Starting today, WWE is getting an additional exposure of 12 million subscribers on Netflix as subscribers in India now also have access to the WWE library.
With the TV deal expired, Netflix has taken over the WWE rights in the country, a country which represents one of the largest WWE fan-base in the world.
Just like almost the rest of the world, excluding the United States and some other countries, Netflix India will air Raw, NXT, Smackdown, and all the premium live events live, as well as select number of shows from the vault.
Outside the U.S., the India TV deal was the company’s second largest in terms of revenue but that is now all gone with the arrival of Netflix, which has the international rights for WWE programming. Netflix will continue to add WWE coverage to its service as more TV deals around the world expire.
In a post on his social media, WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg revealed that he has started his training camp for his retirement match which will come later in the year in WWE.
“And the grind begins…..assembling my in ring crew,” he wrote, posting a photo along with his son Gage, Ring of Honor’s Marshall and Kevin Von Erich, boxer and mixed martial artist Tyrone Spong, and strength and mobility coach Jimmy House at the Black Diamond Martial Arts facility in Boerne, Texas.
Goldberg is getting the retirement match he was originally promised by Vince McMahon. He has not wrestled since the 2022 Elimination Chamber premium live event where he lost to Roman Reigns in Saudi Arabia.
Goldberg confronted Gunther at Bad Blood in Atlanta, Georgia, last October and there were rumors that Gunther was one of the men considered to be his retirement match.
WWE Superstar John Cena has teamed up with Neutrogena to be the face of their new “Sunscreen You Can’t See” campaign where he will be appearing in ads for the company’s Ultra Sheer Mineral Face liquid sunscreen.
In an exclusive story on PEOPLE, the 16-time world champion also revealed a past skin cancer diagnosis, which is why he was eager to participate and spread the word about the importance of using sun screen.
Cena recounted how when he moved to Florida in his early twenties, he fell in love with the sun and never used any skin protection, but it all caught up to him.
“It wasn’t until I went to a dermatologist and got a skin checkup and had a cancerous spot removed from my right pec,” he said. “I was very lucky to have a great dermatologist who kind of, I guess for lack of a better term, held me by the hand and let me know that I wasn’t alone.”
WWE and Supercell’s popular mobile game Clash of Clans, which has amassed more than two billion lifetime downloads, today announced a new partnership that will see a roster of WWE Superstars headline an electrifying in and out-of-game event throughout the month of April.
Under the new partnership, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Rhea Ripley, The Undertaker, Bianca Belair and other WWE Superstars will be reimagined as iconic characters inside the world of Clash of Clans, culminating in an enhanced match sponsorship at WrestleMania 41 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Fans will be able to experience the WWE Superstars in Clash of Clans beginning Tuesday, April 1, and enjoy a host of WWE-themed features appearing in the game throughout the month, including themed environments, gameplay events, cosmetics and Easter Eggs paying homage to WWE’s rich legacy. Headlining the integration is Rhodes, who, after nearly a decade of playing Clash of Clans and being in the top 10 percent of players worldwide, will be reimagined in the game as “Barbarian King.” At the same time, and under his long-time “OverlordRhodes” player handle, Rhodes stars in the live-action launch video and reveals a gameplay style built on villainous destruction and domination.
Additional WWE Superstar integrations include:
Rhea Ripley as “Archer Queen”
The Undertaker as “Grand Warden”
Bianca Belair as “Royal Champion”
Rey Mysterio as “Minion Prince”
Kane as “P.E.K.K.A”
Becky Lynch as “Valkyrie”
Jey Uso as “Thrower”
“I’ve spent years building my legacy in WWE, but it’s time for fans to know where I’ve landed most of my victories, in Clash of Clans,” said Rhodes. “As OverlordRhodes, I don’t defend, I conquer. Villages will fall, and any opposition will be crushed under my command. This isn’t about playing fair in the ring, it’s about ruling the battlefield. Just like at WrestleMania 41, I’m stepping in with one goal – absolute victory. I’ve waited a long time for this moment, and now that I’ve arrived, there’s no stopping me.”
“When the game team found out Cody Rhodes and other Superstars were long-time Clash of Clans fans, they didn’t hesitate to reach out to WWE,” said Sara Bach, Head of Live Games at Supercell. “This partnership in Clash of Clans is on a scale we’ve never created before – from the in-game event reaching tens of millions of players, to WrestleMania 41 and our Clash of Clans match as a first-of-its-kind event on the biggest stage.”
Monday Night Raw will air live worldwide on Netflix at 3PM ET today as the show comes to you from London’s O2 Arena in the United Kingdom, the last stop of the European tour.
The show is headlined by a Women’s World title match featuring Iyo Sky vs Rhea Ripley with Bianca Belair as the special guest referee. The other matches announced so far are Jimmy Uso vs Gunther, and WWE Intercontinental champion Bron Breakker teaming up with Penta to take on Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio.
