Rumor Mill - WWE Has New Working Relationship With NOAH

WWE has a new working relationship with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

There's no word yet on full details of the agreement but this is the first time in decades that WWE has worked with a Japanese promotion. The Observer notes that the deal will see Hideo Itami return to NOAH for an event on August 29th. NOAH does not have a show booked for August 29th as of this writing but they do have their 20th anniversary show on September 1st, which will celebrate Naomichi Marufuji's 20 years in the business. Itami feuded with Marufuji for several years.

It's worth noting that Twitter user Hisame, who provides NOAH updates in English, believes this may be a one-off deal for Itami instead of a working agreement with WWE as NOAH currently has a working relationship with Impact. There has been talk of the Impact - NOAH relationship coming to an end as of late.

"We have an alliance with PROGRESS in the UK, a situation with ICW in Scotland, two very well run and respected promotions that do good business – but more importantly they are cultivating talent. They are not just exploiting talent and grabbing guys to do a show with them, they are teaching talent and trying to make them better, which is what it is all about for me."

"Is there opportunity for cross-promotional events?" Triple H said, "Absolutely, with the right things. It's a blank slate and I'm open to just about anything if the right situation shows itself."

WWE NXT Call-Ups

Sonya Deville and Mandy Rose have been called up to Raw and Sarah Logan, Liv Morgan and Ruby Riot will be going to SmackDown.

Hideo Itami will be going to 205 Live.

Notes on Tonight’s WWE Cruiserweight Classic Taping; Accident Causes Delay, Seating Chaos, Top Names Backstage, More

-The show was delayed from its original start time as, according to officials in the arena, there was a traffic accident that delayed some fans getting to the arena and they didn’t want to start the taping with a half-empty house. While there are conflicting statements going around about this, with some suggesting that WWE was covering for a low turnout, local news reports confirm that there was a serious two-lane blocking accident in the Orlando area slowing down traffic considerably.

-Because of the delay and fans arriving late, there was a bit of an issue with seating in the building. Apparently close to the original start time, arena workers had started to tarp off areas and move people into hard camera seats to fill in gaps. However when people began to arrive late, it caused a problem with many of their seats already being taken, and workers having to rearrange reserved seating sections to accommodate for the chaos.

-Both Smackdown announcer Mauro Ranallo and Daniel Bryan, who will be co-hosting the tournament together, received huge reactions from the crowd when introduced.

-WWE did a live stream introducing all of the CWC competitors on their Facebook account, which you can check out at this link.

-There were several WWE and NXT names backstage for the taping, including Finn Balor, Corey Graves and Becky Lynch, Hideo Itami and Funaki (who is still with the company doing Japanese commentary for the PPV’s). Obviously Triple H was also backstage in production as well.

-They will be taping four episodes at tonight’s taping event which will include all 16 of the first round tournament matches. We are hoping to have a bracket for what the second round will look like later tonight.

-Possibly killing the rumor of a WWE Cruiserweight Championship return that has been floating around since the announcement of the tournament several months ago, Mauro Ranallo noted during the Facebook-exclusive talent parade earlier tonight that the winner would receive a Cruiserweight Trophy. No mention of a championship of any kind.

Asuka Talks Learning At The Performance Center, Help From Shinsuke Nakamura And Hideo Itami, More

NXT Women's Champion Asuka was interviewed by Enuhito about her transition to American wrestling. You can see highlights below, or the full interview at this link.

The coaching at the Performance Center:

"Coaches here are teaching me a lot of things I didn't know in Japan. Basics to advance techniques. Some of it is similar to what I was doing in Japan but rhythm or timing is little different in the States, so how I mix Japanese and American techniques to my style is what I need to work on."

Her relationship with other Japanese WWE stars:

"I am in the same promo class with Hideo. We need to do promos in front of other superstars and coaches, but it always turns out to be like a comedy show. Shinsuke took me out to the beach with other superstars. Shinsuke gives me advices after checking my matches."

What she eats in the U.S.:

"Now a day, I only eat Japanese food here! I miss Japanese food! Not so many good Japanese restaurants in Orlando. It's difficult to find authentic Japanese restaurant."

Update on Injury Status of NXT’s Hideo Itami & Sami Zayn

Both Hideo Itami and Sami Zayn appeared at Thursday’s WWE NXT television taping at Full Sail University.

Hideo Itami opened the night with an in-ring promo, announcing that he would still be at the upcoming July 4th live event in Japan despite his injury. He also challenged the winner of Kevin Owens vs. Finn Balor, but noted he is still 3-4 months away from returning.

