In a video posted on Instagram, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson revealed that he, his wife, and his two young daughters Jasmine and Tiana were all infected with the coronavirus a couple of weeks ago and tested positive.
Johnson said the past three weeks were the most challenging ones for his family but now they’re feeling better and no longer contagious while feeling stronger and healthier.
The family got infected through close family friends who had no idea how they got it. Johnson said that his daughters quickly developed symptoms for the first few days like a sore throat but all of them got through it as a family.
The @WrestleVotes Twitter account, which has broken several wrestling-related news over time, reported today that there are discussions going on to move NXT off Wednesday nights, effectively ending the head-to-head war with All Elite Wrestling’s Dynamite.
@WrestleVotes adds that while no decision is expected imminently, the talks remain ongoing and the ratings over the next two weeks “might have some impact on the decision.”
NXT did over 800,000 viewers twice in a row the past two weeks when it ran unopposed from AEW on Wednesday and the show has two weeks airing on Tuesday nights due to the NHL playoffs.
Moving to Tuesday night would pit NXT head-to-head with Impact Wrestling on AXS TV and the other remaining free day would be Thursday. But with the NFL airing on Thursday as well during the season, Tuesday would likely be the chosen day.
NXT has been airing on Wednesday nights ever since the WWE Network was introduced in 2014 and then moved to USA Network two weeks prior to the launch of AEW Dynamite on TNT in October of last year.
BT Sport has transformed a part of its studio in London into an NXT UK arena ahead of the brand’s relaunch this month.
Triple H uploaded a video of the stunning transformation which will soon see the arrival of the stars of NXT UK. “As #WWENXT prepares for #NXTSuperTuesday tonight, @BTSport’s incredible, state of the art facility, in the heart of London, has been transformed into the new home for the relaunch of @NXTUK,” Triple H tweeted.
The new episodes will start airing on the WWE Network on Thursday, September 17. The company is expected to film several weeks of shows once tapings restart. NXT UK has not had any new material in five months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Just over a week ago, all NXT UK talent were moved to London for COVID-19 testing ahead of the relaunch.
The last stop before All Out takes place tonight on TNT as Dynamite returns to its regular Wednesday night at 8PM time slot.
Four matches have so far been announced for the broadcast, including Chris Jericho vs Joey Janela, AEW World champion Jon Moxley vs Mark Sterling, Santana and Ortiz vs Best Friends, and an eight-man tag team match between The Young Bucks and Jurassic Express vs SoCal Uncensored and Private Party.
Also, NWA Women’s champion Thunder Rosa will be wrestling on the show ahead of her showdown with AEW Women’s champ Hikaru Shida on Saturday night!
WWE announced that it has elected Steve Pamon, President and Chief Operating Officer of Parkwood Entertainment as one of the members of its Board of Directors.
“Steve brings an extraordinary track record from the media and entertainment industry and is an accomplished senior executive,” said Vince McMahon, WWE Chairman & CEO. “I am confident his experience and insights will add tremendous value to our company.”
As the President & Chief Operating Officer of Parkwood Entertainment founded by global entertainer Beyoncé in 2010, Pamon oversees an extensive global media portfolio, including artist management, music production, concert tours, motion pictures, television specials and consumer products. Throughout his tenure, he has achieved critical and commercial success as evident in the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show, Lemonade visual album, The Formation World Tour, Netflix’s Homecoming documentary and the Disney+ film, Black Is King, among many others.
Former WWE announcer and host Renee Paquette appeared on this week’s Sports Illustrated Media Podcast to talk about her departure and getting COVID-19 while working for WWE.
Paquette confirmed the rumors that WWE officials were not happy that she announced to the world that she was infected with coronavirus before she talked to them and woke up the next day after announcing it to a barrage of texts.
“There’s no shame in having got it. Again we don’t know what’s going on with anything. We’re all trying to figure it out. So when I tweeted that I had it, I wasn’t doing it as, like, “I GOT COVID.” That was not my MO when I tweeted. It was mostly, ‘Hey, I have it.’ Also, in case there were people that could’ve been around me and maybe seen that I had it, I felt a responsibility to make sure people knew that I was sick. But, yeah, it was NOT well received,” Paquette told host Jimmy Traina.
Paquette said that the company weren’t mad because she posted it, but rather because she did not give them a heads up and it was bad publicity. She noted that she felt no one was really concerned about her health when she got the positive result and that really bothered her that no one checked up on her.
Paquette admitted that WWE didn’t do everything to contain the virus back then but now they’re doing proper tests that she says should have been implemented from the very beginning.
“Since everything that’s gone down and however many people ended up getting sick, now it feels like a much safer environment. Even when I was there for SummerSlam, I was definitely less concerned about it knowing that everyone in the building has been properly tested with the nose swab and whatnot,” she continued.