Also on the show, Logan Paul will call out AJ Styles, and both John Cena and Cody Rhodes will be in the same building for the third week in a row.
The O2 Arena is nearly sold out with over 16,000 fans in attendance. The show starts at 8PM local time or 9PM CET.
Former NXT star Von Wagner made his Ring of Honor debut this past weekend, teaming up with Deonn Rusman to take on Gates of Agony for an upcoming episode of ROH TV on HonorClub.
He wrestled under his real name of Cal Bloom and this was just his second match since his last NXT match in April 2024.
The 30-year-old spent five years with WWE, making his TV debut in September 2021. He was released from the company in April of last year and only returned to wrestling two weeks ago, appearing at a Midwest All-Star Wrestling event.
Last week, Bloom appeared as a security guard on Dynamite, helping to break up a brawl between Powerhouse Hobbs and Mark Davis.
NXT double title holder Stephanie Vaquer was present at the UFC Fight Night event this weekend in Mexico City, representing WWE at the show.
The NXT Women’s champion and NXT Women’s North American champion was shown on screen complete with a lower third graphic and had both her titles with her.
Vaquer also had her birthday and was surprised backstage by the UFC staff, singing happy birthday to her.
“I had an extraordinary experience at UFC México City,” Vaquer later wrote on X. “Thank you for the amazing birthday surprise—with beautiful gifts and so much love. I’m proud to represent my WWE family at UFC.”
Today’s Monday Night Raw from London brings down the curtain on an unprecedented two-week WWE tour in Europe which also included a total of six live television broadcasts.
The 11-day tour had stops in Spain, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Austria, and Netherlands, with Raw and Smackdown TV broadcasts held in Barcelona, Brussels, Bologna, Glasgow, and twice in London.
Sold-out crowds paid a lot of money as ticket prices continued to rise to new levels, but the demand continues to be there and WWE announced another tour on the road to Clash In Paris with eight live events including three live TV broadcasts in late August.
Dublin, Birmingham, and Lyon will get live TV in a couple of months while Paris will host the premium live event plus the following Raw in a 30,000-seater arena. Ticket information have not been announced yet.
WWE has already moved over 11,000 tickets for the Backlash premium live event in St. Louis, Missouri for May 10.
Numbers published by ticket tracking service @WrestleTix show that the count stands at around 11,200 while the Enterprise Center is currently configured for 15,054, with seats even opened behind the stage. The arena has a total of 17,373 seats, so more could be opened if enough tickets move and they ditch the stage.
This already beats the 8,000 attendance in the same location last October for a Raw broadcast.
John Cena is advertised to be appearing here and Randy Orton, a native of St. Louis, has already set his sights on the WWE title for after WrestleMania.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com starting from $75 excluding taxes and fees.
Three matches involving current WWE Superstars at the Bloodsport XIII event next month in Las Vegas have been announced.
In a post on social media the promotion revealed that Pete Dunne will take on Timothy Thatcher, Charlie Dempsey will battle Shinya Aoki, and Natalya takes on Miyu Yamashita.
Karrion Kross and Karmen Petrovic are also scheduled to participate in the event but their matches have not been announced yet.
Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport XIII is promoted by GCW and will take place on Thursday, April 17 at The Palms in Las Vegas.
Several women declared their name for the Owen Hart Cup tournament last night on Collision.
TBS champion Mercedes Mone, ROH Women’s champion Athena, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa, Jamie Hayter, and Billie Starkz will all be participating in the tournament this year where the winner will receive an AEW Women’s title shot at All In: Texas.
The full bracket for both the men’s and women’s tournament will be published this coming Wednesday night on Dynamite.
Mariah May and Bryan Danielson won last year’s tournament and both successfully won their respective titles at All In: Wembley.
After Smackdown went off the air and everyone exited the ring, Roman Reigns raised his index finger while looking at the crowd and then gave a death stare to his Wiseman Paul Heyman.
Reigns kept staring at Heyman for a few seconds as he started to walk away from the ring and talked trash all the way to the back, and only once he tilted his head to the side to watch his back as Heyman walked behind him.
The end of Smackdown saw CM Punk telling Roman Reigns that being in the main event of WrestleMania was not the favor he was owed by Heyman, leaving The Tribal Chief stunned.
Heyman owes Punk a favor for bailing The Bloodline out at WarGames but to this day, the favor has remained a mystery.
Speaking to The Hindustan Times in India ahead of WWE’s debut on Netflix in the country, WWE President Nick Khan confirmed that the company is planning to run a premium live event in India over the next two years.
“That’s the goal, and we’re pencilling out 2026 and 2027 now,” Khan told the newspaper.
Khan said that in the first meetings with Netflix, the company was handed a list of their priority countries, with India at the top of the list.
“If it’s important to Netflix, assume it’s important to us. India has always been important to us,” Khan said. “So we’re penciling it out now, and let’s wait and see.”
WWE is the second most-popular sport in India behind cricket.
