TMZ.COM is reporting that Sexyy Red, who hosted NXT Battleground on Sunday in Las Vegas, was arrested on Saturday morning at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
Red and her team got involved in an altercation with another group of people and there’s video of Red holding a stanchion and waving it around as if she was going to use it as a weapon.
While others brawled, she did stand back and eventually didn’t get involved physically but the Port Authority told TMZ that she was arrested for disorderly conduct and others in her team were arrested on assault charges.
Red still made it to Las Vegas and hosted NXT, where she was a very popular figure. It’s not known if WWE were aware of the incident or not.
Monday Night Raw, head-to-head with the NHL Stanley Cup finals, dropped to an average of 1,608,000 viewers, down 71,000 viewers from last week and the lowest viewership in a month.
The show started with 1,630,000 viewers in the first hour, then rose to 1,679,000 viewers in the second hour, but dropped to 1,517,000 viewers in the third and final hour.
Raw was #1, #2, and #3 on the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with a 0.52, 0.49, and 0.48 ratings respectively for an average of 0.50, down 0.03 from last week. It was #1 on cable overall, doubling the nearest competitor and #2 in all of television behind the NHL on ABC. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
A somewhat of a mini AEW reunion took place at NXT last night when WWE champion Cody Rhodes met three of his former All Elite colleagues in a backstage segment.
Rhodes ran into Shawn Spears first, who said that he’s going to do like Cody did at the Royal Rumble and win next week’s battle royal to become the number one contender for the NXT title. Enter newcomer Ethan Page, who told Spears to put the brakes on as he is in the match too.
“You don’t wanna wish me good luck, Cody?” Page said.
Before Cody could utter a word, Lexis King joined the party and said that the king is going to win the battle royal.
“Seems like…you guys are in a good place,” Cody told them before walking away.
Posting a video on Instagram, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed that he suffered an elbow injury during the filming of The Smashing Machine and needs to rest it up and for the fluid to go away before he can undergo an MRI.
“I got banged up pretty good today in our scenes,” Rock said, adding that when you’re filming a movie with a title called The Smashing Machine, well, things can go sideways.
“There might be some soft tissue damage in there. That’s a lot of fluid. We’ll see. I got to get it out of there first before I get any kind of any MRI,” he explained.
It’s unclear if the injury will delay filming certain scenes for the movie.
The Rock avoided injury throughout his run on WWE television earlier this year, culminating with a match at WrestleMania.
Alba Fyre’s mother, Bridgeen, died while in Orlando visiting her daughter when she was hit by a car this past weekend according to various news outlets.
Fyre, who is scheduled to wrestle this Saturday in her home country of Scotland at Clash at the Castle, wrote that words cannot even describe how devastated the whole family is.
“On Friday, my mum and dad were hit by a vehicle while crossing the road. Unfortunately my mum didn’t make it,” she wrote. “She was the most caring, fun loving person, the life of every party, and the biggest wee legend we all knew. She was greatly loved and will be deeply missed.”
The new number one contender for the NXT title will be determined next week in a 25-man over-the-top rope battle royal. The news was announced by WWE champion Cody Rhodes when he appeared in an in-ring segment with champ Trick Williams last night on NXT on USA Network.
But there is a twist.
Cody said that that while Williams might know most of them, he warned him that some of the entrants are from a “different locker room,” and considering WWE’s relationship with TNA at the moment, it would not be surprising that some of the TNA stars are in this match.
Before Cody left, Trick Williams said that with July around the corner, he had one serious question for him.
“On behalf of all my people, we all wanna know, are you coming to the cookout?” Trick asked.
“Yes I am coming to the cookout,” Cody responded to a big ovation from the crowd.
Collision on Saturday night drew 388,000 viewers, up 10,000 viewers from the previous week. This episode had some stiff competition from the NHL Stanley Cup Final on ABC as well as UFC Fight Night on ESPN. Collision had a 0.13 rating in 18-49, up 0.02 from the prior week and was #5 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings: SpoilerTV)
WWE is loading up tonight’s episode of NXT on USA Network which is the fallout from Battleground and will be headlined by an appearance from the Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes.
What Rhodes will be there for remains to be seen but he said yesterday that he will go and say hello to some friends and “bring a gift.”
Rhodes is not the only main roster star appearing as former NXT stars Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate are also on the show as they tag team with Wes Lee to take on Gallus in a six-man tag team match. Other matches announced are Michin vs Jaida Parker, Shawn Spears vs Je’Von Evans, and Lexis King vs Dante Chen in a Singapore cane match.
