Triple H continues to speak out on the potential involvement of WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon with the WWE NXT product. 

He did it again when he appeared on CBS Sports’ State of Combat podcast to promote WWE NXT moving to the USA Network starting Wednesday night. 

Many people think McMahon will get involved due to NXT now airing on network television and going up against AEW on TNT starting in October. 

He noted that he always wants the product to change and get better, which is something that he’s hopeful to see.

“Will Vince McMahon or anybody else’s involvement change the core? No. The intent is not for them to be involved. You know, one thing that people don’t give Vince McMahon credit for is that none of this would happen without him.”

Triple H continued by noting that the idea of it being an alternative brand doesn’t exist without McMahon, which is part of what makes it great. He praised McMahon for his ability to make them do that and take a step back without his involvement.

He thinks McMahon understands there’s a reason for NXT’s success and wouldn’t want to change the formula. 

“Truth is, everything with WWE has his fingerprints on it, even NXT. I have sat under his learning tree for 25+ years and a lot of things that I do were taught directly from him.”

NXT on USA: Stacked Lineup For Tonight’s Premiere Show

Triple H stated that the company isn’t looking to change NXT and McMahon isn’t looking to get involved because he’s got enough stuff going on. Triple H reassured that NXT is going to be what it is and what it has been as an alternative. 

He understands that fans of NXT are super passionate and really into what the company does compare to a casual fan. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription

Details On Vince McMahon’s SmackDown Live Status

Following the news that WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon wasn’t backstage at Monday’s RAW TV event in Knoxville, Tennessee, an update on his status for SmackDown has surfaced. 

McMahon is not backstage at tonight’s show in Atlanta, Georgia at the State Farm Arena. He’s been in contact with officials at the show to overview the script.

With McMahon not in charge, Michael Hayes and Eric Bischoff will be in charge.

SmackDown will be headlined by six-man action with The New Day vs. Randy Orton and SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Revival. 

Vince McMahon And Other Top Executive Were Reportedly Absent From Raw

Bray Wyatt’s Offer To Seth Rollins

Bray Wyatt is still awaiting a response from WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins regarding his offer to be friends with him. 

Wyatt made the offer back in May to not only Rollins but also Roman Reigns. He issued a reminder to the top star on the RAW roster with this post on Twitter: 

This tweet comes after the confirmation by WWE officials involving both stars. It was announced on Monday’s RAW that Wyatt will be next in line to challenge for the title as Rollins will defend the Universal Title against Wyatt at the WWE Hell In a Cell pay-per-view event.

Whether you liked it or not, it appears that this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw was different than other episodes in terms that the show was not run by the usual WWE executives.

Vince McMahon is usually in charge of any WWE show and if the Boss misses any episode then Triple H and Kevin Dunn are known to fill in for him and run the event from Gorilla position.

However, according to reports from Pro Wrestling Sheet, all three of the mentioned WWE executives were not backstage for the Clash Of Champion fallout episode of the show.

The new executive director Paul Heyman was in charge of the things in their absence and Michael Mansury, who is WWE’s VP of Global Television production, filled in for Dunn.

Out of these three, the Game Triple H missed the event because he is in Orlando, Florida to prepare for NXT’s debut on USA Network this Wednesday Night.

No word yet on why McMahon and Dunn missed the show but the hiring of the new Executive Directors is believed to be preparation for the launch of XFL. So Mr McMahon doesn’t have to get “in the weeds” as much as he has done in the past.

What did you think about this week’s episode of Raw produced in the absence of the top brass of WWE? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

If you’re one of WWE’s main event Superstars, chances are you’re going to have a pretty good relationship with Vince McMahon.

In an episode of Something To Wrestle podcast, Bruce Prichard addressed Vince’s relationship with his top Superstars. He reflected on the friendship between Vince McMahon, Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash back in 1995.

“Well, that’s accurate, but, you know, I think that a lot of it starts, most of the time, it will start from a whole different relationship. I mean, Shawn Michaels wasn’t Vince’s favorite person in the beginning,” Prichard explained. “But, when [the top star gets] to that point, yeah, you got to have a strong relationship and a strong bond to be able to work together is as closely as we all do.”

He added that Vince McMahon wants input from his top Superstars, knowing that they’re the ones showcasing the promotion. He stressed how, like most friendships and relationships, trust is built over time.