Former NXT Champion Sami Zayn also addressed the Full Sail crowd about his own injury. Zayn vowed to eventually get his revenge on career-long rival Kevin Owens, but announced that he would be out of action for the remainder of 2015.

Triple H NXT Media Call Recap: Sami Zayn And Hideo Itami Update, NXT Touring Plans, Samoa Joe, More

* Triple H apologizes for his voice and says "with a nose like mine, changing allergy zones three times" is a bad thing.

* HHH puts over Charlotte and Sasha Banks headlining an NXT live event last week. He wants them to change the perception of what women do in the industry.

* The NXT tours will continue. He's looking at festival touring and some international shows as well. He wants NXT to be a full brand by next year.

* HHH thanked ESPN and Jeremy Schapp. He said he hopes that they can work together more, or produce more of those for the Network.

* Sami Zayn has been cleared, an will compete.

* HHH thinks Becky/Sasha could steal the show.

* Matt Bloom has been promoted to permanent head coach at NXT. Sara Del Rey is assistant head coach now.

* Sara Del Rey is still working as a road agent as well.

* He already considers NXT an additional brand. He wants to find what's best suited for NXT. Things that work on the main roster may not work in NXT.

* Triple H wants NXT on the road 3 days a week by 2016. He wants NXT to have a two-tour function eventually. He doesn't want to lose the homegrown fans in Flordia, either.

* Triple H doesn't care if someone has indy experience or not, but having experience helps.

* He doesn't know if NXT will become a cable TV show. He's happy where they are on the WWE Network. Triple H sees NXT as a selling point for the Network, too.

* Hideo Itami will be represented, but will not be wrestling tomorrow night.

* While NXT is a third brand, it's still there to get people ready for the main roster, Triple H says. He says the best problem he can have is Vince calling him in the middle of a hot angle and asking for that star.

* Triple H says that there are several talents in NXT ready for the main roster, but there aren't spots for them, or else they'd be there.

* HHH says WWE developmental is a young man's game. He says it takes a while for them to get talent up to speed.

* Triple H says he likes Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate. He says he's not trying to make NXT a direct competition to them. He wants to make the best roster that he can. He thinks if NXT's business grows, so will RoH's. He said he'd love to help support ROH and grow.

* Triple H says there are talents that said they turned down NXT deals for ROH. He says they haven't spoken to those talents on any level.

* Triple H says he wanted to make NXT an individual brand from day 1, but didn't tell anyone that.

* Triple H thinks Samoa Joe is a phenomenal talent. Says he was at the performance center a month or two ago. He doesn't know if they'll do business. He said they only spoke for about five minutes, and it was mostly pleasantries.

* He says there are plenty of talents that won't make it on the main roster, and gimmicks that won't work on the main roster.

* Vince McMahon doesn't see all of NXT. Triple H shows him bits and pieces.

* HHH doesn't see Cena going anywhere. He thinks it's great that Cena is confident enough to give younger stars a time to shine. Time pushes people to move to different roles.

* Someone asks about Emma. Triple H says it's more than possible for her to get back in the title picture.

* Triple H says Vince McMahon was blown away by the NXT show WrestleMania weekend. Triple H didn't know Vince would be there until last minute. McMahon messaged him and said he'd be there. Triple H said that several WWE executives came and were impressed, and wanted to do more with it.

* Triple H puts over the progress of Sami Zayn working without a mask and Baron Corbin.

* There aren't plans of an all-female NXT show or special, but it could happen.

* Nothing in NXT was by accident. He had a vision for this.

* The majority of the fans dictate what they do.

WWE NXT Star Possibly Out of Action for 6-8 Months

WWE NXT star Hideo Itami is reportedly out of action with a bad shoulder injury.

Itami is scheduled to face Finn Balor and Tyler Breeze in a Triple Threat #1 Contender match at Takeover on May 20th but word is that he could be out of action for 6-8 months.

Recap of WWE NXT at San Jose State University

WWE NXT held their biggest event yet on Friday night at San Jose State University with between 4,500 and 5,000 fans in attendance. Thanks to Ryan Aziz and Corey Montgomery for the following results:

* JoJo sang the National Anthem and even before that there was a crazy buzz in the air. The crowd was fired up and ready to go. Corey Graves came in the ring to kick off the show but was met with "you f--ked up" chants because his mic didn't work. Graves talked about how far NXT has come and got a chant going.

