejected by NJPW dojo because he didn’t meet the height requirements of the academy at the time.

Though this didn’t stop the Japanese star and he moved to Mexico for training. Liger trained in very hard conditions there and according to the wrestling star himself; he was almost starving while studying in Mexico.

He was finally accepted by NJPW dojo when some company officials visiting the country took pity on him and invited him back to Japan to train alongside other wrestlers.

Jushin made his wrestling debut in March 1984 at the age of 19. Since then, he has gone on to become one of the top junior heavyweights in the history of the business, winning the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship 11 times during his career.

He first made his name in the United States by making appearances for WCW in 1990 and since then, he has wrestled for companies such as ROH, Impact Wrestling and more.

Jushin “Thunder” Liger will be joining Batista, nWo, The Bella Twins, JBL and The British Bulldog in the Class of 2020.

Jon Moxley released a video of escaping a prison-like setting shortly after leaving WWE which was a metaphor of the former World Champion finally breaking out of the mental constraints of the company.

The AEW Champion recently had an interview with The Walkway to Fight Club podcast where he talked about things like retaining his WWE entrance in AEW and more.

Discussing the difference between AEW and WWE, the former WWE Champion said that his AEW character is like a ‘whole different person’ that has been sleeping or been in jail:

“It’s just kind of like a whole other different person that had been like sleeping or in jail or suspended. It was like Jon Moxley was serving an eight-year suspension and then he finally got reinstated,”

• Also Read: Becky Lynch On How Locker Room Is Reacting To Coronavirus

The former WWE star continued by saying that it’s hard to explain but when you are being pushed in so many different directions and saying someone else’s words, you feel like you are not yourself anymore.

Explaining the difference between the two companies, Jon Moxley said that in AEW, he just walks out and does whatever the situation calls for, doesn’t matter how tired he is.

Apart from this, Jon Moxley also discussed the crowds at AEW, saying that he thinks TVs don’t do justice to how hot some of their crowds are. Check out his prison video below:

Quotes via WrestlingInc

A lot of people disliked the idea of taking the Universal Championship from Bray Wyatt and putting it on Goldberg and it appears that WWE star Sheamus is not a fan of it either.

The former WWE Champion was in Ireland last week where he talked to media and discussed things like the upcoming WrestleMania 36 event and more.

Talking about the company’s decision of putting the world title on the 53-year-old star, Sheamus said that he is always skeptical about the champions who just pop up once in a blue moon and it’s important to have a full-time champion:

“I’m always skeptical about champions who just pop up once in a blue moon, like once every six months, or once every year,” Sheamus said. “I think it’s important to have your champion on every week, that’s how I grew up watching WWE that’s how I see it.”

Though later in the interview, the former Champion revealed that the WrestleMania match he is looking forward to is between the WWE Champion Brock Lesnar and Drew McIntyre.

WrestleMania is scheduled to take place from the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on April 5, 2020, but there is a possibility of Tampa officials cancelling the show if the coronavirus situation remains the same.

Konnor and Viktor, who were collectively known as The Ascension in WWE were one of the stars who were released from their contracts in December last year.

The duo have returned to the independent circuit since then and it appears that the tag team has decided what’s next for them as they are teasing something big for the future.

Konnor was recently interviewed by WrestlingInc where he was asked if he has been contacted by any big companies and replying to it, the former WWE star claimed that they are going to be back on TV:

“Right now I’m kind of just enjoying the moment, but as far as offers and things like that, there’s been some cool (stuff) that have been possibly going on, of course, you can’t really discuss but we’ve got some pretty cool things man that have opened up.

We haven’t mentioned it. If we do anything, we want it to be a surprise. We will be back on TV. I’m not gonna say with who, but it’s gonna be great. It’s gonna be awesome. We’re going back to our old ways. We get to be us. It’s gonna be awesome no doubt about it.”

Konnor was part of the original NXT when it was branded as a reality show and when asked about his experience of the time, he described it as the worst part of his career.

The former NXT star claimed that you can ask anybody who worked on that version of NXT and they will tell you it was hell because you never knew what you were doing. You can check out his full interview at this link.

WWE had moved this week’s episode of SmackDown and 205 Live to the Performance Center due to coronavirus threats and the shows were broadcasted without an audience.

John Cena who was featured in the main event segment of SmackDown took advantage of the situation and watched the broadcast of 205 Live from the audience stand.