“It’s not like, ‘God, I love you and I’m gonna make you champ,’ It’s, ‘We’re gonna put this on you, and we’re gonna get through it together.’ And if a bond builds, a bond builds, sometimes the bond doesn’t build.”

H/T to Fightful for the transcription. 

Sheamus has been missing from WWE programming for some time now, with rumors persisting over his career status. Despite this, ‘The Celtic Warrior’ has used this time away from in-ring action to get himself into fantastic shape, hosting a YouTube series called Celtic Warrior Workouts.

He recently appeared on an episode of E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, where he recalled the moment he decided to change his workout routine, thanks to a comment from Vince McMahon. 

At one point, Sheamus was focused on bulking up. He admitted that he would see Superstars like Brock Lesnar and Braun Strowman, and despite the bulking felt “it just got to a point where I didn’t look good, mate. Just like I put on a lot of weight, but I was carrying a lot of body fat and I just kind of lost control of where I was at.”

“[…] it also started because I came back from holidays in Ireland and me and Cesaro were walking by Vince and Vince goes, ‘Hey Sheamus!’ I said, ‘Yeah?’ He goes, ‘Enjoyed the holidays, huh?’ and he was looking at me in the gut, and I was like, ‘Okay, that’s it. That’s it. I need to do something about it.’ But that was the change in gear, and Cesaro will tell you as well. Cesaro knew right away when that comment was made. I just put too much weight on, man.”

If Sheamus does return to the ring, he already has his eyes set on the Intercontinental Championship. Capturing the IC title would put Sheamus in the rare class of WWE Grand Slam Champions.

H/T Wrestling Inc

Over the last day or so, reports have surfaced that brought the changes with WWE’s creative team to the public eye. 

According to F4WOnline.com, SmackDown Live writer Ryan Ward is out on personal leave. RAW’s lead writer Ed Koskey will now be moving to SmackDown to work with Executive Director, Eric Bischoff. 

Jonathan Baeckstrom will take his place as the show’s new lead writer alongside RAW’s Executive Director, Paul Heyman. Baeckstrom was previously the lead writer for 205 Live.

WWE’s Creative Teams Shaken Up Ahead Of Reported Draft

The update comes via a new report from The Wrap which notes that WWE currently has approximately 25 creative writers across the company. 

Per the report, Ward’s leave of absence will be short-term and it’s likely that he’ll join the “home team” when he returns from leave. This would be considered a major step down for Ward. For those who may not remember, but many thought of NXT’s “glory days” while under creative from Ward. 

There were some issues with SmackDown that led to several changes over the past few months including the firing of Steve Guerrieri in July. He had been sharing the lead writer role with Guerrieri until that departure. Before that, Road Dogg stepped down from the same role. 

It was added that there have been more consistency with Koskey leading things. It was a Heyman call to move Baeckstrom from 205 Live to RAW.

The important thing to note is the reason for these changes is due to the perceived lack of direction of creative for SmackDown. This is a crucial time for WWE before SmackDown moves to FOX on October 4. That deal is putting a lot of pressure on the SmackDown writing team.

An interesting part of the story comes with Stevie Long, a writer who formerly worked on the Sons of Anarchy TV show. Long was reportedly found asleep in the writer’s room by WWE Hall of Famer Michael “PS” Hayes. This was during Long’s first day on the road with the company but is still employed. 

The changes also come amid growing questions about Bischoff’s leadership of the show. While there have been reports about how Bischoff still hasn’t done much since beginning his new Executive Director role with the company, The Wrap’s report indicates otherwise.

There have been several reports of Vince McMahon ripping up SmackDown scripts in recent weeks. It was noted that changes to the creative team were finalized on Wednesday after it had been in the works for weeks. 

This was also due to the severe botching of the SmackDown storyline with Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan follow the botched storyline involving the doppelgänger for Rowan.

Their source noted that the storyline was “botched so bad” that “explaining to anyone what it was supposed to be wouldn’t make any sense at all.”

Chad Gable advanced to the semi-finals of the King of the Ring tournament last night during SmackDown Live after defeating Andrade.

In an interview with PWInsider, Gable admitted that he was surprised when he was informed he would be participating in the King of the Ring tournament. He also spoke about pitching ideas to Vince McMahon after his tag team with Bobby Roode came to an end.

“It was a surprise to me too, my friend,” he confessed. “[…] sometimes we find out when the fans do, and I was totally fine with that. Because once I saw my name in there, I was very excited, as you can imagine. For a guy like me that is looking to break out and find an opportunity as a singles guy, I can’t really think of a better way, you know what I mean, than a tournament like this.”