* Hideo Itami defeated Tyler Breeze in the opener after GTS. This was an awesome match, maybe it was just the setting but this was a lot better than their recent TV matches. The crowd was chanting for GTS early on and Itami went for it during the match, finally nailing it after a big corner dropkick. Itami got the win and was really fired up feeding off the crowd.

* Jason Jordan defeated Bull Dempsey after an Exploder suplex. Dempsey got decent heel heat for this entrance and controlled most of the match. Jordan looked alright in the ring but he didn't get much of a reaction at all.

* Alexa Bliss and Bayley defeated Dana Brooke and Becky Lynch in a great Divas bout. Bayley came out to a huge hometown reaction that carried on. Bayley hit her suplex on Becky for the win and had a pretty big celebration after the match. She was interviewed by Greg Hamilton I believe it was and called it the coolest night of her life. Becky Lynch was really impressive in this match and played the heel role well.

* Solomon Crowe defeated Kalisto by submission with a Stretch Muffler. They did a lot of back and forth wrestling and a lot of mat wrestling but it was done well. They eventually made their way to the ropes and the floor. Crowe blocked a splash and put Kalisto into the Muffler for the win. Crowe also got a good reaction.

* Baron Corbin defeated Rhyno with End of Days. Rhyno got a huge pop when he came out and ECW chants. They brawled like two big men should after Corbin got warmed up. Rhyno finally went for the Gore but Corbin countered and hit End of Days. Corbin turned around after the match to a Gore from Rhyno to another big pop. The crowd really loved Rhyno as he was not advertised before.

* Intermission

* Corey Graves comes out and introduces Triple H, who gets a massive reaction and "thank you" chants. Triple H is clearly having fun. Triple H called NXT the hottest thing in town and said everyone from Vince McMahon to Shawn Michaels to Sean Waltman, Stephanie McMahon and others are backstage watching. He also pointed out Jim Ross in the front row and JR's name got a massive pop, way bigger than Vince and the others. He praised NXT as the future and got another big NXT chant going.

* WWE NXT Tag Team Champions defeated Enzo Amore & Big Cass and The Vaudevillians in an Elimination Match. Carmella, Enzo and Cass got a reaction that rivaled that of Rhyno and Itami, their schtick is over like crazy. All three teams worked well and played their roles with the crowd really well. That's one of the best parts about NXT is just about everyone seems to connect in some way. Big Cass pinned one of The Vaudevillians and they were eliminated first. Carmella then tried to get involved but it backfired and Cass got hit with a cheap shot while he checked on her.

* WWE NXT Women's Champion Sasha Banks defeated Charlotte by submission with the Bank Statement. The crowd has stayed hot all night but cranked it up a notch for these Divas. They chanted "this is wrestling" and "this is awesome" more than once. Lots of back and forth action several times but Charlotte's babyface comebacks were really cool. Sasha broke a pair of Figure Fours and they traded several pin attempts before Sasha dropped Charlotte into the Bank Statement and made her tap out. This was an amazing match, like Natalya vs. Charlotte. It's hard to do justice with words but hopefully this becomes available somewhere in the near future. Charlotte got a "thank you Charlotte" chant after the match.

* Sami Zayn came out to a big pop and a chant. He admitted he ha some health issues that aren't too serious but he's not cleared to compete. He talks about the NXT revolution until NXT Champion Kevin Owens interrupts on the stage. Owens cuts a promo on Sami and then the fans after they give him the "what?" treatment. Owens brags about taking Sami's title and they had more words. Sami took credit for Owens even being in NXT. They teased a fight but Owens backed off and mentioned his own recent surgery. Sami promised to get the NXT Title back once Owens is cleared. With both of them injured, they made the best of things and pulled off a really good promo segment.

* Finn Balor came out in full body paint for the main event against Adrian Neville and got a "holy s--t" chant from the crowd, who was still hot. There was a better than WrestleMania chant at one point and many other chants as they tore the house down. Balor ended up moving out of the way of Red Arrow and hitting the big stomp for the win.

NXT Tournament To Be Held At Axxess To Decide Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal Entrant

WWE has officially announced a tournament to take place next Thursday at WrestleMania Axxess in Santa Clara, featuring NXT Superstars Hideo Itami, Finn Balor, Tyler Breeze and former NXT Champion Adrian Neville. The winner of the tournament will earn a spot in the second annual Andre the Giant memorial battle royal at WrestleMania 31, on March 29.

This will mark the first time in history an active member of the NXT roster participates in a match at WWE’s biggest annual pay-per-view.