Netflix India will get their WWE fix starting on April 1, with live Raw, NXT, Smackdown, and premium live events all airing as part of Netflix subscriptions.
The streaming service has over 12 million subscribers in the country.
Just when you thought The Weeknd’s streak for WrestleMania theme songs is over…he strikes again!
For the unprecedented sixth time in a row, WWE has chosen Timeless, performed by The Weeknd and Playboi Carti as the official theme song of WrestleMania 41.
Timeless was released on September 27, 2024, through XO and Republic Records as the lead single from his sixth studio album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.
The Weeknd’s WrestleMania streak started in 2020 with Blinding Lights chosen for the COVID-19 edition of the show. A year later he returned with Save Your Tears for WrestleMania 37 and the following year he was back with Sacrifice for WrestleMania 38. Less Than Zero was the official theme of WrestleMania 39, and Gasoline was the official theme for WrestleMania 40.
WWE has so far used Travis Scott’s FE!N song to promote WrestleMania.
More WWE Superstars and Legends are being added to the WWE World lineup following the overwhelming success of nearly selling out every WWE Superstar available for photo and autographs.
Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, The Godfather, Mick Foley, Rob Van Dam, Nikki Bella, Michelle McCool, Lita, and Kane are the newest additions, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday, April 2 at 11AM ET. It was not announced yet which star is appearing on which day.
VIP ticket holders will have early access through an exclusive pre-sale running Monday, March 31 at 11AM ET through Tuesday, April 1 at 10AM ET. Pre-sale access details will be sent to VIPs via email in advance.
In order to avoid airing head-to-head with WrestleMania Saturday, AEW Collision will be airing live on Thursday, April 17 instead of Saturday.
This will be the Spring BreakThru episode and will be taking place at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, the same place where Dynamite will be the night before.
Collision has suffered greatly whenever it airs against WWE premium live events, especially this year, so it makes complete sense to run a different night since the option is there.
Collision will retain the 8PM ET time slot on that Thursday and will return to regular programming the following Saturday.
Rey Fenix will be making his debut on next week’s episode of Smackdown which is live from the sold-out Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois.
The final promo for Fenix aired on last night’s episode of Smackdown, which fully revealed the former AEW Tag Team champion.
Putting him on Smackdown means that a reunion with his brother Penta is not immediately on the horizon as Penta is part of the Raw roster.
The popular Mexican luchador signed a WWE deal earlier this month after he received his release from AEW, a release which ended up full of drama before it was executed.
This will be Fenix’s first time wrestling for WWE.
WWE announced yesterday that they will be inducting matches into the WWE Hall of Fame, and the first match getting that honor will be “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs Bret “Hit Man” Hart from WrestleMania 13.
Titled WWE Immortal Moment, the company will now be spotlighting individual matches at the Hall of Fame moving forward, taking a page out of the UFC which already does this for their Hall of Fame.
The matches Hall of Fame was something that has been rumored for a while but never happened until now.
Both Austin and Hart will be at WrestleMania weekend in Las Vegas on official WWE business so their appearance at the Hall of Fame to accept the induction is probably already locked in.
The Roman Reigns vs Seth Rollins vs CM Punk triple threat match at WrestleMania will headline the Saturday show as revealed last night on Smackdown.
During the closing segment of the show which involved the contract signing, CM Punk was combing through the pages looking for something as Roman Reigns urged him to skip to page four and sign the contract because they don’t have all day.
Paul Heyman then went over and kneeled next to the sitting CM Punk and broke the news.
“I know what you’re looking for and it’s in there. You’re closing the show at WrestleMania,” Heyman told Punk as he held him. “You get to live your dream of all dreams, CM Punk, you are a WrestleMania main eventer!”
An emotional CM Punk had tears in his eyes as Reigns laughed, telling everyone that one man’s dream is another man’s favor, referring to the favor that Heyman owed him for WarGames.
Seth Rollins was clearly pissed off and didn’t want Punk to get his main event and Punk thanked the fans for chanting his name for 10 years to make it happen.
Reigns told Punk that he should thank him and it’s because of him that he’s in the main event. Punk dropped to one knee and sarcastically thanked Reigns for everything but then dropped the bombshell news.
“Thank you…but that’s not the favor that I’m owed,” Punk said as the show went off the air on a cliffhanger.
WWE referee Jessika Carr was on this week’s EVOLVE show on Tubi…but this time, she was not donning a referee’s outfit.
Carr made her WWE in-ring debut in a tag team match under a mask and the name of Kalyx. She teamed up with Haze Jameson and took on Aria Bennett and Layla Diggs. Unfortunately for Carr, she was on the receiving end of a pin, losing the match for her team.
The 33-year-old Baltimore native wrestled for six years before joining WWE as a referee, becoming the first WWE female referee since the 80s. She was also the first female referee to officiate a match in Saudi Arabia at Crown Jewel and the first female referee in a Hell In A Cell match.
WWE filed an application to trademark the name Kalyx on February 21.