“Begging, Pleading, Doing Whatever I Could To Get Something”

He then reflected on being separated from Bobby Roode, remembering pitching ideas to Vince McMahon as he tried to find himself as a singles competitor. Gable explained how, after being traded to SmackDown, he approached Vince McMahon with ideas for stories and character changes. He even made vignettes and promos that he would showcase on a laptop.

“Just basically, like, begging, pleading, doing whatever I could to get something, get anything,” Gable said. “And I wasn’t married to these ideas that I was giving him. I just wanted to throw as much at him and say, “Look, I’m open to anything. This is what I’ve got for you, but I’ll do anything you’ve got in mind because I’m ready to work. I’m ready to deliver for you, and so when I’m doing that, it shows them that I want to work, that I’m ready. And so when they come back to me with something, there’s no way I’m going to be a guy that is going to poo poo some ideas, you know, or anything that they give me. Because them offering me anything means that they want to invest in me, and to me that’s a compliment.”

He continued, “And so I’m going to take that, and I’m going to use it to its full advantage, whatever ideas they throw at me. And I take them all as a compliment and I’m ready. I’m ready for them to invest in me, and I can guarantee you they’re going to get back their investment. I will deliver.”

Despite his success in the King of the Ring tournament, Gable has been presented as an underdog. Many superstars have made a point out of his height, with WWE reportedly recently trademarking the name Shorty G.

Stephanie McMahon, Chief Brand Officer of WWE, spoke with Dan ‘Big Cat’ Katz of Barstool Sports and Alex Rodriguez on the latest episode of the Barstool Sports podcast, The Corp. 

During the interview, she spoke about her father, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon, and his hatred of sneezing. This has been a widely popular story that many former wrestlers and writers have told over the years. 

Big Cat: Have you ever sneezed around your father?

Stephanie: “Totally. Yes”

Big Cat: Does he hate you for it?

Stephanie: “He doesn’t hate me for it but it’s always with like a grrr, a grimace. But on the flip side, I’ve been around when he has sneezed.”

Big Cat: That’s got to be embarrassing for him.

Stephanie: “A little bit that he can’t control. Well, it’s just because he doesn’t like anything he can’t control the fact that he can’t control the sneeze is very, makes him upset.”

You can listen to the entire interview here. 

This is a story that has been told by many people who have worked with the boss of the company while in creative meetings. This is just one of many quirks that Vince is rumored to have.

In fact, Vince doesn’t even like to sneeze. Paul Heyman famously told a story about how he had been pitching ideas one time when he was in charge of the SmackDown show.

Once McMahon sneezed, he zoned out and told him that he thinks he should be able to control sneezing.

Some interesting excerpts from Triple H’s interview with Alex McCarthy of talksport.com that will be released in full on Monday has surfaced online. 

In this interview, Triple H talked about a report that Enzo Amore and Big Cass could be on their way back to WWE as well as Vince McMahon’s involvement with NXT. 

First up is the theory that the WWE Chairman and CEO will get involved with NXT once the show starts airing on the USA Network starting September 18. 

The reason for this theory is due to NXT now airing on network television and going up against AEW on TNT starting in October. 

“Let’s be honest, there’s a lot of things that people like Dave say don’t make sense. In simple terms, he won’t be involved.”

Triple H Praises Jordan Devlin, Calls Him “Global Star”

Moving along to Amore and Cass, this report not only caught fans off guard by WWE officials as well. According to “The Game,” there is no interest on WWE’s end to bring back the former tag team. 

“I immediately told our PR to shoot down the Enzo and Cass rumors. Absolutely zero interest. Congratulations to Enzo, I’m sure spreading rumors is working well for him but I want no part of it.” 

It’s no secret that the two stars left the company on bad terms. Despite the fact that McMahon likes to bring back past stars even if they have a history with the company, many thought it was too soon for Amore and Cass to come back. 

Vince McMahon isn’t backstage at tonight’s (Tue. August 27, 2019) SmackDown Live TV event. This is according to Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live, who noted that the WWE Chairman and CEO has been going over script via the phone this afternoon, working with creative.

This comes after McMahon missed last week’s TV events for both RAW and SmackDown Live. It’s been reported that the reason for this is due to him preparing for the XFL announcements on team names and logos, which came on Wednesday.