The company did something similar in 2013, however, when Bo Dallas won a tournament at a WWE Fan Axxess event to earn a spot in that year’s Royal Rumble match.

New WWE NXT Tag Team Champions Crowned, Update on the NXT #1 Contender's Tournament

Baron Corbin defeated Bull Dempsey and Adrian Neville defeated Tyson Kidd on this week's WWE NXT to advance in the #1 contender's tournament. Next week's episode will feature Neville vs. Corbin and Finn Balor vs. Hideo Itami in the semi-finals. The winners of those two matches will face at the February 11th Takeover special to determine the new #1 contender to NXT Champion Sami Zayn.

Seth Rollins Talks Curb Stomping Lesnar & Cena, Triple H Following His Progress, NXT, Taker, Savage

Seth Rollins joined The Rack this past Thursday Night. During the interview, Rollins discussed what it was like to be in the ring and curb stomping both Brock Lesnar and John Cena on RAW, his thoughts on Smackdown moving to Thursdays, who is he looking forward to working with from NXT in the future, what it was like working with The Undertaker, Randy Savage being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015 and more. They sent us the highlights below, you can listen to the full interview by clicking here.

What it's like working with both Triple H and Stephanie McMahon on TV weekly:

"Oh, they're phenomenal; two of the greatest mind in the history of our industry. You've got one, born and bred a McMahon so she knows all there is to know about what we do and she knows all the little tricks of the trade. She sees things from a completely different perspective, so you have that. On the other hand, you have 'The Cerebral Assassin', a man who's been WWE Champion multiple times, who is clearly the heir-apparent to the company itself and already running the ship for the most part. There are really no better mentors; if you're not learning something every single day, every single time you go out there, then you're really just making a mistake trying to progress yourself. If people have kept track over the past 6-8 months, they'll have noticed a lot of improvements in my game, at least I have, and a lot of that is due to having Triple H and Stephanie on my side, nurturing me all the way through."

Triple H following his progress through NXT, The Shield and now:

"Yeah, clearly, the man has an eye for talent, you know? It's been good; NXT was a good experience for me. We were really the first group of guys who were involved in that project and if you look at what it's become now, it's pretty impressive to think about where it started and how it began, very humbly, in a warehouse in Tampa and now, basically, it's its own brand. To have Triple H's support, through and through the entire way, has meant more to me than people will ever understand. It's really helped position me to where I want to be and helped me grow as a person and as a performer."

Is there anyone in the new crop of NXT talent that he's looking forward to facing in the future:

"I have a lot of friends down there; a lot of people who I traveled the road with in my previous life and I think those guys, the Adrian Nevilles and Sami Zayns, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Overs; these are the guys obviously making a name for themselves now in NXT. There's also a lot of young guys too, who are pushing the envelope as well, really trying to make a name for themselves in the shadow, a little bit, of some of those bigger names.

"You've got someone like CJ Parker, who's been down in NXT for a while making waves. You've got Tyler Breeze, who is on the cusp of something big and stuff like that. So, there's a lot of talent down there; I'm looking forward to seeing how the landscape up here in the WWE looks like in 2-5 years, with all of those names I mentioned, up here working with us. It's going to be a very interesting period for the future of WWE."

Big WWE Experience Event Announced For Arnold Sports Festival With NXT, WWE Legends, More

As noted, WWE will host a NXT live event during the Arnold Sports Festival weekend in Columbus, Ohio in early March. There will be a strong WWE presence at this year's Arnold Festival as WWE Experience has been announced. Below are the details:

WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival

WWE Universe, don't miss your chance to take part in the WWE Experience at the Arnold Sports Festival March 5-8, 2015, in Columbus, Ohio!

NXT Live Event
For the first time in WWE history, NXT comes to Columbus, Ohio, as part of the Arnold Sports Festival! See WWE's Superstars of tomorrow, as WWE presents NXT Live at the LC Pavilion on Thursday, March 5! See NXT Champion Sami Zayn, NXT Women's Champion Charlotte, WWE Superstars Ryback and Big Show, WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, Adrian Neville, Kevin Owens, Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Sasha Banks and many more!

Tickets will be available on Friday, Jan. 23, at 10 a.m. ET at the LC Pavilion Box Office and Ticketmaster.com.

Don't miss your chance to attend VIP Experiences, including ringside seats and exclusive meet-and-greets with Ric Flair, Ryback and Big Show!