The company later posted a video of the Cenation Leader enjoying the show. The 16 time World Champion claimed that watching wrestling live is something he has often longed to do and there is no experience like it:

“This is something that I often longed to do—watch this done live, there’s no experience like it, A guy like me, sometimes sticks out in the crowd. I definitely stick out in the crowd today, because I am the crowd.

But I’m in the tech area and because of the circumstances; I get the treat of watching this live. Now, I’m used to performing in front of a crowd, so I’m a rookie at all this stuff. I’m watching the pros and taking notes. This is awesome.”

John Cena had a confrontation with his WrestleMania opponent Bray Wyatt during SmackDown and The Fiend warned the former World Champion that it’s going to be a slaughter at the Show Of Shows.

These two will meet in a one on one match at WrestleMania 36, though it will only be possible if the event takes place as scheduled and it’s not cancelled by the Tampa officials.

Coronavirus is affecting the whole world and WWE is also feeling the effects of the same. The company has moved some of its shows to the Performance Center though they have not cancelled any major events yet.

This means that the WWE stars are still on the road but if we believe the current Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, there haven’t been any major changes in the locker room due to the outbreak of the disease.

The current Champion was recently interviewed by TVInsider and when asked about the environment backstage, she explained that the business is being conducted as usual:

“It’s business as usual. I think we’re constantly meeting different people. We’re constantly shaking hands. We know to use hand sanitizer.” said Becky Lynch “We’re always exposed to so many different bacteria in our lives and so many different countries. You can’t freak out about any of this stuff. You have to continue on and hope for the best.”

• Also Read: WWE Talents Worried About WrestleMania

The Raw Women’s Champion was also asked about the difference between Ronda Rousey and her WrestleMania opponent Shayna Baszler and Becky Lynch claimed that the former NXT Champion is a ‘different animal.’

She mentioned how Baszler has been wrestling longer and claimed that we haven’t really seen her full potential on Raw. You can check out Becky Lynch’s full interview at this link.

A recent tweet from Nikki Bella about life had made many fans wonder and the people have been speculating whether the former Champion was taking a shot at her ex-fiancé John Cena with the post.

However, the former Divas Champion talked about these confusions on the latest episode of the Bellas podcast and claimed that she doesn’t always talk about Cena:

“Anytime I want to post a quote or I want to share words of wisdom, everyone always think I’m talking about him. I don’t always talk about my ex-fiancé, and honestly, you guys, I have no reason to throw shade at him. I can’t tell you guys enough. I’m not that type of person. I wish people knew that. My life does not revolve around my ex-fiancé.”

The future Hall Of Famer also explained that John Cena is not the only person she has loved. According to Bella, she fell in love three times before the Cenation Leader came into her life and she has loved people after leaving him as well.

• Also Read: WWE Talents Worried About The Company Going Ahead With WrestleMania

The Relationship of Nikki Bella And John Cena

Nikki Bella dated John Cena for six years, and Cena had proposed the female star at WrestleMania 33. However, the duo broke up shortly before their marriage in 2018. You can check out the mentioned tweet below:

Both the stars have since moved on with their lives. John has started dating Shay Shariatzadeh while Bella has been dating her Dancing With The Stars partner Artem Chigvintsev and earlier this year she announced that she was pregnant.

Quotes via Yahoo.com

This week’s episode of NXT was broadcasted from the Performance Center and it appears that the building will be the home of the Black And Yellow brand for the foreseeable future.

Full Sail University has announced that they are shutting down all classes, labs and “group events” until the end of April after coronavirus was declared a national emergency in the United States yesterday.

PWinsider is reporting that due to this step, next Wednesday’s NXT tapings from the arena has been suspended and the show will be broadcasted from the performance center for the foreseeable future.

WWE had brought in fans in three buses for this week’s NXT episode but the plan going forward will be to tape the show in an empty arena with only the essential personnel in attendance, similar to the broadcast of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

While no time table for it was released, the site notes that the current plan is to return to the Full Sail University campus for the show when it is feasible.

NXT is not the only event that has been affected by the epidemic. After the mentioned SmackDown episode, WWE has confirmed that this week’s episode of Raw will also air from the Performance Center under similar settings.

The company has mentioned that they are monitoring the situation and it’s likely that more events will be cancelled or rescheduled in future. We will keep you posted on the situation.

