NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn is set to take place on Saturday, August 22nd, the night before SummerSlam at The Barclay’s Centre in New York City.

The event will be broadcast on the WWE Network and William Regal has just confirmed a huge title match that will take place during the event.

Speaking at the Mattel panel at this year’s Comic Con in San Diego, William Regal confirmed that Kevin Owens will get his NXT Title rematch against Finn Balor.

Finn Balor defeated Kevin Owens at the recent “Beast in the East” WWE Network special live from Tokyo Japan to begin his first reign as the NXT Champion.

– While Stardust (Cody Rhodes) was back at television this week, WWE decided not to use him. The belief is that WWE isn’t ready to turn Stardust babyface, and due to the fact that he is Dusty Rhodes’ son and people probably won’t want to “boo” him, they are waiting to bring him back.

– At one point, a few of the NXT Divas, Charlotte being one we can confirm specifically, were scheduled for this past Monday’s edition of WWE RAW. This wasn’t the first time NXT Divas were set to make their main roster debuts only for plans to be changed. As noted recently, Charlotte and Sasha Banks are expected to be brought up to the main roster in time for SummerSlam, and they are likely to be involved in the Paige vs. Team Bella angle, siding with Paige.

• VIDEO: UFC Releases Footage Of CM Punk Training For Octagon Debut!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

While there has been a lot of speculation about the outcome of the current storyline involving Paige taking on Team Bella (Alicia Fox and The Bella Twins), we can now report what the current working plan is.

According to PWInsider.com, NXT Diva Charlotte is scheduled to make her main roster debut at next month’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view. Another NXT Diva, likely current NXT Women’s Champion Sasha Banks, will be debuting alongside Charlotte to help Paige.

There was some discussion of calling up Bayley for this storyline, however she is dealing with a broken hand, so the talk now is that Banks will be the second Diva called up for this angle.

• KEN SHAMROCK Talks About BEATING UP Big Show & JBL BACKSTAGE In WWE!

– At Sunday’s WWE Money in the Bank PPV, we saw The Miz interfere in the IC title match between Ryback and the Big Show. This was done to set up a 3-way match between them at next month’s Battleground PPV.

– As of this writing, the scheduled main event for WWE SummerSlam in August will be WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins vs. Triple H. The news was first reported by Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Radio.

WWE has already planted the seeds for the match, with a rift forming between Rollins and The Authority and Rollins using Triple H’s pedigree finisher. It remains to be seen if Rollins will be turning babyface for his feud with Triple H, but Brock Lesnar and Triple H both wrestling at SummerSlam will help solidify the show as one of WWE’s top special events of the year.

In an update on the WWE status of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, both guys are scheduled to return at WWE RAW next Monday night in Cleveland, Ohio.

Lesnar and Heyman will be back again the next week in Indianapolis, and are both planned to be regulars on television at least through the WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

Lesnar’s next high-profile match is scheduled to be at the WWE Battleground pay-per-view on July 19th, however he’s also booked fr the July 4th live WWE Network special from Japan, where he will be taking on Kofi Kingston.

It’s worth noting that the current plan is that WWE will not be promoting the 7/4 live special from Japan the same way they did with the recent Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.

• PHOTO: Is Ken Shamrock Taking STEROIDS Before Fight With Kimbo?!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman will be returning to WWE television sooner than originally planned.

According to the latest issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE called both Lesnar and Heyman to return about a month earlier than they were planning on having them come back.

Originally, WWE was looking at having Lesnar vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at this year’s SummerSlam event on August 23rd, which means Lesnar would have returned a week, or a few weeks, prior to the date of the pay-per-view. Now, the plan is for Lesnar to return in time for a match at the Battleground event on July 19th.

While the Lesnar-Rollins match at SummerSlam is still a possibility, so much in creative has changed since that idea was in play. So far, Lesnar has been advertised for the June 22nd edition of RAW in Indianapolis, the July 6th RAW in Chicago and the July 13th RAW in Atlanta. Lesnar is also scheduled to work a match at what will now be a live WWE Network special on July 4th at Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan.