WWE Experience Event
For a jam-packed weekend of action and entertainment, there's no better spot at this year's Arnold Sports Festival than the WWE Experience on Saturday, March 7, and Sunday, March 8.

Enjoy live matches, featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent from WWE and NXT. Meet the Superstars and Divas of WWE's next generation during autograph signings with Finn Bálor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Tyler Breeze, Sasha Banks, Charlotte, Alexa Bliss and more, plus don't miss your chance to get up close and personal with WWE Legends during Q&A Sessions.

See what it takes to become a WWE Superstar and watch a live tryout. Will any of these recruits become the next breakout Superstar? Better yet, will you? If you're serious about a future in sports entertainment, stop by the WWE recruiting booth and tell us.

More?

First WWE NXT Event Outside of FL in Conjunction with Triple H's International Sports Hall of Fame Induction

The first-ever WWE NXT live event outside of Florida takes place on March 5th in Columbus, Ohio at the LC Pavilion. This is a 2,200 seat arena and it's part of the Arnold Classic expo weekend, where Triple H will be inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame. Stars advertised include Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Finn Balor, Hideo Itami, Kevin Owens, Adrian Neville and NXT Champion Sami Zayn.

Backstage News On Curtis Axel Working WWE NXT

Curtis Axel worked the recent set of WWE NXT TV tapings and will face Hideo Itami on the next episode. Axel is expected to take over the role that Tyson Kidd had in NXT where he provides main roster star power for a few months.

Hideo Doing A Weekly Column

WWE's Japan website will begin featuring a weekly column from NXT star Hideo Itami on December 26th. The column will follow Hideo's time in NXT with photos and more.

WWE NXT TakeOver: R Evolution Results

Leaders of the new school: Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Adrian Neville, Fergal Devitt and Kevin Steen talk to WWE.com about their generation

In August, NXT sensation Sami Zayn sent out a tweet that, in precisely 140 characters, at once gave hope, elicited excitement and put the sports-entertainment world on notice.

Talking 'bout my g-g-g-generation! @FightSteenFight @WWENeville @fergaldevitt @KENTAK312 @WWEDanielBryan @WWECesaro @WWERollins. Change=now.

— Sami Zayn (@iLikeSamiZayn) August 12, 2014

Some 3,000-plus favorite tweets and retweets later and the buzz surrounding “Zayn’s generation” — let’s call it WWE’s new New Generation — has only intensified. As WWE fans await the in-ring debuts of international Superstars Fergal Devitt and the wrestler formerly known as KENTA, Hideo Itami, and independent wrestling demigod Kevin Steen, WWE.com sat down with the NXT Five inside the place they call home — the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla. — for a roundtable discussion to learn about their connections to each other inside the ring and out. Click here.

EVOLVE co-founder Gabe Sapolsky Comments on WWE NXT

History does repeat itself. I remember when ECW was shunned and ignored in the early days. Then suddenly we saw WWE and WCW embracing the principles and soon the ECW wrestlers. This ignited the biggest boom in the history of US wrestling. Yesterday, we saw some things that lit the Internet on fire because they are new and we didn't expect them. The biggest was HHH posing for a selfie with Kevin Steen, Hideo Itami and Fergal Devitt and then giving huge endorsements to Sami Zayn and Adrian Neville by tweeting that he would like to wrestle them. Kalisto as well as Zayn and Neville brought new excitement to NXT Takeover that had fans tweeting their support. This doesn't even include the impact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose are making on the main roster. WWE has even included me on the The Shield documentary and Paul Heyman DVD. So what's my point? A few years ago, none of this would have happened because the talents from the independents weren't considered "major league." WWE has obviously changed it's thought process and we are hopefully at the dawn of a new era. Will it lead to a boom like in the 90s? I don't know, but I do know that it will lead to new stars and and some fresh wrestling (or sports entertainment in the WWE Universe). The most important thing is that these innovative, cutting edge talents capture the imagination of new, young fans. Given the stage WWE is providing, they can.

Video: KENTA debuts on WWE NXT, reveals his new name

WWE NXT General Manager William Regal officially introduced former Pro Wrestling NOAH star KENTA on Thursday night at the 9/11 TakeOver event on the WWE Network. KENTA announced he would now be going by the name Hideo Itami.

Photo: Triple H with Kenta, Prince Devitt and Kevin Steen

You want a selfie? #NXTTakeOver #LetTheInternetExplode @FightSteenFight @fergaldevitt @KENTAK312 pic.twitter.com/JD8FcvhXxQ

— Triple H (@TripleH) September 11, 2014