Brie Bella may have retired at WrestleMania 32, but the former Divas champion is planning her return to the ring already.
Having retired to start a family, Brie now gave birth to a baby girl named Birdie Joe, and she’s itching to step back in the squared circle. During the Comic Con panel, Brie revealed that her husband Daniel Bryan will be training her for her eventual return and she is planning to hit the ropes under the bright WWE lights in 2018.
Brie last wrestled during the WrestleMania 32 pre-show in a 10-Divas tag team match and made Naomi tap to the Yes Lock.
Paige is risking termination from her WWE contract if she is charged with domestic violence per their Talent Wellness Program policies.
In the Wellness Program policy, there is a section where it says that WWE has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault.
“Upon arrest for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately suspended. Upon conviction for such misconduct, a WWE talent will be immediately terminated,” the policy states. “WWE’s ability to fine, suspend or terminate a WWE talent will not be, however, limited or compromised in any manner in the event incontrovertible evidence of such illegal misconduct is presented to WWE. Section 9.13(a) of the WWE booking contract, commonly known as the ‘morals clause’, provides WWE with broad discretion and authority to act under such circumstances.”
Paige has already two suspensions under the Wellness Program, and a third one would be an automatic dismissal. If Paige is charged and arrested, there doesn’t even need to be a conviction as it would put her on three strikes.
Her faith seemingly rests in the hands of the State Attorney’s Office, and a decision against her could cost her dearly.
Ryan Satin of ProWrestlingSheet.com is reporting that Alberto El Patron is no longer under investigation by Orlando police over the incident at the airport involving himself and Paige.
The investigation resulted that it was Paige only who should be charged for domestic violence, clearing the GFW champion of any wrongdoing. Global Force Wrestling suspended El Patron pending the conclusion of the investigation.
There’s still no report if the State Attorney’s Office will be charging Paige with battery as the decision rests up to the office. Orlando Police Department forwarded all information and the SAO is still reviewing the case before making a decision.
Decider.com, a website dedicated to television and streaming services, is carrying an article quoting a recently-released analyst report that WWE might be taking some of its shows, including Raw and Smackdown to Facebook.
Currently, both Raw and Smackdown air on USA Network as part of a deal that expires in September 2019. WWE had high hopes of securing millions in television rights money before the deal was signed but the ultimate price was – even though much more than the previous one – much less than WWE had hoped for. The deal eventually took a hit on WWE stocks which nose dived mainly because WWE kept hyping up to the investors the fact that they would get much more.
“We believe WWE is being significantly underpaid in its current Raw / SmackDown deal,” BTIG analyst Brandon Ross wrote in the new report. “Facebook, Twitter and Amazon are all experimenting with live programming, including major sports programming, such as Thursday Night Football and MLB games.” Ross suggests that since these brands are being aggressive in bidding for sports, WWE might be able to gain from this streaming war.
Tickets for the meet & greet sessions at Barclays Center during SummerSlam weekend went on sale on Ticketmaster.com. Sessions will be held on Friday, August 18 and Saturday, August 19.
Six WWE Superstars will be on hand on August 18. These are AJ Styles at 1PM, Dean Ambrose at 1PM, Alexa Bliss, Naomi and Asuka at 3:30PM, and Shinsuke Nakamura at 3:30PM as well. The women are part of one single ticket.
On August 19, there will be Sasha Banks at 10AM, The Hardy Boyz at 10AM, Finn Balor at 12:30PM, Kurt Angle at 12:30PM, Roman Reigns at 3PM, and The New Day at 3PM.
Tickets are $125 each plus fees. All fans will enter the arena via the Barclays Center main entrance at 620 Atlantic Avenue. Meet and Greet will occur at the 40/40 Club in Barclays Center. Tickets include an 8×10 autographed glossy photo and one photo taken by a professional photographer.
The San Diego Comic Con yesterday had one of the most anticipated panels as Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Bayley, and the Bella Twins all reunited to be part of the WWE/Mattel panel with fans.
Fans of these WWE women packed the room as Renee Young moderated the proceedings, with all Superstars interacting with fans and taking questions from the public. The panel was also used to introduce the new girls’ product line that features the first-ever fashion dolls of Nikki and Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Alicia Fox and Eva Marie.
Every year, WWE has a big presence at the Mattel booth and this year it was decided to have the women behind the WWE women’s revolution to take center stage. You can see the full panel, courtesy of Ringside Collectibles, below.
In an interview to promote the Tapout Body spray with Complex.com, 16-time World champion John Cena admitted that his days in the WWE are numbered and that’s why he made the request to appear on both Raw and Smackdown as he doesn’t know if he’ll be available on the days for specific shows only.
“I just turned 40 in April and we have so many young and talented performers, I don’t know how many years I have left,” Cena said. “So in the time I have left, I’m gonna do what I can to dedicate to this company I just want to be able to do it the most time that I possibly can.”
Cena, who’s on the artwork of the Tapout body sprays which were recently launched, added that it would be a surprise for him if he’s not involved with WWE in some way, shape, or form after he retires. “I literally would do whatever they asked me to. In whatever capacity I can help the company I would love to do so,” he added.