The recent reports of Triple H receiving a demotion within WWE made a lot of buzz and it appears that the Game has also heard these talks.

This week’s episode of SmackDown Live aired from Performance Center due to coronavirus threats and only the essential personnel were in attendance for the show.

The godfather of NXT was also present for the episode and Triple H took over the commentary duties alongside Michael Cole for the night.

What’s interesting is that during the episode Cole mentioned how busy H was and replying to him, The King Of Kings said that “I am the only man in the history of the world that can get demoted and get busier apparently”:

For those who don’t know, it was reported recently that WWE has edited Triple H’s job title from being the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative to Executive Vice President of Global Talent Development & Strategy.

In the new position, the former Champion is made in charge of running NXT and overseeing the global development of the brand, including the negotiations for TV rights.

His previous duties of negotiating with talents have been taken over by Vince McMahon’s Chief of Staff Brad Blum and many people within the company are seeing it as a ‘quiet demotion’ for Triple H.

The Revival looks to be on their way out of WWE and it appears that the duo is already preparing for their time outside of the company once their contract expires.

PWinsider is reporting that Dash Wilder has applied to trademark Cash Wheeler as a stage name as well as the name to use for merchandising purposes.

While not confirmed, this likely means that the current WWE star is planning to go by the name once The Revival leave the company and become free agents.

Though these are not the only trademarks filed by the duo in recent times and they have previously filed an application for the phrase Top Guys which can be their post-WWE name.

On the other hand, the company has filed a trademark application of their own and they are trying to register Revival’s original NXT name The Mechanics and some other catchphrases to try and stop the team from using them outside of the promotion.

Scott Dawson’s current WWE deal is set to expire in early April while WWE has added time to Dash Wilder’s contract for the time he missed due to injury.

While the exact dates are unknown, it’s believed that Wilder’s contract will expire sometime in mid-June, after which, he will be free to sign with any other promotion.

WWE announced on this week’s episode of SmackDown that the Universal Champion Goldberg will be returning to WWE Television on next week’s episode of the show.

This week’s episode of SmackDown saw Roman Reigns having a sit down interview with Michael Cole where the Big Dog talked about his WrestleMania 36 opponent.

Reigns said that he respects Goldberg but mentioned how he is a part-timer and the former Universal Champion claimed that the company does not have time for that.

The former Shield member then promised to beat the former WCW star, and set things right in WWE by taking the championship back from the 53-year-old star.

After this, WWE announced that Goldberg will be making his return to WWE programming during next week’s episode of SmackDown where he and Roman Reigns will sign the contract for their upcoming match.

This week’s episode of SmackDown Live was broadcasted from WWE Performance Center due to coronavirus threats. Monday’s episode of Raw has also been moved to the PC and it’s most likely that next week’s SmackDown will be rescheduled as well.

Roman Reigns is expected to face Goldberg at WrestleMania, though the company is also putting contingency plans in place in case the show is cancelled. You can read WWE’s statement on WrestleMania here.

While things are still uncertain, WWE looks to be committed to moving forward with WrestleMania despite the coronavirus outbreak and the company has said that they have contingency plans in place, in case the event is canceled.

WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about a number of things and also discussed the upcoming event.

The former Champion first talked about the Royal Rumble event and Edge’s return during the show and he then went on to say that the match between The Rated R Superstar and Randy Orton could be the match of the night at WrestleMania:

“I think WWE may be pushing it with the returning Superstars, but Edge and Randy Orton is gonna captivate the audience,” said Mick Foley “We get to see Randy doing what he does best and I think it’s gonna challenge for Match of the Night.”

The WWE Legend also talked about Colt Cabana’s AEW signing and said that he is at a loss to explain why a major promotion had not signed the former ROH star so far.

He had asked about it to WWE and TNA management and according to Mick Foley, he was told that the former NWA World Champion was ‘too hokey’. You can check out the WWE Hall Of Famer’s full interview at this link.

The Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group decided against calling off any major events in the Tampa area in their meeting on Thursday which means that WrestleMania 36 can go on as planned.

WWE Officials also seem to be committed towards moving ahead with the show as scheduled, though they have confirmed that they have contingency plans in place if the local authorities decide to cancel the show.