Aside from what has been announced, there’s no word yet on what WWE has planned for tonight’s show.

Alvarez did note that the current script has the Chad Gable vs. Shelton Benjamin King of the Ring match going for 12 minutes. Obviously, that could change. 

Baron Corbin On His Current Position In WWE

WWE holds this episode of SmackDown Live Baton Rouge, LA at the Raising Cane’s River Center Arena. Here is the updated lineup of matches and segments announced for SmackDown Live: 

• Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan demand an apology from Roman Reigns
• Shelton Benjamin vs. Chad Gable, Ali vs. Buddy Murphy – King of the Ring First Round Matches

Join us here later tonight for WWE SmackDown Live Results and our post-show SmackDown Takeaways feature.

Braun Strowman has previously admitted how being left off SummerSlam was a “tough pill to swallow” for him.

With WWE not having anything for him at the time, he knew there was no narrative reason to include him on their big summer pay-per-view. Now in an interview with Sam Roberts, Strowman has opened up about his creative frustrations with WWE. He even revealed how Vince McMahon reacted when he shared them. 

“I was like, ‘Vince, what is going on? I’m miserable.’ And he talked me off a ledge. He was like, ‘Look, big man, I want you for the long haul. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing right now. I care about what you’re doing ten years from now. I’ve invested in you, you’re one of my guys. Don’t worry. You’re fine.’ And just hearing that, coming from that man … I dunno …”

“I’ve Had Enough”

Strowman recalled being so fed up with his lack of momentum that he marched into a production meeting. Instead of having a future meeting scheduled, Vince McMahon instead took the time to clear the room and speak with him for 45 minutes. 

“[…] legitimately I walked into the production meeting one day, and I was like, ‘I’ve had enough.’ I was just mad about everything. He kicked everybody out of the production meeting — like two hours before Raw was about to start, the show wasn’t even done — and talked to me for forty-five minutes, heart-to-heart, man-to-man conversation and opened my eyes to the picture of like ‘wow, why am I worrying about this?’ Vince doesn’t get the credit that is due to him. And if he hears this, he’s gonna get pissed off that I’m saying his name and putting him over.”

Strowman is supposedly primed for another major push in WWE. The intention is for him to once again become a hulking force. He has previously predicted that he will headline WrestleMania and that it is inevitable he will become Universal Champion.

H/T to Reddit user hall198 for the transcription. 

Cody Rhodes recently did an interview with Bleacher Report to talk about AEW and the competition that they face in the way of WWE NXT. 

Back in May, All Elite Wrestling officially announced a television deal with WarnerMedia to air live weekly show on TNT. The show is slated to premiere on October 2nd. 

Fast forward to this week, WWE announced that NXT would be moving to the USA Network starting September 18th. 

In this interview, Rhodes talked about the move involving WWE NXT as well as what the change will bring for fans. 

“I’m oddly intrigued to see what Vince McMahon does with NXT,” Rhodes said. He continued by noting that his father was instrumental in building the NXT brand and for a long time it was a developmental project. 

“For Vince to now bring it to the USA Network as if it’s a full brand, I’m just intrigued by it.” Rhodes would talk about how he thinks the most important night in all of wrestling is now Wednesday nights. 

“The best wrestling is going to be happening on Wednesday nights.” Rhodes would note that it’s destination TV and must-watch so he won’t complain about that. He added that wrestling fans now have a choice, and he hopes fans choose AEW. 

WWE Issues Statement On Claims Of CounterProgramming Against AEW

NXT will be extended from a one-hour program to two hours and it will be a live show that will fill in the 8 pm ET – 10 pm ET time slot on Wednesday nights. The show will air from Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida, which has been the home of television tapings for years now.

AEW has already announced that they will travel to different cities each week to host their weekly television shows. 

After the announcement was made official that NXT was moving to USA Network, several wrestlers reacted to the news. One of those was All Elite Wrestling (AEW) wrestler Chris Jericho. He provided a sarcastic “#YoureWelcome” in a tweet claiming he was instrumental to this happening. Now, the former WWE Superstar has opened up more about his feelings regarding NXT’s move.

Speaking with SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio, Jericho addressed WWE’s announcement. During the conversation, he confessed he doesn’t believe Vince McMahon will be able to stay away from involving himself with the show. Jericho argued that, if he does get involved, NXT will simply become another RAW or SmackDown.

