WWE will be releasing a new weekly docuseries on the WWE Network titled Ruthless Aggression, a series which will look at the time following the Attitude Era with new stars and innovation introduced throughout those years. It will be the first series since the Monday Night War and Breaking Ground shows which were a big hit with subscribers of the Network.
The new series debuts on Sunday, February 16 at 10AM ET and new episodes will hit every Monday at 10AM ET starting the next day.
WWE filmed a ton of new sit-down interviews with many of the protagonists of the Ruthless Aggression era including John Cena, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Randy Orton, and many others. The style of this series will be similar to that of Monday Night War, which looked at the battle between WWE and WCW during the height of the Attitude Era.
The first five episodes are titled It’s Time To Shake Things Up, Enter John Cena, Evolution, The Next Big Thing, and Civil War: Raw vs Smackdown.
NXT had it’s biggest audience of 2020 so far with 770,000 viewers, up 58,000 viewers from last week’s show but still suffered a big defeat at the hands of Dynamite. NXT had a 0.22 rating among the 18-49 demographic, placing it #34 in the top 50 cable chart. The difference between the two shows was of 158,000 viewers this week, which is up from 116,000 viewers difference they had last week. This is the third week in a row that the gap between the two shows increased. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW had another easy victory on Wednesday night with Dynamite, getting a total of 928,000 viewers, up significantly by 100,000 viewers compared to last week’s show. Dynamite had a 0.36 rating in the 18-49 demographic, good enough for #11 in the top 50 cable chart. Dynamite remains undefeated in 2020 against NXT and hasn’t lost a battle since December 18. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
Velveteen Dream made his NXT return last night, saving Tommaso Ciampa from a further beatdown by The Undisputed Era in the main event.
Dream has not been seen on NXT TV since the September 18 episode where he lost the North American title to Roderick Strong who ending Dream’s reign as champion after 231 days. A back injury kept him on the sidelines for nearly five months and when he returned last night, Dream quickly went on the offensive and took out all members of The Undisputed Era, with special attention given to Strong.
Before unleashing more ground and pound on Strong, the 24-year-old ripped off his tights which revealed another pair of tights underneath with Strong’s wife Marina Shafir and their son airbrushed on them along with the words “Call me up Marina.”
WWE has signed indie wrestler Aja Smith, who wrestled under the name of Aja Perera, to a deal and will be joining the NXT brand as the second female WWE referee.
WWE.COM confirmed the news, saying that Smith will be the first African-American full-time female referee in WWE history. The previous NXT referee, Jessika Carr, was promoted to Smackdown last November.
Originally from Brazil, the 25-year-old has wrestled in the United States, Japan, and Mexico for promotions such as Girl Fight, Lucha Libre Femenil, Queens of Combat, and SHIMMER.
The WWE Performance Center YouTube channel has a video of Canyon Ceman, the Senior Director of Talent Development, breaking the news to Smith that she’s hired. Smith cries upon hearing the news and called it the greatest moment of her life. You can see the emotional video below.
During the conference call with investors today, WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon hinted that WWE is close to selling its pay-per-view event rights to a major streaming service, effectively getting them off the WWE Network.
McMahon admitted that they have a lot of different options, but there’s interest from major players and if they go that route, they will be announcing a deal in the first quarter. “That’s how far along we are,” McMahon said in terms of negotiations with the unnamed streaming partner.
“There’s no more better time to exercise the selling of our rights to all the majors who, quite frankly, all the majors are really clamoring for our content. So that could be a significant increase, obviously, in terms of revenue,” McMahon said during the call.
McMahon said that the deal is not definite yet and “nothing is a must have” but the company will evaluate the options and move in the direction that makes most sense to their business.
The UFC has done something similar where they got off the traditional pay-per-view format and sold their PPV rights to ESPN. All UFC pay-per-views must now go through ESPN+.
WWE Backstage on FS1 had 97,000 viewers on Tuesday, the same amount of viewers the show had the previous week. This week, Royal Rumble winner Drew McIntyre was the guest. Next week, Charlotte Flair will be the guest and CM Punk returns on the panel. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
AEW has announced that Double or Nothing will be returning to Las Vegas on pay-per-view on Saturday, May 23. Just like last year, the show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
“It’s been an incredible run, and only fitting that we return to Las Vegas to celebrate our one year anniversary with AEW’s marquee event,” AEW president and CEO Tony Khan told Sports Illustrated. “On Saturday, May 23, Double or Nothing is back for round two at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Last year’s event changed the world of wrestling, and this year the stakes will be even higher.”
Double or Nothing will be the second AEW pay-per-view of the year with Revolution taking place on February 29 in Chicago.
WWE Network took a 10% hit in paid subscribers in Q4 2019, ending the year with approximately 1.42 million subs compared to the same quarter last year. Apart from being down from the same period of the previous year, it was also down from Q3 2019 which ended with 1.51 million subscribers in October.