The former Raw announcer also expressed how surprised she was when Florida deemed WWE as an essential business and let the company go ahead with tapings.
“It was shocking. It really shocking to see that this was deemed essential business. That made it seem like, hold on a second here,” she said.
There was no new champ crowned on NXT but there was a new one crowned over at Impact Wrestling.
Eric Young, who recently returned to the promotion after being let go from WWE in April, defeated Eddie Edwards last night on Impact on AXS TV to regain the Impact World title.
The ex-champion was on a run of open challenges lately and the former leader of the WWE faction SAnitY issued him a challenge last week.
Young is now in his second reign as Impact World champion. He won it the first time around in April 2014, beating Magnus. His first run lasted 70 days, eventually losing it to Lashley in June.
Edwards won the title at Slammiversary in July in a fatal five-way elimination match which included Ace Austin, Trey Miguel, Rich Swann, and Eric Young.eric
Despite promoting that there will be a new NXT champion crowned in a 60-minute fatal-four way iron man match, NXT failed to deliver on that promise as the match ended…in a draw.
With each of the four Superstars having one fall, Finn Balor pinned Tommaso Ciampa in the final 20 seconds of the match to get the second pin but Adam Cole managed to land a pin on Balor as well right on the expiration of the clock.
That meant that Balor had two pins, Cole had two pins, while Gargano and Ciampa each had one.
Rather than continuing the match, NXT General Manager William Regal then decided that Balor and Cole would face each other next week on another episode of NXT Super Tuesday to finally determine the new champ.
The NXT title was vacated on last week’s episode of NXT by Karrion Kross due to a shoulder injury he suffered at NXT Takeover: XXX in his win against Keith Lee.
The post-Payback Monday Night Raw drew an average of 1,896,000 viewers, down 132,000 viewers from the post-SummerSlam broadcast.
The show started with 2,104,000 viewers in the first hour, then dropped to 1,882,000 viewers in the second, and finished with 1,703,000 viewers in the third and final hour. The show dropped 400,000 viewers along the way, which is not a good sign at all.
Raw was #4, #6 and #7 in the top 50 cable chart among the 18-49 demographic with 0.63, 0.59, and 0.53 rating. The night was dominated by the NBA Playoffs on TNT. (Ratings credit: Showbuzzdaily.com)
A new NXT champion will be crowned tonight…but it will take at least 60 minutes to find out who that person will be as the four Superstars will be locked in an iron man match.
The favorite to walk out of Full Sail University with the title according to bookmakers at Unibet is Finn Balor. The former Universal champion has not won a title since he moved back to the NXT brand. Balor has odds of 3/5 to win.
Tommaso Ciampa, who had to surrender the belt and never actually lost it, is 43/20 to win while Johnny Gargano is 5/1 and Adam Cole is 6/1. Cole is the longest NXT champion in history.
The main event of the upcoming WWE pay-per-view Clash of Champions will feature WWE champion Drew McIntyre defending against Randy Orton in a rematch from SummerSlam.
Orton became the number one contender for the WWE title after he defeated Keith Lee and Seth Rollins in a triple threat match last night on Raw.
Each Superstar had to go through a qualifying match, with Orton beating Kevin Owens, Rollins beating Dominick Mysterio, and Lee beating Dolph Ziggler.
Clash of Champions will take place on September 27 live from the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.
WWE and AEW are easily the most popular wrestling promotions on earth with millions of followers. Unless you watch them regularly, it is difficult to keep up with what is happening. There are over 200 events throughout the year, so catching up on the action before jumping on a GClub wager relies on knowing who is who in the wrestling universe.
We have picked out the top WWE and AEW superstars of the past year to help you get back in the game.
Kofi Kingston
Kofi Kingston is probably the most successful wrestler of 2019. He was able to beat Daniel Brian in the WrestleMania 35 title match and became a true champion. He also went on to sustain the title for six months, a wrestling eternity.
Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho helped revive his career in AEW. The fact that Jericho is 49 years old and is still able to perform amazes his fans and critics alike. Jericho’s recent performance showed that he is still in top shape and can match the most athletic of young wrestlers head to head.
Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes is another star who experienced the best year of his career last year. Cody helped introduce wrestling fans to a WWE alternative: tough competition and fast-paced action. Coming back to 2019, Rhodes delivered some of the most iconic performances that fans will remember for years. Rhodes’ match against his brother was exceptionally memorable for some of his greatest fans, too.
Adam Cole
Adam Cole demonstrated his athleticism and skill when he came to NXT straight from Ring of Honor.