“If it’s another show on the USA Network – not on FS1, and not on the WWE Network. If it’s an official, legitimate, nationwide cable show on the USA Network, do you think Vince McMahon is going to be involved in it? Of course he is!” Jericho exclaimed. “It’s Vince McMahon; he is a genius. But here’s the thing – I think the appeal of it is that it’s its own little entity outside the WWE, and when Vince McMahon gets a hold of it and gets involved with it it is going to become another SmackDown and another RAW.”

Just Another WWE Show

Jericho speculated that with NXT on USA Network, all three brands will begin to interact with each other, making NXT “just another WWE show.” 

“[…] whatever the appeal is with NXT, whatever the specialness of it is is going to be changed to another RAW and another SmackDown,” he said. “I think if you like RAW and SmackDown then you’re going to like NXT on Wednesday nights. If you don’t, then I don’t think you’re going to like NXT on Wednesday nights because there’s no way that Vince McMahon is going to stay home and not be involved with it. That is what he does, so, great. I think it’s another 2 hours of incredible WWE programming on Wednesday nights. If you love WWE, then there’s more for you to love, and if you don’t, then I don’t think it’s going to make a difference.”

As far as Jericho is concerned, this new war between WWE and AEW was inevitable. When he signed with the promotion, he believes his decision to do so “started a war in Vince McMahon’s mind. I think he likes it, I think he thrives on it which, of course, he does because this is what he has done his whole life, and he wins every war he has been in.”

He claimed he informed AEW management that there would be impending war. Despite this, AEW EVPs The Young Bucks have shared that they are unafraid of the competition to come. 

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

WWE recently officially announced that NXT would be debuting on USA Network on Wedneday nights. Now WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry has shared his thoughts on the impending Wednesday night war between WWE’s NXT and All Elite Wrestling (AEW). 

“Vince looks at wrestling as being his,” Henry stated on SiriusXM’s Busted Open Radio. “If you try to take something that belongs to him, he’s going to cut your hand off. Reach on my plate while I’m eating and see what happens to your hand. I’m gonna stab you in the top of your hand with a fork. That’s Vince. Wrestling is his plate, and you are reaching into his plate.”

Henry then speculated that McMahon is actually excited about this impending challenge between the two companies.

When it was brought up that, maybe, Vince McMahon loves that AEW is trying to ‘reach over to his plate,’ Henry responded “I know he does. I don’t know nobody that likes to fight and be a tough guy more than him. Sometimes you can do it with your fists or a pencil, and Vince can do it with both.”

WWE NXT debuts on USA Network on Wednesday, September 18th. AEW’s TNT show will premiere two weeks later on Wednesday, October 2nd.

With the news recently coming out that WWE’s NXT brand could wind up on the USA Network, fans are wondering what this could mean for the black-and-gold shows future.

Rumors persisted for weeks that NXT may be heading to FS1, joining SmackDown in its move to FOX in October. However, according to Dave Meltzer of F4WOnline.com, the potential move to USA Network isn’t inspired by money. 

Instead, it supposedly revolves around Vince McMahon’s competitive nature and fan recognition. He allegedly believes that the USA Network gives him a better shot against competition from All Elite Wrestling (AEW).

Network Familiarity

Meltzer stated that Vince McMahon’s reasoning relates to wrestling fans ingrained familiarity with the USA Network.

He argued that fans are simply not used to FS1, which is more familiar to MMA and UFC fans. Meltzer explained that although people would naturally become adjusted in only two or three weeks, the instant network recognition apparently makes a significant difference to WWE.

It was stressed that if WWE does bring NXT to the USA Network, there is no way that Vince McMahon would be hands-off with the show.

The push for NXT to find a new home may see the show leave WWE’s own streaming service entirely. WWE’s decision to do so reportedly lies in the promotion wanting to actively counter-programme against AEW’s TNT October debut.

WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon continues to make changes to the product that is presented on SmackDown Live. 

Over the last few weeks, there have been reports that McMahon has completely re-written the script for SmackDown just a few hours before the show goes live on the USA Network. 

Tuesday’s episode in Detroit, Michigan at the Little Caesars Arena wasn’t different. Both Ryan Satin of Pro Wrestling Sheet and Dave Meltzer reported the changes done by McMahon. 

Satin noted Eric Bischoff still hasn’t had much influence on the creative direction of SmackDown Live to the point that he hasn’t made suggests or pitches yet. He’s only been on the job as the Executive Director of SmackDown Live for a few weeks. 