Plus, both Wendy Choo and Eddy Thorpe return to the show as well.
Rampage on Friday drew 256,000 viewers in its usual 10PM time slot, up 1,000 viewers from last week’s show. It had the same 0.09 rating in 18-49 as the prior week and placed #14 on the top 50 cable chart for the night. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
The latest QR code which appeared on Monday Night Raw goes to a website with a countdown clock, a clock which will expire on Monday, June 17.
“You refused salvation. The reckoning is inevitable,” the message on the website says, which is located at https://www.wwe.com/exordium.
The June 17 date was also teased in last week’s QR code and that seems to be the day where this will finally come to an end with the big unveil on Raw in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Rumors are that this is leading to a new faction based on the Bray Wyatt world with Bo Dallas, Dexter Luis, Joe Gacy, Erick Rowan, and Nikki Cross.
Undisputed WWE champion Cody Rhodes sent a video to the social media-popular Soft Ground Wrestling Uganda promising them that he will pay for a brand new wrestling ring and get it delivered.
Cody said that it’s wonderful to see the love at SGW for professional wrestling and wanted to help out.
“It’s not lost on me that with the world as divided as it may be, social issues, climate issues, political issues, whatever it may be, one thing we can universally bond on is our love for pro wrestling,” Cody said. “With that said…you guys need a proper wrestling ring!”
The guys at SGW wrestle on, well, as their promotion name says, soft ground, and taking a bump there looks like it hurts way more than it should.
Cody said they need a proper ring to tell their stories.
“We have found someone in Uganda who can make it for you, it’s not coming over on a boat, it’s not going to get broken, and when it gets done, send the bill to me, it is on me,” the champ said.
Cody added that the wrestling business gave everything to him in his life and he just wants to pay it forward.
Reacting to the Who Killed WCW? show which is currently airing on VICE, former 16-time world champion Ric Flair said that the blame has to go to the people in charge for creating the dysfunction, animosity, and trying to divide and conquer by lying to everyone.
“God, I could give you a thousand more examples,” Flair wrote on social media.
“Who killed WCW? It’s a three-headed monster,” Flair said, mentioning former EVP Jim Herd, WCW President Eric Bischoff, and creative head writer Vince Russo as the ones responsible for the death of the promotion.
“I am one to live through all three nightmares and to be saved by the @WWE,” Flair continued. “Thank you to the WWE for bringing someone who was dead in the water as a result of these three people back to life!”
Flair was not interviewed for the broadcast, which continues its four-part series tonight.
Vince Russo responded to Flair and sarcastically thanked him for giving him credit taking down a multi-million dollar company “through words on a page.”
Russo is part of the documentary and told Flair it wasn’t his fault he was not in it.
“Sorry, man. I hope you don’t think my excessive use of your son David, and the rest of your family for that matter — who were all GREAT BY THE WAY — wasn’t the knife that drew the company’s last blood,” Russo fired back.
Flair didn’t let the comment slide and suggested that all four of them meet up in Tampa or Atlanta where he’d rent a venue and “hash it out.”
The Nature Boy said he’d pay Russo, Bischoff, and Herd $20,000 each in advance to show up.
“And I guarantee that I can probably sell this to a PPV status because I’m Ric Flair and you’re not,” Flair wrote. “Story of my life!”
One half of FTR, Dax Harwood, is out injured and will be out of action for an undetermined amount of time, effectively taking his partner Cash Wheeler off TV as well.
In a video uploaded on his social media, Harwood apologized to the fans, his boss Tony Khan, the AEW medical team, and the roster for keeping his injury a secret for months.
Harwood explained that during their match at the Dynasty pay-per-view, he gave Matthew Jackson a piledriver but hurt his back really bad, getting a severe hematoma in the process.
Hiding it from everyone not to get taken off television, Harwood said the tipping point came last week after his hematoma grew “the size of a football,” saying that the pain has been simply excruciating.
After the AEW doctor was informed, he was taken off the active list and told to stay home and rest and won’t be cleared unless it’s gone.
“I don’t know how long this is going to last, I don’t know how long we’re gonna have to be off, but unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for some of you people that don’t like FTR, myself and Cash will not be on television for a while. I have to rest this thing up,” Harwood said.
Ricochet was written out of WWE television last night on Raw as he got absolutely destroyed by Bron Breakker in a backstage segment.
The high-flyer first appeared on Raw to save Ilja Dragunov from further damage from Breakker during their match but then Breakker got his revenge, as after spearing Dragunov backstage, he brawled with Ricochet, first throwing him into a production truck similar to what Kevin Nash did with Rey Mysterio during the nWo days, and then powerslammed him into a car windshield.
