John Cena on His SmackDown Debut

It’s been over two decades since the WWE Universe was introduced to John Cena on the June 27, 2002, episode of SmackDown. This week, Cena looked back at his debut match against Kurt Angle and poked fun at the unfortunate ring attire he wore for his first match on TV. 

Get an insight into all the thoughts and faces during my @WWE debut on #Smackdown with this week’s look back! @TikTok_US https://t.co/kJsF36FBK7 pic.twitter.com/bKKlpyIVbF

— John Cena (@JohnCena) December 7, 2023

Orton booked for SmackDown

Randy Orton is back in WWE and is ready to take out every member of the Bloodline. The Viper will have the chance to do just tonight on SmackDown when he teams with LA Knight to face Jimmy Uso & Solo Sikoa. 

???@RandyOrton will team up with @RealLAKnight to take on @WWESoloSikoa & Jimmy Uso TOMORROW NIGHT on #SmackDown Tribute To The Troops!

? 8/7c on @FOXTV pic.twitter.com/Z50UYwCnFj

— WWE (@WWE) December 8, 2023

New WWE NXT Names

Last week, WWE filed trademarks for a series of new names and now some have been appointed to NXT talent. PW Insider reports that Andrzej Hughes-Murray, a former LA Rams linebacker, will now compete as Dion Lennox. Kevin Robertson, a former Temple University defensive tackle will now be working as Kanu Carver.

Latest on WWE NXT Europe

WWE announced NXT Europe in 2022, but despite initial hopes for the brand to be up and running in 2023, that hasn’t been the case at all. Speaking on the pre-NXT Deadline media call, Shawn Michaels said that WWE remains committed to NXT Europe. WWE’s Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative pointed at upcoming shows in Europe such as Bash in Berlin and WWE Backlash: France as a sign WWE has big plans for the continent. 

A Women’s Royal Rumble Favorite

Next month, WWE will host its seventh-annual Women’s Royal Rumble match, with the winner earning a title shot at WrestleMania 40. In odds shared by Sky Bet, Bayley is the favorite to win next month’s match with 10/11 odds. Behind the Role Model is Jade Cargill (2/1), Becky Lynch (10/1), Raquel Rodriguez (10/1), and Charlotte Flair (12/1.) WWE Women’s Champion IYO SKY and WWE Women’s World Champion Rhea Ripley share 16/1 odds. 

WWE’s Chief Content Officer Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque has provided an update for the much-anticipated NXT Europe.

The new brand was announced last August and coincided with the end of NXT UK as WWE’s overseas brand.

Following the announcement of NXT Europe, almost all talent from NXT UK was released, with only a select few being moved to WWE NXT in the U.S.

NXT Europe

With considerable backlash from fans over the mass releases from NXT UK, a lot is riding on NXT Europe to be a runaway success.

Speaking to Variety, Triple H shed light on WWE’s plans for NXT Europe.

“There’s been a lot of progress on it. We are very excited about the prospect of taking NXT in a larger global direction. I would like to be able to find the best athletes and the largest personalities and the most entertaining people from every place in the world, and bring them into what we do.”

Triple H.

Triple H, who is also WWE’s Head of Talent Relations, also spoke about the importance of searching all over for talent to bring to NXT Europe.

“When you begin to create those characters and those stars from every region, those regions become more engaged in what we do. If you can begin to go to all these places, and begin to find athletes there that can resonate on a global stage, some will make it big.”

Triple H.

The Game did not provide any date for when NXT Europe will premiere, though the brand is expected to air at some point in 2023.

Amale Discusses Wrestling Meiko Satomura, Possible NXT Europe Involvement, NXT UK Mentors, & More

WWE Chief Content Officer Triple H was interviewed recently by LADBible TV and spoke about his plans for the future of NXT.

Triple H has gained a significant amount of power in WWE recently since Vince McMahon resigned from the company. He replaced John Laurinaitis as EVP of Talent Relations and has also taken over creative responsibility for the promotion. The 53-year-old has brought back several released talents and is seemingly about to bring NXT back to its Black & Gold days.

During the interview, The Game discussed his vision for NXT Europe moving forward and suggested that it would be “almost a World Cup scenario”. He stated that “the World Cup finals” for NXT could happen in any city in the world and that you’ve got to think big.

The King of Kings compared NXT to college football and noted that they are trying to build a fanbase for the talent before sending them to the main roster to become WWE Superstars.

“The intent will be to take NXT Europe and bring that around the world. So NXT Europe, NXT Australia, NXT South Africa, South America, and Mexico. All those things and eventually build it into a global system that will lead to almost a World Cup scenario.

The World Cup finals for NXT will one year be in London, the next year maybe Mexico City, you’ve got to think big. And all the while, really what you are doing is you are building a fanbase for college football, while you are building stars for the major leagues.”

What do you think of Triple H’s vision for the future of NXT and NXT Europe? Let us know in the comments section below.

Please credit LADBible and give a H/T to SEScoops if you use quotes from this article.

After uneasiness over the future of NXT UK for several weeks, WWE finally confirmed that the territory will be rebranded as NXT Europe earlier this week.

This announcement, unfortunately, was followed by the release of over a dozen names associated with the brand. This included talents such as Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews among others.

Fightful Select provided more details on this announcement. They noted that many UK talents knew that a change was coming, but they were unaware of the gravity of it.

As far as the releases go, it wasn’t all about WWE cutting talents they didn’t want. Several names were released because they didn’t want to move to US. There were others who didn’t think it made financial sense to continue with the promotion.

Many UK-based promoters are hopeful that the reinvigorated free agents market will help the UK indie scene that was affected by NXT UK’s formation.

Flash Morgan Webster had been out of action due to an injury since last year. It’s been said that he signed a long-term deal with the promotion only months before his release.

WWE has confirmed that the NXT Europe brand will be launching sometime in 2023. Though they haven’t provided much details beyond that.

WWE is the most recognizable brand of professional wrestling on the planet and is watched by millions of fans around the world.

Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, WWE would regularly tour internationally and has returned to touring overseas over the past year.

Now, the company is looking to branch out even further than before.

NXT Europe

WWE is already the global force in professional wrestling, but will soon be expanding with the launch of NXT Europe.

The new brand, as the name suggests, will operate within the titular continent and has been confirmed to be launching at some point next year.

In a statement on WWE’s Corporate website, WWE’s Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels said he believes this is the right time for NXT Europe.

“Given the success of NXT UK, we felt like it was time to expand beyond that.”

Shawn Michaels on NXT Europe

The statement also highlighted some of the names who have started in WWE in NXT UK, including Rhea Ripley, Butch, and Intercontinental Champion Gunther.

The full statement can be found here.

The growth of #WWENXT to include all of Europe will not only bring diversity and opportunity to in-ring competition, but also recruitment and development of athletes from around the world. @WWE wants the best from around the globe!!! https://t.co/QInphcIVe8

— Triple H (@TripleH) August 18, 2022

The Future of NXT UK

With NXT Europe launching, the new brand will have an impact on the already-existing NXT UK

In his statement, Michaels confirmed that NXT UK will go on a “brief hiatus” in preparation of the new brand.

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer said that the hiatus will begin after World’s Collide, and the show was confirmed in the company’s statement.

On this week’s Heatwave special of NXT 2.0, several NXT UK Superstars appeared, setting up the crossover show.

WWE NXT UK Tapings Canceled, Uneasiness Among Talents