WWE SmackDown To Be Preempted On FOX By MLB, Schedule Changes

He would later note that McMahon wasn’t happy with the script and re-wrote the whole show with just hours before it begins. 

Meltzer confirmed that McMahon tore up the script and changed the main event. While not confirmed by WWE, the company reportedly had planned to book WWE Champion Kofi Kingston vs. Daniel Bryan in the headliner of the show. 

This match has been reported for this spot on a previous episode but was changed as well. Meltzer later added that Kingston & Xavier Woods vs. Bryan & Erick Rowan was a consideration for the main event. 

WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan talked about a wide range of interesting topics during his recent appearance on The Steve Austin Podcast. 

One story he told was involving a decision that could’ve changed the course of history in more than one way. The Ultimate Warrior dethroned Hulk Hogan to win the WWE Championship in the headliner of WrestleMania 6 on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. 

The idea was that this win would make Warrior the top guy, which ultimately failed. Hogan thought the build-up to the match was pretty good but when it got time to discuss the finish of the match, things got interesting. 

Hogan asked why Warrior was going over and what happens next for him once being informed that Warrior was going over. 

Hogan recalled “Vince saying, ‘I think the red and yellow is over, we have gotten everything we can out of it.’”

Hogan responded by telling him what if he pointed to God after the match then turn heel on Warrior by attacking him. This would allow him to call himself Triple H, Hollywood Hulk Hogan. 

“Vince said, ‘that would never work and you can’t be a heel.’ So, he squashed that.”

Hogan left WWE to join World Championship Wrestling in the 1990s, and he worked in TNA Wrestling for a few years. 

While he’s always had a back and forth relationship with the company, it appears that things are on good terms between the two sides.

H/T to Wrestling Inc for the transcription

Footage of Paul Heyman telling a story from one his one-man only shows was released by Inside The Ropes where he told the background of how he became Brock Lesnar‘s advocate. 

It all started when plans had to be changed as he was originally planned to be Chris Benoit’s manager starting at WrestleMania 18 in 2002.

However, after seeing the bad advice “The Beast” was given by agents prior to his debut while working dark matches, Heyman started producing Lesnar’s matches. 

After a few weeks of this, with Heyman pushing to produce Lesnar’s matches, it led to him being in the corner of Lesnar. WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon nixed the idea of Heyman serving as Benoit’s manager and put him with Lesnar. 

Heyman recalled McMahon asking him what he thought about that which Heyman would later tell McMahon that Lesnar is the next big thing. 

“And Vince looks at me and he goes, ‘God d**mit, Paul. That nickname would suck.’”

Heyman was quickly paired with Lesnar when the future WWE Hall of Famer returned in 2012 and has been at his side for all of his appearances as well as matches since then. 

WWE presents the SummerSlam pay-per-view event on Sunday, August 11, 2019 in Toronto, Ontario at the Scotiabank Arena. At this show, Lesnar will make his next title defense against Seth Rollins in the likely main event. 

You can watch the clip here: 

Vince McMahon made some big changes to Tuesday’s episode of SmackDown Live in Miami, Florida, according to a new report.

The episode that aired was completely different than the show that was originally written, according to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio.

It was noted that McMahon showed up at around 4pm ET on Tuesday and decided that he wanted to change the show as it didn’t like the way it was written, which led to it being re-done. 

Thus, this is the reason that he Daniel Bryan “career-altering announcement” was delayed again for the second straight week as well as WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels doing a MizTV segment alongside Dolph Ziggler instead of commentary as advertised.

Also, fans picked up on the fact that Corey Graves missing this week’s SmackDown. The reason for his absence was due to him filming a WWE Studios movie in Vancouver. Renee Young is believed to be filming the same movie. 

WWE SmackDown Live Viewership Slightly Up Following RAW Reunion

It was also reported earlier Byron Saxton missed the show due to his father passing away this past week, which is why Michael Cole and David Otunga worked commentary with Tom Phillips on the show.  

WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon took part in WWE’s conference call for their second quarter 2019 earnings on Thursday alongside other executives.

At the end of the call, things got interesting once the WWE boss was asked if investing in writers is the answer to the problem of WWE’s decline in attendance and television ratings. 

This is where McMahon made a few references to AEW (All Elite Wrestling) which will be airing their television show on TNT later this year. McMahon noted that they will become a bit edgier but “will remain in the PG environment” as they don’t plan to go back to the Attitude Era. 