The company recently released a statement on the matter saying that they remain committed to hosting WrestleMania on April 5 as planned while also mentioning that they are monitoring the situation closely:

“While we remain committed to hosting WrestleMania at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, April 5, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that it is cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.

The health and safety of our fans, performers and employees are our top priorities and we are monitoring the situation closely with our partners and government officials in Tampa Bay,”

• Also Read: WWE’s Statement On Possible Financial Effects Of Coronavirus

While the company seems to be planning to move forward with WrestleMania, they have confirmed that this week’s episode of SmackDown is moving to the performance center with no live audience due to the epidemic.

Not only that but the company has also canceled a Live Event scheduled for this Sunday and it’s very likely that more events will be cancelled or rescheduled in near future.

WWE recently published a new episode of their If It’s On The Internet series where The Big Show reveals whether the rumors about him on the internet are true or false.

During the session, Big Show discussed a number of rumors about his wrestling career, like if his original WWE contract included a guaranteed WrestleMania main event.

He was asked about rumors of WCW officials considering calling him Andre The Giant Jr. Replying to it, the former World Champion confirmed that it was true and revealed that he was very close to being given the name:

“Very close. It was very close. They were trying to figure out what to call me because they wanted to do the storyline that I was the son of Andre. I remember I was very conflicted about that because at that time I was very naive and didn’t want to lie to anyone.”

When asked about the rumored match between him and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 23, Show admitted that it was true: “That’s true. But that was mostly rumors I heard from the office. I really didn’t get any specifics on it but it was heavily talked about.”

Apart from this, Big Show also revealed if he ever considered leaving WWE for a boxing career and more. You can check out the episode of the series featuring the giant below:

The coronavirus outbreak has been affecting sporting events across the globe and just in the last 24 hours, both the NBA and XFL have suspended their ongoing seasons.

WWE has not remained unaffected either and the company recently confirmed that they are moving this week’s episode of SmackDown to the performance center.

Not only that but the promotion has also canceled Sunday’s live event in Youngstown, Ohio and more events are expected to be rescheduled or canceled in the coming times.

These changes are expected to affect the company’s financial performance and so the officials are trying to assure the investors that they are prepared to handle the situation.

The company recently released a statement regarding the epidemic affecting their business and revealed that they have financial resources available in cash and debt capacity to manage the challenges ahead, totalling in more than $0.5 billion.

You can check out their full statement below:

WWE Statement on Potential Impact of COVID-19

WWE (NYSE: WWE) today communicated perspective regarding the potential impact of COVID-19 on the Company’s financial performance.

WWE has substantial financial resources, both available cash and debt capacity, which currently total more than $0.5 billion, to manage the challenges ahead. The fundamentals of the Company’s business remain strong reflecting the passion of WWE’s fans and the quality of its content. Management continues to believe the Company is well positioned to take full advantage of the changing media landscape and increasing value of live sports rights over the longer term.

The health and safety of WWE’s fans, performers and employees are the Company’s top priorities and management is monitoring the situation closely domestically and internationally. The potential impact of COVID-19, and corresponding changes in the way WWE operates, may adversely impact the Company’s business including, but not limited to, its live event ticket sales and the sale of merchandise at those events.

It should be noted that the Company may be directed to cancel, postpone or relocate certain upcoming events and the number of these changes is unknown at this time. The Company is currently unable to quantify the potential financial impact of COVID-19, but the financial impact to the Company may be material.

Accordingly, the Company is withdrawing its previously announced first quarter and full year 2020 guidance due to the increased uncertainty of the financial impact of COVID-19 to the Company.

WWE has confirmed that this week’s episode of SmackDown Live from Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan has been canceled due to coronavirus and the show will be aired from the Performance Center instead.

The company revealed the news via a short statement on Twitter, announcing that the show will air with no live audience and only the essential personnel will be in attendance:

“SmackDown on March 13 will air live as regularly scheduled and emanate from WWE’s training facility in Orlando, FL, with only essential personnel in attendance. The event was originally scheduled in Detroit, MI.”

The reports of WWE moving the show had first come out earlier yesterday but the company had released a statement on the matter, denying any such change at the time.

Though they had mentioned that they were putting contingency plans in place and now the company has confirmed that the show is being moved to WWE PC In Orlando, Florida.

This week’s episode of NXT also aired from Performance Center though the reason for it was different. Triple H had confirmed that The Full Sail University which is the regular venue for the show had a previous commitment, forcing the change.