• Photos: Ronda Rousey Turns Heads With Revealing Outfit At Entourage Premiere!

Actor Stephen Amell (“Arrow”) is disputing a report by Hollywood Life claiming that he’ll be wrestling Stardust at this year’s WWE SummerSlam PPV. Amell claims the report is not true.

Here’s a Twitter exchange between Amell and Stardust from the weekend:

https://twitter.com/amellywood/status/605124168766631936

No Stephen . . . Cody doesn't

& I don't want Stephen

There must be someone else, SOMETHING else . . .#SummerSlam https://t.co/emwhaq7Nvy

— Cody Rhodes (@CodyRhodes) May 31, 2015

According to Hollywood Life, Stephen Amell of “Arrow” fame will be competing in a match at this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view.

HollywoodLife.com is reporting that Amell will be going one-on-one with WWE Superstar Stardust (Cody Rhodes) at the event, which takes place on Sunday, August 23, 2015 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

The story claims Amell and WWE are debating whether to refer to him as simply Stephen Amell, or if he should play his character from “Arrow” in the match.

• Ronda Rousey’s Next Opponent Goes Too Far With Suicide Comments!

WWE Diva and Total Divas star Eva Marie recently spoke with Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald about working on improving her in-ring skills as well as her goal to become WWE Divas Champion by SummerSlam. Below are some highlights from the interview.

On going for the WWE Divas Title heading into SummerSlam: “I got my developmental deal first, and I got ‘Total Divas.’ Everything from there it just went, boom! I was living my life on reality TV. I had to perform for WWE, as well as show that to the whole world. For season four of ‘Total Divas,’ you are going to see my in-ring work. I’m going for that title heading into SummerSlam. Go big or go home.”

On working to improve her in-ring training: “If you follow me on social media you are going to see the clips of me training and progressing. Then you will see me back in the ring, hopefully in a few weeks. Triple H has definitely been helping me out, and I appreciate that. I bounce ideas off of him. Brian Kendrick is amazing. I’m asking him a bunch of different questions. Then when I get in the ring with him, I’ll improve my skills right there.”

Check out the complete interview at MiamiHerald.com.

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– WWE Hall Of Famer Bobby “The Brain” Heenan underwent surgery this past week that had to do with new equipment that he needed for his jaw. Heenan was said to be doing well after undergoing the operation.

– Rey Mysterio is scheduled to return to work for the CRASH promotion in Mexicali on May 7th and in Ensenada on May 9th. For those unaware, the CRASH promotion is the company Mysterio worked a match for where the tragic accident took place that cost Mexican wrestling Perro Aguayo Jr. his life.

– WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross’ “RINGSIDE: An Evening with Jim Ross” one-man show will be going head-to-head with the Ring Of Honor event on August 22nd in New York City during SummerSlam weekend. Tickets for the show go on sale this Friday at the Gramercy Theatre and on Ticketmaster.

• Which WWE Star Convinced UFC To Let Rousey Work WM31? + Rousey/WWE Update!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

As noted, WWE filed a lawsuit in the state of California to prevent the selling of undisclosed merchandise in the area during WrestleMania 31 week. In the paperwork that was filed, WWE’s entire pay-per-view schedule through March of 2016 — including the total amount of seats available for those events — were released.

Below is a list of pay-per-view dates, locations and seating capacity:

The listed capacities for the PPV shows for the next year are as follows:

– Extreme Rules in Chicago (12,921)
– Payback on 5/15 in Baltimore (11,389)
– Money in the Bank 6/14 in Columbus, OH (13,275)
– Battleground 7/19 in St. Louis 14,569)
– SummerSlam on 8/23 in Brooklyn (13,438)
– Night of Champions on 9/20 in Houston (11,580)
– Hell in a Cell on 10/25 in Los Angles (14,240)
– Survivor Series on 11/22 in Atlanta (14,349)
– TLC on 12/13 in Boston (13,837)
– Royal Rumble on 1/24 in Orlando (13,000)
– Fastlane on 2/21 in St. Louis (14,569)

Additionally, the go-home Raw for WrestleMania next year will be on 3/28 in Washington, DC. The schedule also lists NXT specials on 5/20, 8/12 and 11/7.