Instead, WWE plans to do some more controversy with better storylines as WWE will not “do blood and guts and things of that nature, such as what is being done on our new potential competitor.”

WWE Reports Second Quarter 2019 Results, Vince McMahon Comments

Later in the call, he spoke about more competition that they face as he thinks competition is good for everyone. He hopes that their competition “won’t be going forward with blood and guts.”

He added, “I can’t speak for TNT but I can’t imagine they’d put up with that, but nonetheless.”

WWE’s official response to their declining ratings earlier this year was to blame the absences of several WWE Superstars. They did so when reporting on their first-quarter earnings for 2019 back in April. Now, with WWE scheduled to report on their earnings for the 2nd quarter of 2019 on July 25th, their excuses for the declining ratings don’t appear to be adding up.

A recent report from Variety delved deeper into the relationship between WWE’s declining ratings and their Superstar absences. The results could be considered concerning for WWE.

“The company’s TV partners, NBCUniversal and Fox, are also reportedly getting anxious about the state of the WWE, having paid a combined $2.35 billion earlier this year to keep “Raw” and “SmackDown” on the air for five more years,” the report from Variety reads. “The networks haven’t said anything publicly expressing concern, but the data demonstrates they have every right to be worried.”

Returning Wrestlers & Continued Declining Ratings For WWE

“While engagement metrics over the past two quarters were impacted by superstar absences, we believe they will improve as our talent return and we launch our new season following a successful WrestleMania,” Vince McMahon said in April regarding the falling ratings.

WWE will have trouble claiming that Superstar injuries and absences are to blame for the continued declining ratings in their earnings report this quarter, however.

“A Variety analysis indicates that although nearly all of the injured wrestlers McMahon referenced returned to the ring in the first half of 2019, ratings for WWE’s flagship TV properties, ‘Raw’ and ‘SmackDown,’ sunk significantly compared with the same period last year,” the report reads.

The Variety analysis looked deeper into the claims for 10 wrestlers specifically mentioned in the spring as having impacted WWE ratings with their absence.

1. Becky Lynch Q1 appearances: 18, Q2 appearances: 23
2. Roman Reigns Q1 appearances: 5, Q2 appearances: 20
3. Kevin Owens Q1 appearances: 6, Q2 appearances: 18
4. Seth Rollins Q1 appearances: 12, Q2 appearances: 16
5. Alexa Bliss Q1 appearances: 12, Q2 appearances: 15
6. Braun Strowamn Q1 appearances: 14, Q2 appearances: 15
7. Charlotte Flair Q1 appearances: 15, Q2 appearances: 12
8. Bray Wyatt Q1 appearances: 0, Q2 appearances: 9
9. Sasha Banks Q1 appearances: 14, Q2 appearances: 2
10. Dean Ambrose Q1 appearances: 13, Q2 appearances: 1

The full analysis can be read here.

What About Ronda Rousey?

There is one notable name the Variety report did not address. Ronda Rousey’s name is not mentioned in the Variety article despite being featured prominently in WWE storylines for quarter 1 and then being gone for the the vast majority of quarter 2. How Rousey’s absence has impacted ratings is unclear, however.

• WWE’s Declining Viewership Is Becoming A Big Problem

During a FOX meeting last week, the concept of moving WWE’s popular black-and-gold brand, NXT, to TV was reportedly discussed.

There is apparent interest in bringing the show, which currently airs on the WWE Network, onto Fox Sports 1. Most notably, they would want to air it on Wednesday nights.

This proposal comes off the rumor that All Elite Wrestling (AEW) will apparently debut their flagship TNT show on Wednesdays.

AEW has not yet officially announced which day they will air their show on, but the promotion has filed a trademark for ‘Wednesday Night Dynamite,’ making it the most likely contender.

Dave Meltzer, of Wrestling Observer Radio, noted that Vince McMahon would be undeniably upset if NXT competed against AEW and lost to the growing promotion in the ratings. To try and ensure victory, WWE will apparently be using every trick they can to secure NXT comes out ahead.

One part of their plan is to use main roster Superstars from both RAW and SmackDown on NXT—though whether that means for one-off appearances or long-term feuds is undetermined at this point in time.

During the Fight For The Fallen post-show media scrum, Tony Khan mentioned that AEW intends to announce further details of their TNT debut in October at All Out.

Rusev has divulged Vince McMahon’s reasoning behind shortening his original ring name.