Regarding his wedding to fellow WWE Superstar Nikki Bella, Cena said that the date is all dependent on Nikki as it took him five years to propose. “We are both super, super busy and it just has to be right. I really, really want to say I hope it’s gonna be next year sometime, but also I want to do it when it’s right for Nicole and she can get the most out of it as well.”
At the start of Comic-Con, WWE and Mattel announced that they are launching a girls’ product line that features the first-ever fashion dolls of Nikki and Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Alicia Fox and surprisingly enough, Eva Marie.
The new WWE Superstars product line, which was revealed today at San Diego Comic-Con, offers fans an original way to play and includes the following: 12” fashion dolls that are articulated and come with multiple fashions inspired by Nikki and Brie Bella, Sasha Banks, Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Alicia Fox and Eva Marie; Role Play items that include a WWE Women’s Championship title belt with authentic styling and sleek metallic medallions, in addition to fun accessories like a Bayley-inspired headband and Sasha Bank’s “Legit Boss” rings; Action figures that have deluxe articulation and bold ring looks that include the Superstar’s iconic accessories.
This is the first time female WWE Superstars will have a fashion doll and role-playing line, in addition to the action figures inspired by their in-ring characters. The dolls will be available for preorder online only at Toysrus.com beginning Monday, July 24, and exclusively at Toys“R”Us stores nationwide and Toysrus.com this September.”
WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon said, “The launch of the first-ever WWE girls’ product line is a significant moment in the evolution of not only our female Superstars, but our entire company. We are honored to partner with Mattel to provide kids with another way to connect with our incredible female performers who inspire confidence and strength.”
Following the cancellation of WWE’s Talking Smack on the WWE Network, GFW took advantage of the uproar from the online community and decided to create a similar show.
Titled After Impact, the show will air every Thursday night at 10PM EST on ImpactWrestling.com with hosts Josh Mathews and Tyrus. “Realize #PostShows are trending, but this has been in planning for quite some time,” Mathews tweeted, rejecting the idea that this was created after Talking Smack was axed by WWE.
While all Impact episodes are taped, it’s not listed if this post-Impact show will be live or taped as well.
Jeff Novitzky, the UFC Vice President of Athlete Health and Performance, has denied that Brock Lesnar is back in the USADA drug testing pool and his suspension is still frozen pending his notice to re-enter the pool.
Novitzky told MMAFighting.com that to re-enter the pool, Lesnar needs to send a written notice to the UFC and USADA announcing he is coming out of retirement. After that, the former WWE and UFC Heavyweight champion will have to serve another six months suspension, a suspension which was frozen in February after Lesnar took himself out of the testing pool by announcing his retirement from mixed martial arts.
“If he ever re-entered the program, he’d have to serve before he’d be able to compete,” Novitzky said. The frozen suspension means that assuming Lesnar is back in the drug testing pool this month, he would need to sit out at least till February of next year.
Meanwhile, UFC updated their minimum drug testing pool period from four to six months for returning fighters. Lesnar was given a waiver last time around, a waiver which did not go down very well from fellow fighters who didn’t receive the same luxury.
MMAFighting.com also reached out to USADA for confirmation about Lesnar but they did not respond in time the story went to print.
WWE and SuperSport, Africa’s premier sports broadcaster, today announced a new, multi-year agreement to broadcast WWE programming live for the first time in more than 50 countries throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Starting Monday, August 28, SuperSport will air Raw and SmackDown as well as WWE specials, including WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
“WWE is a global phenomenon, so securing the broadcast rights for SuperSport is a terrific coup,” said Gideon Khobane, chief executive of SuperSport. “The athletes involved are larger than life figures who command huge followings. At long last our viewers will get to share in this entertainment spectacle in high definition. I look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with WWE.”
Ed Wells, WWE Executive Vice President, International, said, “SuperSport is a best-in-class partner who shares our vision and passion for engaging with and entertaining our fans. Televising WWE programming live in sub-Saharan Africa for the first time is an important milestone for us, and we look forward to working with SuperSport to cultivate new fans in the region.”
SuperSport channels S3, S4, S9 and SS10 will televise Raw on Tuesdays and SmackDown on Wednesdays, offering both live telecasts and same-day re-airs, and will broadcast all WWE specials live, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble. All programs will be available with English commentary and on demand. WWE programming will also be made available across some of DStv’s general entertainment channels.
During a conference call with the press yesterday, GFW’s Jeremy Borash announced that Johnny Mundo, the Lucha Underground star formerly known as John Morrison in WWE, will be making his GFW debut at the upcoming non-televised live events in the Northeast.
Mundo will be working the three dates – August 4 in Long Island, August 5 in Staten Island, and August 6 in Bridgeport – as Global Force Wrestling resumes limited touring across the United States.
The former LU champion who currently holds three different AAA titles cannot appear on television until the current season of Lucha Underground finishes on El Rey Network. There is no news for a fourth season of Lucha Underground yet and this has the possibility to free up several stars who are under contract with the television network.