What differentiates Cole is his uncanny ability to adapt his game and step up each time he enters the ring. When facing Daniel Bryan on Smackdown, he showcased his talents to the world in style, proving that he can match up to any of the superstars on the circuit.
Most Cole fans will tell you that he is the main reason NXT is as popular as it is today. His personality and style of wrestling put WWE NXT on the map.
Nick Gage
Nick Gage proved himself as wrestling’s fiercest performer in 2019, elevating his career along with GCW’s status and reputation despite not being part of WWE or AEW. He brings out an intimidating side of himself every time he steps into the ring and makes sure never to disappoint the fans who enjoy his aggressive approach. Gage’s ability to turn on beast mode in the ring has led to some extremely entertaining matches in the past season, and it puts him firmly on our list of WWE superstars.
Seth Rollins
The last pick is a household name, and Rollins proved himself to the world when he beat Brock Lesnar in WrestleMania 35 for the WWE Universal title. Even though his performance to attain the title was iconic, most fans found his run as the titleholder mediocre at best. Winning the Universal title was enough for Rollins to make our list, especially considering his renown as a key player on WWE.
What’s Next for WWE and AEW?
WWE and AEW have hundreds of superstars under its umbrella, which can make it difficult for fans to keep up with the latest twists. It is wonderful to see the new season will be kicking off soon when most enthusiasts only got their wrestling fix playing online platforms, like GClub. This year’s WWE and AEW action is sure to be even better.
The popular slang “jabroni,” often used in professional wrestling and made famous by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, has been officially added to Dictionary.com as a word, one of the new 650 entries added to the English language according to a press release issued today.
Dictionary.com lists the word as “stupid, foolish, or contemptible person.” The word is also called as “enhancement talent” and “jobber” in the world of pro wrestling.
While The Rock often used it from 1998 onward, the word had long been used before backstage, especially by WWE Hall of Famer The Iron Sheik. In fact, Sheik today referred to the news by retweeting a Sports Illustrated story about it saying that he “make the jabroni the real word” and then a few minutes later posted, “JABRONI #BacktoSchool.”
Oh, and if you still have trouble pronouncing it, it’s juh-broh-nee!
NXT will be airing tonight for a Super Tuesday special on USA Network as the show is pre-empted from its usual time slot tomorrow due to the NHL playoffs.
The biggest match tonight is the 60-minute iron man fatal four-way match featuring Finn Balor, Tommaso Ciampa, Adam Cole, and Johnny Gargano where the winner will be crowned the new NXT champion. The NXT title was vacated last week by Karrion Kross due to a separated shoulder injury he suffered at NXT Takeover: XXX.
Two other matches are also announced with Timothy Thatcher taking on Bronson Reed and a street fight between El Legado del Fantasma and the team of Breezango and Isiah “Swerve” Scott.
Deadline.com is reporting that Netflix has opted not to pick up a second season of The Big Show Show, the collaboration between the streaming giant and WWE Studios featuring WWE Superstar The Big Show.
A total of eight episodes are part of the first – and only – season with Big Show starring with Allison Munn, Reylynn Caster, Juliet Donenfeld, Lily Brooks O’Briant, and Jaleel White. In the series, Show plays a retired WWE Superstars whose teenage daughter goes to live with him, his wife, and two other daughters.
Series co-creator Jason Berger thanked Netflix and all the fans in a message on Twitter after the news made it online. “On behalf of the staff, cast, and crew of #thebigshowshow…thank you to everyone who watched either with your fam or alone in your basement. Netflix was a dream to work with AND we had a blast making the show. Rare air! Please take care of each other,” Berger wrote.
Deadline adds that a one-off Christmas special of The Big Show Show will air on Netflix in December. The episode was filmed a few months ago.
It does seem like something of a paradox when sports betting and the WWE are mentioned together but stranger things have happened. Don’t worry, we have done our research and we do know that the WWE is scripted, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t make some coin on it. You just need to crack the code.
Since its beginnings in the fifties, wrestling as an entertainment spectacle has garnered plenty of fans. Many may still believe that there is no script but we aren’t here to judge. We are here to break down the sport into what it can do for you as a betting enthusiast: make you some money whilst enjoying the show.
Can you Really Bet on Something That’s Scripted?
You betcha! The reality is that the gambling powerhouses of the world are happy for you to bet on anything, as long as the odds are with them. They just need to ensure it’s profitable as they’re running a business. When it comes to WWE, bookies take bets on the result because essentially, it’s as much up in the air as any other game of chance. That’s because the people who control the strings in WWE are the writers and for them to make a success of what they do, their stories are kept closely guarded at all times.
It’s the same basis as any entertainment. No one wants to know the ending as the surprise is the key to our curiosity. Take that away and you take our need to know away with it, in this case our need to know the outcome of the fight. With the surprise spoilt, the income of the writer goes with it.