Initially named Alexander Rusev, the Superstar would find his name halved after a conversation with Vince McMahon.

In a conversation with At Cafe, Rusev explained that WWE has an option to submit names that you might want to use. He would eventually submit Alexander Rusev for consideration, with Rusev being an homage to a friend’s surname.

“[WWE] gives you an option to submit names you like,” Rusev explained. “And I was thinking about it. Then to make a joke with my friend Vasil, Vasil Rusev, who I used to share a rowing boat with, I chose Rusev. And I was Alexander Rusev with Alexander later being dropped. I liked Alexander because it sounded [mighty] and Bulgarian. But then it got dropped because Vince Mcmahon said ‘Ugh, Alexander, they’ll start calling you Alex as a nickname, and you have to be a Russian/Bulgarian villain. We’re dropping it’.”

Rusev Udrya, Rusev Machka

In defining the character and catchphrase of the “Bulgarian Brute”, Rusev turned to cinematic inspiration. Namely, Rocky IV.

“I made [the catchphrase ‘Rusev udrya, Rusev machka’] myself. Our character, mine and Lana’s, that we present in the ring was very [inspired] by Rocky IV, we took a lot from there. And I remember a scene where Rocky’s trainer says that whatever Drago hits, he destroys. And I was thinking how something similar can work for me. And one day we had to record it in studio, and that’s when ‘Rusev udrya, Rusev machka’ was born.”

Rusev isn’t the first Superstar to lose a name. Cesaro, Ali, Apollo, Andrade, and Elias are just a few others to have had their first name culled.

H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

It appears as though the WWE Universe can expect more segments featuring the 24/7 Championship in the future.

Vince McMahon is reportedly incredibly happy with the results that these segments have generated.

Not only does he find them entertaining, but the minute-by-minute data from Nielsen Media Research indicates that, importantly, people are tuning in for them.

Every week, WWE gets information from Nielson with detailed information regarding viewership numbers. Turns out that segments featuring Drake Maverick, R-Truth, and the 24/Championship have become some of the most consistently watched parts of Monday Night RAW.

When originally debuted, people were dubious over the 24/7 Championship. In that time, WWE has allowed the title to become integral to the comedy between Truth and Maverick.

This has led the title to change hands in unexpected ways and places—including Drake Maverick’s wedding.

It’s been noted that both Maverick and R-Truth are well-regarded backstage. Both men are said to be unafraid of being the butt of a joke, and are willing to do what’s needed to entertain the fans.

This trust in both Superstars has seen their feud spillover from RAW and SmackDown to social media. There are apparently plans in place for the two at this week’s San Diego Comic-Con.

R-Truth has been entertaining the WWE Universe with his relentless attempts to win (and retain) the 24/7 Championship. One of his most notable victories saw him defeat Drake Maverick for the title at Maverick’s wedding ceremony.

Many correctly guessed that Truth would crash Maverick’s special day. Knowing the Superstar’s penchant for comedy, however, the question became: if he did crash the wedding, would it be out of the realms of possibility for him appear in a wedding dress to get the surprise drop on Drake?

Turns out the idea was pitched to Vince McMahon, but was shot down.

Wedding Crasher

R-Truth recalls being told about it when he appeared recently on the E&C Pod Of Awesomeness.

“Let me tell you about that day: That was Sarah’s idea. Oh my God, that was so funny. Sarah Stock, she was there, and she was like, ‘Well…’ because at first, I was gonna do a wedding dress and Vince said, ‘No. No wedding dress. That sounds like he’s trying to be funny and tell Truth just be funny, be himself’ and when he said that, I said, ‘Oh okay, cool. I see the point. No wedding dress,’ and, Sarah was like, ‘So what do you have on?'”

He continued, “I got on some black jeans.’ She said, ‘Well I have a suit coat. We ordered a suit coat for you’, and she [asked] what if I go with no shirt on, and I laughed, and I said, ‘You know what? I didn’t think about that because I laughed and you said that…’ I said it’s kinda crazy because everybody else is dressed at the wedding, right? And she said, ‘Yeah, but R-Truth would probably do it with no shirt on’. She said, ‘I have a purple tie’. I said, ‘Just because you said that, I’m gonna wear it’ and she picked all that out. That was all her.”

The end result created a popular segment in the on-going feud between R-Truth and Drake Maverick for the 24/7 Championship.

H/T to Fightful for the transcription.