The line up for this week’s SmackDown includes the return of John Cena and Jeff Hardy as well as a segment with Paige confronting the SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley.

Triple H is generally considered to be the successor of Vince McMahon. However, the latest news on the matter is not very positive for the Game and reports suggest that he has been given “quiet demotion” within the company recently.

According to reports from Wrestling Observer Newsletter, The former World Champion’s roles within the company have changed recently and his job title has been edited as well.

Triple H had been working as the Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events & Creative since 2013 and he also has the Senior Producer and creator role with NXT.

However, things have changed recently and the former Evolution member has been given the edited job title of Executive Vice President of Global Talent Development & Strategy.

• Also Read: Jerry Lawler On If Coronavirus Will Affect WrestleMania

His main job was being the head of talent relations but The Game has now been moved away from this role and his main duties now are the operation of NXT, selling the NXT TV rights to oversees partners, and overseeing the global expansion of the NXT brand.

Brad Blum, who is Vince McMahon’s Chief of Staff, has taken over Triple H’s previous duties which include the duties of negotiating contracts with talents.

This is a big change and according to the report, people within the company have called it a “quiet demotion” for Triple H.

This change had been kept quiet for almost 5 months before finally being revealed in an SEC filling and the situation has been described as ‘curious’.

AJ Styles’ WWE debut is one of the most iconic debuts of all time and the Phenomenal One has gone on to become one of the top stars of the company since then.

However, the former World Champion didn’t know how he would be treated by the fans and management before coming in, and according to Styles, he was ‘terrified’ before his WWE debut.

The former TNA star was the guest on the latest episode of WWE Backstage and while talking about his first night in the company, AJ recalled how the experience was intimidating:

“I was terrified,” Styles said. “We went over the match, and they took me out of the trailer where they were hiding me, and I saw Road Dogg and I didn’t want to let him go. I’m in someone else’s house. It’s their home.

I’m a guest. I don’t live there yet. I didn’t know until literally days before, I didn’t know. I don’t think many people knew. It was huge for me and intimidating. I’m a 38 year old man coming to the WWE for the first time, it’s intimidating.”

AJ Styles made his WWE debut at Royal Rumble in January 2016. He has since become one of the top stars of the company and has won a number of championships in the promotion, including winning the world championship twice.

Styles is currently scheduled to face the Undertaker at WrestleMania 36. You can check out an updated match card for the event at this link.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

Corey Graves confirmed the reports of Davey Boy Smith going into Hall Of Fame and he announced on the latest episode of his After The Bell podcast that the British Bulldog will be inducted into the class of 2020.

Graves welcomed the wrestling legend’s son Harry Smith, Natalya and Tyson Kidd for this special episode of his podcast featuring the announcement of the induction.

Reacting to the news, Harry said that it’s something that has been long overdue but he is really excited and glad to finally get the chance to induct his father:

“It’s been long overdue but I am really excited and glad to be inducting my father into the 2020 Hall Of Fame. It’s something that is great not only for my family but the WWE Universe as well.”

Natalya, on the other hand, said that the time has never been better for the induction of Davey Boy Smith and she went on to explain that his legacy has stood the test of time:

“It feels like the time has never been better. So many people in our industry say that it was the British Bulldog who inspired them to want to get into WWE. His work and his legacy has stood the test of time and he is still so relevant to the culture of WWE today.”

Davey Boy Smith will be joining JBL, The Bella Twins, nWo and Dave Batista into the Hall Of Fame class of 2020. Japanese veteran Jushin ‘Thunder’ Liger is also expected to be inducted this year but it hasn’t been made official yet.

Coronavirus is affecting people all over the world and WrestleMania 36 seems to be in jeopardy but the WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry Lawler believes that the epidemic will not affect the major event.

Lawler appeared on Cerrito Live recently where he talked about a number of things and also discussed the effect the outbreak of COVID-19 is having on the world.

However, while discussing the possibility of the situation affecting the Show Of Shows, the WWE Hall Of Famer claimed that it’s not gonna affect the event at all:

“I don’t think it’s gonna affect WrestleMania at all. I’m not trying to downplay it or anything like that. When you listen to what has happened in the past, it’s almost like a cycle.  These kinds of things happen every now and then,” Jerry Lawler said. “There’s nothing you can do about it except react to it as best as we can.”