What Are We Betting on?
Essentially, like all sports betting, you are betting on the result. The fact that the result is predetermined means little to the bookies as the winner is kept a secret at all costs. The writers don’t want you to know who the winner will be as that will stop you watching. And that’s where it gets interesting because you are not placing a bet on the fight’s result but on the direction of the writer’s story.
And like any good soap opera, the story lines of the WWE are anything but boring. The writers are there to keep things exciting and the writers are good! It’s these exotic story ideas that can have the WWE fetching some pretty tasty odds.
How Can We Make Coin?
I’m glad you asked. The writers are there to keep things interesting and being good at their jobs, they know how to do just that. If the champion was to win every time, that would get boring. If the hero never falls, that will get boring. The key to winning is to get inside the writer’s head and work out which series of events is most likely to garner more interest and therefore more ratings. That’s what the writers will do.
Fight your natural instincts and forget about the skills and history of the actual athlete. You’re not betting on them, you’re betting on the writer. And like all good stories, you need a beginning, middle and end. Building up an athlete’s reputation at the beginning of the season lends to his interest from the fans. Add in some heroics to set the scene for an almighty finale then boom, here comes the twist. You know that upset is coming, you just need to work out from which corner it will come.
Common Bets in the WWE
So now you know the ways of the samurai, let your instincts guide you. Anything from first out of the ring, longest contender and appearance bets are all becoming more common for bookies. Obviously, the winner of the fight is always available but better odds will be displayed for the more adventurous.
As far as betting goes, WWE may not be that quick fire, money spinner that we all dream of but it sure goes a long way to entertaining us. And nothing is more exciting than a small wager to spice things up.
Rey Mysterio suffered a torn triceps on Sunday at Payback during his match where he teamed with his son Dominik to take on Seth Rollins and Murphy.
The injury was announced by WWE.COM yesterday and Mysterio was then taken off his scheduled match against Seth Rollins on Raw and replaced by Dominik, who lost again to Rollins.
His injury is believed to be not as serious as a full tear, but still one that will need a couple of months to fully heal. Mysterio is not expected to undergo surgery, at least not yet.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer also reports that Mysterio recently signed a new WWE deal believed to be in the region of three years.
Mauro Ranallo’s time with WWE has come to an end as the popular NXT announcer has decided to part ways with the company.
Ranallo, who has been doing NXT broadcasts from his home rather than Orlando, missed the last few shows due to a family issue, said to be the hospitalization of his mother.
“I appreciate the opportunity I had to realize my childhood dream of working in sports entertainment, and I wish WWE well in the future,” Ranallo wrote in a statement. “Now I want to direct my focus and devote my time to my other projects and to my mental health charitable activities and the well-being of my mother and myself.”
Meanwhile, WWE also issued a statement on his departure, which this time seemed more amicable than last time around.
“WWE and Mauro Ranallo have mutually and amicably agreed to part ways. Mauro’s passion and enthusiasm left an indelible and exciting mark with WWE and its fans, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” WWE said.
Ranallo left WWE the first time around a few years ago because of bullying by fellow peers but was then brought back to the company by Triple H to do NXT instead of Smackdown.
The relationship between the two parties has healed since then and Ranallo had some of the best calls while in NXT.
Brock Lesnar’s WWE contract has expired and the former WWE and Universal champion is now free to pursue any other opportunities.
Several industry insiders reported that Lesnar and WWE were still locked in contract talks over the past couple of months but they did not find a common ground yet.
With negotiations going nowhere, WWE pulled all the Brock merchandise from its WWEShop.com website yesterday with a search for his name yielding zero results.
Lesnar has pretty much worked for WWE since his return in 2012 and the controversial Superstar always got the best deal around – more money for less working dates.
Brock last appeared on WWE television at WrestleMania 36, losing the WWE title to Drew McIntyre in the main event of night two.
Last week, his advocate Paul Heyman aligned himself with Roman Reigns, perhaps suggesting that this time around, Brock will not coming back at all.
The PWInsider.com website is reporting that Wade Barrett is currently locked in talks with WWE for a potential return as an announcer on a full-time basis.
Much to the surprise of everybody, Barrett, real name Stu Bennett, returned to NXT last week to call the post-Takeover episode and will also be doing commentary for tomorrow’s episode.
Barrett wrote on Twitter last week that he enjoyed calling the action for the yellow brand and had a crazy few days to say the least. It’s unclear if Barrett would stay on NXT or move to a different show if he were to accept WWE’s offer.
PWInsider.com also adds to the story that NXT UK was also mentioned as a possible place where he could lend his voice to.