• Which WWE Star Convinced UFC To Let Rousey Work WM31? + Rousey/WWE Update!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

Even more details are coming out about Brock Lesnar’s new contract with WWE. After making his big announcement earlier this week on Sports Center that he has decided to remain with WWE, Lesnar told the Associated Press that he re-signed for 3 years. According to WWE insider MetsFan4Ever, Lesnar’s deal is for $3 million a year and he’ll continue to work a limited schedule.

WWE writers have been working nonstop with Vince McMahon, Triple H and their inner circle to come up with multiple scenarios for the main event of WrestleMania. According to MetsFan, Vince McMahon is said to be on board with the idea of Lesnar retaining the title, although Lesnar winning is not a sure thing by any means. What’s interesting is that there is finally an understanding amongst WWE’s top brass that Reigns did not get over as they hoped he would.

Internally, there have been some comparisons to Lex Luger, who was pushed to the moon back in 1993 with the Lex Express before WWE ultimately went with Bret Hart. While WWE could still have Reigns win the title on Sunday, WWE is not oblivious to the fact that he’s not getting over like somebody in his position should be. While Luger was relegated to mid-card status after WrestleMania X before jumping ship to WCW, WWE has a lot invested in Reigns and we could see a big shakeup in his character in the coming months. He’s still got a very bright future ahead of him, but management is now more open to Lesnar going over.

MetsFan also says that Dean Ambrose is slated to get a strong push leading into SummerSlam.

There are approximately 4,400 tickets remaining on the Stubhub website for WrestleMania 31. Front row seats are going for $13,000, while seats in the third row are selling for $3,000. Those prices will likely drop as WrestleMania 31 draws closer.

While WWE is expected to sell under 65,000 or 60,000 tickets, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California is expected to be full on the evening of the event. The company is apparently not worried at all about selling tickets, as they’ve been very strict in terms of the number of comps they have been giving out.

Additionally, new seats are being added in the Northeast corner of the building, so the maximum capacity on the night of the event could reach close to 70,000 fans. Those same extra seats will be added to the 2016 Super Bowl in the same venue as well.

WWE generally exaggerates their attendance for big events like WrestleMania, and if they end up making up a number larger than 76,000 for this year’s show, then that will likely be more than the real number that the NFL will announce for next year’s Super Bowl.

Regarding tickets for WWE SummerSlam this year selling so rapidly, one of the main reasons is ticket scalpers. Scalpers expect eventual sellouts and try to beat the general public to the tickets, which appears to be the case for SummerSlam. In fact, there are 3,000 of the 12,000 tickets for SummerSlam already available on the Stubhub website alone.

• BACKSTAGE UPDATE: Samoa Joe Signing With WWE SOONER THAN YOU THINK!!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– Tickets to the public for this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, which takes place on August 23rd at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, sold out immediately this morning. Virtually all of the tickets had arleady been sold via pre-sale before today.

– Part-time WWE performer Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson landed a role as host of Saturday Night Live for the March 28th edition of the show, which is the Saturday before WrestleMania 31. The Rock tweeted the following about hosting SNL for the fourth time.

"LIVE FROM NEW YORK".. My honor to host #SNL for the 4x. #90MinOfElectricity #2MinOfPeeBreaks #LetsRoll MARCH 28th. pic.twitter.com/P5ZmNTBHpg

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) March 13, 2015

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– The current working plan within WWE right now in regards to their SummerSlam pay-per-view in 2016 is that the company will be bringing the event back to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. As noted, this year’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, which was originally scheduled for the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will instead emanate from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

– The following are some WWE attendance figures for events that took place between March 5th and March 9th:

• March 5th in Columbus, OH drew 1,000 fans
• March 6th in Cleveland for NXT drew a sellout of 1,110 fans
• March 6th in Rochester, NY drew 8,000 fans
• March 7th in Brooklyn drew 8,500 fans
• March 7th in Erie, PA drew 4,200 fans
• March 8th in Youngstown, OH drew 3,500 fans
• March 9th in Pittsburgh for RAW drew a sellout of 11,100 fans

• UPDATE: CM Punk To Wait A FULL YEAR Before Making His UFC Debut?!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– SummerSlam travel packages for Brooklyn, NY are now available at WWE.com.