In terms of revenue, the WWE Network pulled in $41.6 million in Q4 versus the $46.8 million it did in the same quarter of 2018. Year-over-year, 2019 saw a total revenue of $184.6 million versus the $199.3 million it did in 2018.
For the first quarter 2020, WWE projects average paid subscribers will increase on a sequential basis to approximately 1.47 million.
For 2020, WWE also noted that they’re working on “strategic alternatives” for the service which will include different subscription tiers, including a free one, the current one, and a more advanced subscription for a higher cost.
The WWE Super ShowDown is ready to make its return to Saudi Arabia, just a month after the 2020 Royal Rumble, and on the road to WrestleMania 36.
For their last event, there was the 1st ever women’s WWE match in the KSA featuring Natalya and Lacey Evans. There are other significant fights that everyone is anticipating to see this time around.
The much-awaited showdown will take place on the 27th of February. Fans, as well as punters across betting sites, including joker 123, are waiting for the major matches. It will be a fantastic time to cheer the legends as well as get to see their signature antics ones more. It will go down at the King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh. Get ready to have the best time as well as experienced in the WWE event.
Rumored matches
One can only wonder about the events set to take place. However, there’s been a few speculations and rumors about significant events that will happen. To mention a few it includes;
another women’s match, possibly for the WWE Smackdown Women’s championship featuring Bayley vs. Naomi
the WWE intercontinental championship Braun Strowman vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
a Goldberg match
Date and start time
The timings of the match are yet to get confirmed. However, based on past events, it’s expected to be at 2 pm ET/11 am PT and 7 pm in the UK.
A 1-hour kickoff show gets set to start at 1 pm ET/10 am PT and 6 pm in the UK.
How to watch the WWE special showdown?
Have you bought tickets to attend in person the event at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? If not, don’t despair. There are other options to watch the matches. You can check out the WWE Network if you have a steady and reliable internet connection. You can also try out the pay-per-view option.
How to live stream WWE showdown on the WWEnetwork?
If it’s your first time subscribing to the WWE network, you can enjoy a month-long free subscription. There are other apps that you can get on your devices to watch the event. With the various apps, you ought to click for information on how to access either of them.
How to watch the matches on WWE pay-per-view
It’s now possible to buy the WWE super showdown on pay-per-view via the BT Sports Box Office. There was a significant deal struck that saw the UK broadcast rights for WWE. It shifted from Sky to BT Sports early in the year.
You can also buy the WWE Super ShowDown pay-per-view in the US through the local provider.
All signs are indicating some of the biggest matches of the year will take place. It will mark the return of significant legends. All fans, as well as punters in various betting sites, including joker 123, can’t wait for the big day. If you are a great fan of WWE, you are just in luck. The return of WWE to Saudi Arabia is one of its kind and worth the wait!
WWE today announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2019.
“During the fourth quarter, we expanded the reach of WWE’s live programming and further engaged with diverse audiences across platforms and formats,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. “We believe the value of live sports will continue to increase, particularly in today’s evolving media landscape, and we are well positioned to take advantage of this trend to maximize the value of our content.”
“For the year, we achieved record revenue and Adjusted OIBDA. However, with the delay in completing a Middle East distribution agreement as well as lower business performance than anticipated, our results were at the low-end of guidance,” added Frank Riddick, interim Chief Financial Officer. “As we work to strengthen engagement in 2020, we are pursuing several strategic initiatives that could increase the monetization of our content, including the distribution of content in the Middle East and India as well as strategic alternatives for our direct-to-consumer service, WWE Network. Excluding the potential impact of these initiatives, we expect significant revenue growth based on the full year impact of our new content distribution agreements in the U.S. and anticipate Adjusted OIBDA of $250 to $300 million. Management believes it has the potential to exceed this range, but is unable to provide additional guidance at this time.”
Q4 2019 highlights included revenues increasing 18% to $322.8 million, which was the highest quarterly revenue in WWE history and operating income increase of 87% to $99.8 million.
In the full year 2019, WWE highlighted the $960.4 million in record revenue, the move of Smackdown to FOX, the new deals with BT Sport and Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, FOX Sports in Latin America, PP Sports in China and SuperSport in Africa.
Tonight’s NXT on USA Network will see The Queen herself, Charlotte Flair, return to the brand for the first time since she moved to the main roster to respond to Rhea Ripley’s challenge at WrestleMania. Ripley showed up on Raw and offered to put the NXT Women’s title on the line at WrestleMania against Flair. Flair is expected to answer and accept the challenge tonight.
Also set for tonight is the new NXT Cruiserweight champion Jordan Devlin coming to Full Sail University with his title, his first NXT appearance as champion since winning it at Worlds Collide.
No matches have been announced yet but WWE.COM is also pushing that The Undisputed Era will try to get revenge on Tommaso Ciampa, Ripley will also come face to face with her challenger Bianca Belair, and what’s next for The BroserWeights, the winners of this year’s Dusty Classic.