The former Champion then named other major diseases that have made similar headlines in the past like the Hong Kong flu and swine flu. He said that coronavirus is just another thing we will get through and it’s just the way life is.

The Tampa officials are expected to hold a meeting this Thursday to discuss the future of major events in the area including WrestleMania 36. We will keep you posted on any updates on the situation.

Quotes via WrestlingInc

WWE Backstage had seen a big drop in viewership numbers just last week and the show has made a record for low viewership this week once again.

This week’s episode of the WWE series which featured AJ Styles and Xavier Woods as the special guests drew only 35,000 viewers, according to Showbuzz Daily.

This is not only the lowest viewership the show has garnered this year but it’s the lowest number it has done since its official premiere in October last year.

WWE Backstage did a 0.01 rating in the 18-49 demographic this week and the show’s numbers were delayed because it once again failed to make it into the Cable Top 150.

In comparison, last week’s episode of the show, which was built around the return of Jeff Hardy, had drawn 56,000 viewers.

During the WWE Backstage episode, WWE had announced the return of Jeff Hardy for this week’s SmackDown and the company has since confirmed the appearance of former world champion John Cena for the show as well.

Though the SmackDown episode seems to be in jeopardy due to the coronavirus outbreak. While WWE has denied the reports of the show being canceled, they have revealed that they are putting contingency plans in place.

You can check out their statement on the matter here.

WWE has responded to the reports of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live being canceled due to coronavirus, confirming that the show is scheduled to go as planned.

The company released the following statement to media outlets regarding the show. They announced that episode has not been cancelled yet but they are putting ‘contingency plans’ in place in case this decision is made by local authorities:

“WWE has not cancelled Friday Night SmackDown in Detroit; however, based on the current situation, we are putting contingency plans in place in the event that upcoming WWE shows are cancelled by government officials, civil authorities and/or local venues.”

PWInsider, who originally published the report of the cancellation suggests that it’s possible that the company has reversed their decision or a final call has not been made yet.

Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena, the venue for this week’s episode of SmackDown is the same arena where NBA Player Rudy Gobert played a game over the weekend.

Gobert later tested positive for coronavirus. After the Utah Jazz player tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, the NBA officials have decided to suspend their current season.

A decision on large scale events in Tampa area, where WrestleMania is expected to take place is also pending and we’ll keep you posted on any updates on the situation.

Coronavirus has affected people worldwide and the global epidemic has now started showing its effect on the world of professional wrestling as well.

PWInsider is reporting that WWE has canceled the broadcast of this week’s episode of SmackDown and 205 Live which was expected to take place from the Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Michigan due to the outbreak of the virus.

Both these shows will now be broadcasted from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, which was the venue for this week’s episode of NXT as well.

Though the NXT episode was broadcasted from the PC because its regular venue in Full Sail University had a previous commitment that was booked before the show went live on USA Network.

An announcement regarding the cancellation of SmackDown is expected to be made soon. There is currently no word on if the company is planning the same for Raw as well.

It’s worth mentioning here that the upcoming weekly WWE shows are not the only events in jeopardy due to the outbreak of the virus.

The officials of Tampa city are expected to make a decision regarding possibly canceling upcoming major events in the area soon and this includes WrestleMania 36 as well.

A decision is expected to be made in a meeting on Thursday and we will keep you posted on the future of WrestleMania and other WWE events.

WWE has announced that the Cenation Leader and former World Champion John Cena will be making an appearance on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live.

Cena made his return to WWE programming during the February 28 episode of SmackDown after a long hiatus, where he announced that he won’t be a part of WrestleMania this year.

The 16 time World Champion had made the decision to stay off the show this year to leave the spot for the younger talents but things changed quickly.

He was confronted by ‘The Fiend’ Bray Wyatt as John was heading back and the former Universal Champion challenged John Cena for a match at the Show Of Shows by pointing towards the WrestleMania sign.

The former WWE Champion accepted this challenge made by the former Wyatt Family leader and WWE has since confirmed that these two will meet in a one on one match at this year’s edition of WrestleMania.

There is no word yet on what John Cena will be doing at the show but the latest episode of SmackDown saw Bray sending a message to his opponent in a Firefly Fun House segment.

So it’s likely that John will respond to the former Champion and it will be interesting to know if we see a confrontation between the two stars at the episode.