WWE RAW the night after SummerSlam (Monday, August 24th) will also take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

– Dolph Ziggler has been added to “WWE Night” at the Phoenix Suns NBA game tonight. He’ll be joined by Daniel Bryan, The Bella Twins and Lilian Garcia.

– NXT star Finn Balor recently spoke to the Miami Herald. In response to his critics, Balor said, “If you believe the good, you’ll believe the bad.

– WWE has released a new video hyping WrestleMania 31:

– All tickets available for the WWE SummerSlam 2015 pay-per-view pre-sale are officially sold out.

– VIP tickets for the Jim Ross “RINGSIDE” one-man show on March 28th in San Jose, California are sold out.

– The “Black History Month” and “12 Days of Attitude” segments are both no longer available on the WWE Network. Both were meant as temporary content for the digital subscription service.

– Former WWE Hall Of Famer Jimmy Hart is featured on the web series “Loud Satisfaction,” a comedy show based out of Boston. You can check out the episode below.

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

– The pre-sale code for this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view event at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York is “SUMMERSLAM.”

– Triple H was inducted into the International Sports Hall Of Fame on Saturday evening. Below are a couple of photos of his induction ceremony.

https://twitter.com/ArnoldSports/status/574262816754040832

It is an honor. Thank You. #ISHOF @ArnoldSports #ASF2015 pic.twitter.com/EdKL8hqPAS

— Triple H (@TripleH) March 7, 2015

• Trainer: “CM Punk Would Have Lost Monday’s MMA Scrimmage Bout If It Were Scored!” (Photos Of The Bout Included)!

WWE sent us the following announcement this morning:

BARCLAYS CENTER TO HOST WWE® SUMMERSLAM®

Tickets on sale Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m.

STAMFORD, CT AND BROOKLYN, NY – March 5, 2015 – Barclays Center and WWE® announced today that WWE’s biggest event of the summer, SummerSlam, will take place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Sunday, August 23, 2015.

Tickets will go on sale Saturday, March 14 at 10 a.m. and will be available online at www.barclayscenter.com, www.ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center beginning Monday, March 16 at noon (pending availability).

SummerSlam, featuring the biggest stars of WWE in action, will be broadcast around the world on WWE Network and pay-per-view. SummerSlam weekend will also include fan events, autograph signings, Be a STAR anti-bullying rallies, hospital visits and other community outreach programs designed to leave a lasting impact throughout the region.

“We are thrilled to be back in New York for WWE’s second largest destination event of the year,” said John P. Saboor, WWE Executive Vice President, Special Events. “We look forward to continuing our wonderful relationships with both Barclays Center and NYC & Company in what will surely be a memorable weekend in Brooklyn.”

“We are happy to have WWE’s SummerSlam back in New York City. There’s no better place for WWE’s biggest event of the summer,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company. “Events like SummerSlam bring people from around the world to New York City, giving them yet another reason to visit and explore the five boroughs. Thanks to WWE, there’s another fantastic reason to visit us this summer.”

“Brooklyn is an international brand and is the perfect stage for a major global event like WWE SummerSlam,” said Brett Yormark, CEO of Barclays Center. “Our strong relationship with WWE has enabled us to host many successful events together at Barclays Center. We are excited to build on our partnership by bringing SummerSlam to Brooklyn.”

This marks the first time that SummerSlam will be held at Barclays Center. The event has previously been held in New York in 1988, 1991, 1998 and 2002. The Staples Center in Los Angeles hosted the sold-out event the past six years, and other major venues such as Wembley Stadium in London, Target Center in Minneapolis, SAP Center in San Jose, Air Canada Centre in Toronto and TD Garden in Boston have also played host to the historic event throughout its 27-year history.