Only two matches have been announced for tonight’s episode of Dynamite on TNT with the show taking place from the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
These matches are an eight-man tag team match featuring Kenny Omega, Hangman Page, and The Young Bucks taking on The Lucha Bros and The Butcher and The Blade, and Dr. Britt Baker taking on Yuka Sakazaki who will be making her AEW return.
The big angle on the show will involve Cody Rhodes and MJF with Cody receiving the 10 lashes by MJF, one of the stipulations listed before Cody can get his hands on MJF.
The fifth season of Total Bellas will premiere on E! on Thursday, April 9 at 10PM ET. This will be the first time that the show will air on Thursdays, having previously aired on Wednesdays and Sundays before.
The new season will see the twins act on reconnecting with their father, Nikki’s boyfriend removal from Dancing with the Stars, Artem proposing to Nikki in Paris and finding out she’s pregnant, Brie and Bryan finding a compromise in their relationship, the news that she’s also pregnant, and more.
With no sports competition against it, Raw bombed in the ratings, getting only an average of 2,168,000 viewers, down 234,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. This show, which faced no holidays or any other major sport broadcast, had one of the lowest audiences for Raw in over two decades.
Hour one started with 2,318,000 viewers, then dropped to 2,164,000 viewers, before closing the night with just 2,022,000 viewers. News programs dominated the night.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographics and was #12 in overall viewership for the night on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The WWE Performance Center has welcomed two new additions that will certainly be a great addition to the NXT brand – Killer Kross and Timothy Thatcher. They have reported already to the facility in Orlando, Florida, and officially working for the company.
Kross joins his real-life girlfriend Scarlett Bordeaux, who recently also signed a WWE deal. Kross wrestled for Lucha Underground, Lucha Libre AAA, and most recently Impact Wrestling. He was released from Impact Wrestling months after he refused to blade in his first blood match against Eddie Edwards at Slammiversary XVII, citing the lack of a doctor on hand and no blood testing beforehand. He was given the release he requested in December.
Thatcher, who will be 37 years old next month, is a 15-year in-ring veteran who has wrestled on the independents since his 2005 debut. He had stints with wXw, Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, EVOLVE, Major League Wrestling, Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, RevPro, Combat Zone Wrestling, and many others.
WWE has announced the schedule for the WWE Superstars who will be appearing at Axxess for Platinum and Platinum+ customers.
For Thursday, Becky Lynch will be appearing at 6PM and Seth Rollins will be at the 8PM session. Both sessions are for Platinum+ customers.
Friday will see The O.C. (AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows) at 1PM for Platinum customers, Randy Orton at 3PM and Hulk Hogan at 6PM for Platinum+, and Charlotte Flair at 8PM for Platinum.
The New Day will start the day at 8AM on Saturday for Platinum, Edge will be at 10AM and Bray Wyatt at 1PM for Platinum+, The Miz and John Morrison will team up for the 3PM Platinum session, and Sasha Banks and Roman Reigns will be at the 6PM and 8PM Platinum+ sessions.
Sunday will see Rhea Ripley and Keith Lee for Platinum customers at 8AM and the nWo – Scott Hall, Kevin Nash and X-Pac – at 10AM also for Platinum customers.
Two final Platinum sessions on Monday will have Drew McIntyre at 1PM and The Undisputed Era at 3PM.
A ticket pre-sale stars tomorrow, Wednesday at 10AM ET and will run through Thursday, February 6 at 11:59PM ET using the code DOTCOM.
WWE Superstars Mike and Maria Kanellis welcomed their second child yesterday, a boy named Carver Mars Bennett. Both mom and baby are doing fine.
“Carver Mars Bennett arrived yesterday 2/3/2020 at 3:07pm. 8 pounds and 20 and 1/2 inches. We are so in love!,” Maria wrote in a post on Instagram.
Mike and Maria are already parents to Fredrica, a baby girl who was born in April 2018.
Maria’s pregnancy was used in an angle last year where she claimed that Mike was not the father. She also won the WWE 24/7 title while pregnant after she made her husband lay down so she could pin him. Mike regained the title the following week when he hugged/pinned her at her OB-GYN appointment.
Mike recently asked for his release from WWE but was denied the request. He was later moved to the NXT brand.
AEW will be holding a free meet and greet session tomorrow for the first 100 fans who line up at the main Von Braun Center entrance adjacent to the box office.
Arn Anderson, Austin Idol, and Missy Hyatt will be on hand for this meet and greet and they’re being marketed as “The Stars of Continental & Southeastern Wrestling.”
Idol and Hyatt will also be appearing on Dynamite tomorrow from Huntsville, Alabama.
The meet and greet will start at 5:30PM and there will be a separate line for this apart from the usual line to go in the arena.
Ruby Riott returned to Monday Night Raw after an absence of nine months, attacking her former tag team partner Liv Morgan.
Riott has been out since undergoing bilateral shoulder surgery in May on her right shoulder and then three months later in August she underwent an identical surgery on her left shoulder.
Riott was the leader of the Riott Squad before herself, Morgan, and Sarah Logan were split in the Superstar Shakeup episodes.