Smackdown last night pulled in 2,548,000 viewers, up 83,000 viewers from last week’s broadcast. The show was #1 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic and was also the most-watched show on cable. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
The rumors of Brock Lesnar being back in the USADA testing pool are indeed true, although the stories of meetings with the UFC are still being shot down as incorrect.
Any retired fighter who wants to fight again in the UFC must be part of the USADA testing pool for a minimum of four months. The last time Brock returned to the UFC last year, an exception was made and he was not subject to the four-month testing period. USADA still routinely tested him leading up to the fight and ultimately he failed twice.
Being part of this testing pool means that USADA officials will randomly visit Lesnar to test him for steroids or any illegal substance under the UFC rules. In 2016, Lesnar was tested eight times in total from the time he was announced as returning to fight day. In 2017 he was not tested and eventually pulled himself out of the testing pool in February.
The whole Paige and El Patron story is taking another twist…a twist which is not good news for the former WWE Divas champion!
Although she lied in some of the Twitter statements she put out following the incident at the airport, she was saying the truth when she said that it was her who attacked El Patron and not the other way round. Pro Wrestling Sheet has confirmed with the Orlando Police Department that they have determined and have enough evidence to charge Paige with domestic violence.
“OPD detectives have found that probable cause exists to charge Saraya Bevis with Battery (Domestic Violence). Detectives have sent the information to the State Attorney’s Office for review and the SAO will determine whether to file charges in the case,” a statement from the OPD read.
While it’s now up to the State Attorney to press the charges against Paige, El Patron is still not out of hot water as investigation into his actions are still ongoing.
Following the helicopter crash from earlier today, Shane McMahon and the pilot spoke briefly to the press who went on site to report the news.
When one of the reporters asked McMahon if he was nervous during the whole incident, Shane responded, “Well, it’s very unsettling when all of a sudden you have something happen, you hear a bang and then you start hearing we’re gonna start doing an emergency landing in the water. So yes, it’s very unnerving. But again, Mario was super calm, which made me super calm and landed perfectly.”
Then the same reporter asks if he was Vince McMahon’s son, to which Shane responds, “I am.” The response was met by an “Oh!” from the same reporter.
The 47-year-old McMahon chartered the helicopter for a family visit but he never imagined that the landing would be in the Atlantic Ocean off Long Island’s Gilgo Beach. The helicopter pilot, Mario Regtien, said that he heard a strange noise and it was obvious he was going to lose control of the copter if he did not land immediately.
Both individuals were rescued by a kayaker and NYPD divers. The Coast Guard also responded to the emergency. The helicopter was resting on its pontoons as the pilot managed to deploy them before landing.
Shane also used Twitter to send thanks to those who rescued him. “I’d like to thank the man upstairs for looking out this morning & thanks to pilot Mario, Suffolk County Marine Bureau & Babylon Coast Guard.”
The FAA is investigating the crash. You can see another video from NBC New York below.
Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon was involved in a helicopter crash today off of Gilgo Beach in New York.
The Robinson R 44 helicopter, registered to Awesome Flight LLC of White Plains, landed on its pontoon skids just before 10:30 Wednesday morning according to the FAA and the pilot crash landed the copter in the water. Shane McMahon was the only passenger.
NYPD Aviation and SCUBA units along with emergency responders rushed to the crash site to pick the two up from the water. According to ABC7, both were wearing life jackets and were miraculously uninjured.
The helicopter departed Westchester County Airport on Wednesday morning and a commercial flight heading to Kennedy Airport heard the mayday call. The info was relayed to controllers at the FAA radar facility in Westbury.
There are rumors circulating online that Brock Lesnar has met with UFC officials during International Fight Week in Las Vegas for a return to the Octagon.
Ariel Helwani, one of the most prominent mixed martial arts reporters who works for MMAFighting.com, said in a tweet that there is “nothing remotely close at this time” even though they could use him, “but not much there right now.” Helwani was the one who broke the news last year that Lesnar would be returning to the UFC at UFC 200.
These rumors are suggesting that Brock is back in the USADA testing pool which would put him for an earliest return in late 2017. The UFC has an event book at Madison Square Garden during that period.
The current WWE Universal champion last fought in the UFC in July of last year, co-headlining the UFC 200 pay-per-view against Mark Hunt. Lesnar won that fight via a unanimous decision but it was later turned into a no contest after he failed two drug tests, including one on fight night. Lesnar was suspended for a year and fined $250,000 by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. In February of this year, Lesnar was dropped from the USADA testing pool after notifying the UFC that he retired.
Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com is reporting that Rey Mysterio is currently in negotiations with Global Force Wrestling and has an offer to start with the company should he accept it.
Mysterio was photographed on Monday with both WWE and GFW stars as talent from both companies met up for some drinks following Raw in Nashville. Mysterio was accompanied by his friend Konnan.
The former WWE World Heavyweight champion is currently part of Lucha Underground and cannot appear on any other wrestling television shows until season three finishes airing on television. Mysterio was released from his WWE deal in 2015 following several injuries and also Wellness Program violations.