– The latest talk about this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view is that it will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. For those wondering why WWE won’t be moving SummerSlam to Madison Square Garden, it’s because the costs of running televised events, or in this case a pay-per-view event, at MSG are much higher than other venues. SummerSlam was originally scheduled to emanate from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey until the arena was shut down earlier this year.

– Below are some recent WWE attendance figures:

February 27th for WWE NXT in Jacksonville, FL drew a sellout of 500 fans
February 27th at Madison Square Garden in NYC drew 12,000 fans
February 28th in Toronto drew a sellout of 8,000 fans
February 28th in Bridgeport, CT drew 5,600 fans
March 1st in Buffalo, NY drew 5,500 fans
March 1st in Uniondale, NY drew 6,000 fans
March 2nd for RAW in Newark, NJ drew a sellout of 11,900 fans

• CM Punk Fights His First MMA Scrimmage Bout This Week! Photos & Details Here!

(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– At last night’s RAW from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, it was announced that WWE will be returning to the venue on July 17th for a live event. This is another indication that SummerSlam will be taking place from Brooklyn, New York, since it’s highly unlikely WWE would run a pay-per-view at Newark a month after the next live event.

SummerSlam had originally been scheduled to take place from the IZOD Center in East Rutherford before it was announced that the arena is shutting down.

– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown and Main Event tapings take place from Washington, D.C. No matches or segments have been advertised for the show as of this writing. The dark match main event will see Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt and Big Show in a 6-man tag match.

Join us here later tonight for Live Coverage of the SmackDown tapings.

– WWE.com has published a new interview with NXT Champion Kevin Owens. He spoke about a number of topics, including how he got into wrestling, the adversity he faced on his road to NXT and how it felt to win the NXT Championship.

When asked what the future holds for him in NXT, he said:

“Whatever I want. Bálor, Breeze, Itami, Corbin, Parker, English, Dillinger, Cassady, Amore, Kalisto, just to name a few … that’s potentially a lot of good fights coming my way. And I look forward to each and every single one of them.”

– WWE has still not picked a venue to host this year’s Summerslam. With New Jersey’s IZOD Center shutting down and WWE’s marketing focusing on the show taking place from the “NY/NJ” area, SummerSlam will probably take place from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY or the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

– NXT Diva Dana Brooke will make her TV debut on an episode in April against Blue Pants. Brooke has been working live events for a few months now and received “you can’t wrestle” chants at last night’s NXT TV tapings. (Results)

– The Rock announced on Twitter that he will be presenting at Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Truly an honor to step on the Oscar stage again this Sunday. Thank you @TheAcademy #2xPresenter #Sharp #Oscars pic.twitter.com/p0e0nEXvq7

— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 19, 2015

Although she was initially scheduled to return at this weekend’s WWE live events in her home state of New Jersey, WWE Diva AJ Lee has since been pulled from the advertising for the shows.

Lee noted on January 10th that she was nursing a neck injury that she suffered the week before WWE’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.

Whe asked by a follow of hers on Twitter recently if she was 100 percent physically, Lee simply replied by saying, “nope.”

• PHOTOS: Triple H BREAKS CHARACTER During RAW Reunion To Console A Crying Young Fan!

The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority voted today to officially close down the IZOD Center, formerly known as the Meadowlands Arena, at the end of this month.

All events scheduled for the IZOD Center in the months of February and March are scheduled to be moved over to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Any events after that point, including WWE SummerSlam, which was scheduled to emanate from the IZOD Center, will have to find a new location.

The arena will remain shut down for two years, due to losses involved in keeping it open.

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As reported here on Wednesday evening, the IZOD Center arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which was scheduled to host this year’s WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, is possibly being shut down.

Because SummerSlam was set to emanate from the building, WWE issued the following brief statement regarding the subject:

“WWE is currently looking at alternatives and we are confident that we will come up with an equivalent, if not better, option for Summerslam.”

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