After commercials, WWE cameras showed Ricochet being loaded into an ambulance and was joined by his real-life girlfriend and Raw ring announcer Samantha Irvin.
Ricochet is ending his six-year run with the company and not re-signing a new deal. He is believed to be debuting in AEW fairly soon when his contract runs out. His appearance on Raw was his last one for the company.
NJPW star Hikuleo wrestled his final match for the company at the Dominion show in Osaka and is heading to WWE according to the Wrestling Observer.
Hikuleo and his tag team partner El Phantasmo lost the NJPW Strong Tag Team titles in the match, with Hikuleo eating the pin for his team.
The 33-year-old former member of the Bullet Club is the adopted son of Haku and will be joining his brothers Tama Tonga and Tonga Loa as part of the Bloodline.
He never appeared on WWE television but he does have a couple of AEW shows under his belt, the most recent one was on Dynamite in June 2022. He also made several appearances for TNA between 2021 and 2022.
The legal team representing John Laurinaitis in the Janel Grant lawsuit filed a statement of material facts on June 8 to support to motion to send her lawsuit to arbitration.
In his motion, Laurinaitis says that at all times material to the allegations set forth in the complaint, he was an employee of WWE, and as a full-time employee of WWE, it is his understanding that he was listed as a released party from any and all lawsuits or causes of action by the accuser.
“Pursuant to the terms of the Confidential Settlement Agreement, General Release, and Covenant Not to Sue (Dkt. 30-2) it is my understanding that the sole and exclusive legal method to resolve any disputes related to the Confidential Settlement Agreement would be in binding arbitration under the Federal Arbitration Act,” the statement read.
Laurinaitis initially claimed he was a victim in this lawsuit as well and blamed all on Vince McMahon but then made a U-turn and joined forces with McMahon to fight Grant.
The lawsuit has been paused on the suggestion of the United States Justice Department as they move on with their investigation which could result in federal charges being brought forward.
Qualifying matches for the Money In The Bank ladder matches will kick off next week on Raw.
Last year, the men’s MITB ladder match featured seven participants and the women’s match featured six, but WWE did not state yet how many will be in this year’s event.
Since the show is on July 6, the qualifying matches will be part of the Raw and Smackdown television shows for the next few weeks.
Last year’s winners were Damian Priest and Iyo Sky, both of whom successfully cashed in to become the World Heavyweight champion and WWE Women’s champion respectively.
This year’s Money In The Bank will be held at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, with Friday Night Smackdown on the eve and NXT Heatwave the night after also in the same location.
Former WWE Women’s champion Iyo Sky will be traveling to her home country of Japan in mid-July to wrestle for Rossy Ogawa’s new female promotion Marigold.
Sky made an appearance via video at the Marigold Grand Opening Weekend Wars to make the challenge to Utami Hayashishita. The video caught everyone by surprise, including the fans, the announcer, and even Utami, who watched the video with her eyes Wie open while covering her mouth.
“As a WWE Superstar, I will enter the ring at #Marigold on July 13th at Ryogoku Kokugikan,” Sky wrote on social media afterward. “This will be a dream match for women’s wrestling fans not only in Japan but all over the world.”
The match will take place at the Marigold Destiny event and will also feature NXT-bound Giulia against former NXT star Sareee.
Smackdown on Friday drew 2,207,000 viewers, down 103,000 viewers from the prior week on a night when there was no NBA or NHL competition. The show had a 0.61 rating in 18-49, down 0.04 from the previous show and was #1 on all of television, more than doubling the nearest competitor on network and tripling that from cable. (Ratings credit: SpoilerTV)
Ricochet is making his final WWE appearance tonight on Monday Night Raw according to multiple insiders as he has been taken off the rest of days that are left in his contract as he is departing the company.
Ricochet alerted the company last week that he is not re-signing a new deal and those in WWE believe he is heading to AEW. Ricochet will have no no-compete clauses as his deal is expiring, meaning that he can appear anywhere on television the moment he hits free agency.
The man formerly known as Prince Puma has been signed to WWE since 2018 and won the NXT North American title, the United States title, the Intercontinental title, and was recently the inaugural WWE Speed champion during his six-year stint there. He lost the Speed title to Andrade in last week’s tapings, an episode which will air on X this week.
It’s unclear what the status of his girlfriend Samantha Irvin is at this point although it’s likely that WWE will try their best to hold on to her since she’s been positioned as WWE’s main ring announcer.
