ESPN Reveals Full List Of WWE Stars And Air Dates For Stephanie McMahon's 'Stephanie's Places'

The premiere date for the newest ESPN Original Series has now been set. Stephanie’s Places, produced by Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions in partnership with ESPN and WWE, will debut Wednesday, March 26 on ESPN+.

The 10-episode series will follow Stephanie McMahon as she explores the pockets of America that helped shape the journeys of some of the most famous names in WWE history. Names like CM Punk, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Rhea Ripley, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the reigning WWE Champion Cody Rhodes.

"WWE has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” said Stephanie McMahon. “I’m looking forward to having viewers join me as we visit some of the most iconic stars of past and present, in places of meaning for them, and hear how they overcame adversity to become who they are today.”

“The world of WWE has never been more popular and exciting than it is right now,” said Peyton Manning. “There is no one better than Stephanie to tell the stories of WWE’s greatest stars and uncover the moments that shaped them.”

New episodes of Stephanie’s Places will premiere every Wednesday at 12 a.m. ET on ESPN+ and will also be available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ for Disney Bundle subscribers.

April 2 - The Return of CM Punk

Stephanie McMahon visits her husband and WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, at the new WWE Headquarters before she heads to Cleveland for SummerSlam, where she meets up with CM Punk who reflects on his shocking return to the WWE after nearly a decade away from the ring.

April 2 - Cody Rhodes Takes Center Stage

Stephanie meets with “The American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes at the historic Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, the former home of the WCW. Cody shares his unique path to WWE stardom and what he envisions as his legacy.

April 9 - Rhea Ripley’s Rise

Stephanie visits the WWE Performance Center in Orlando where she meets up with Rhea Ripley and the WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels to discuss how the next generation of stars are trained. Later, Rhea surprises Stephanie with a dramatic makeover to prepare for a wild entrance.

April 16 - Stone Cold Rides Again

Stephanie spends a day with Steve Austin at Broken Skull Ranch to learn about how he became ‘Stone Cold’ and life after the WWE. The two end their day with Stephanie experiencing Steve’s newest adventure: off-road racing.

April 23 - The Evolution of Charlotte Flair

Stephanie meets up with the “Queen”, Charlotte Flair at Nassau Coliseum to discuss the origins and evolution of women in the WWE, before they take a helicopter to MetLife to relive her epic WrestleMania 35 arrival.

April 30 - Roman Reigns and The Bloodline

Stephanie hits the open waters of Miami on a yacht with Roman Reigns and “The Bloodline” to discuss the Anoa'i family's wrestling legacy. Stephanie then enjoys some traditional Samoan cuisine alongside the family, including a unique delicacy.

May 7 - Pat McAfee Can’t Be Stopped

Stephanie sits down with Pat McAfee to find out how the art of a WWE “promo” helped him become one of the biggest names in sports and entertainment. A visit to Indianapolis allows Stephanie to pick Pat’s brain and hear his unlikely journey from NFL punter to podcaster and his dream job at WWE.

May 14 - Digging Deep with Undertaker

Stephanie heads to Madison Square Garden, the location of the first WrestleMania, and meets up with The Undertaker. They discuss his career and his own iconic moments at the Garden.

May 21 - Triple H’s Perfect Entrance

Stephanie and Triple H examine the power of an iconic WWE entrance, later they head to Las Vegas to get a first-hand look at the pageantry and spectacle that can only be found at WrestleMania.

May 28 - John Cena’s Final Round

Stephanie meets up with John Cena as he reflects on his incredible 20-plus year sports entertainment journey. She gets a tour of his personal gym and sees how one of the most decorated WWE Superstars of all time stays at the top of his game as he winds down his incredible career.

Sports Illustrated: 20 Greatest WWE Wrestlers Of All Time

20 - Becky Lynch

19 - Mick Foley

18 - Chris Jericho

17 - CM Punk

16 - Andre the Giant

15 - Randy Orton

14 - Edge

13 - Rowdy Roddy Piper

12 - Kurt Angle

11 - Macho Man Randy Savage

10 - Bruno Sammartino

9 - Bret Hart

8 - Shawn Michaels

7 - Triple H

6 - The Undertaker

5 - Roman Reigns

4 - John Cena

3 - The Rock

2 - Hulk Hogan

1 - Stone Cold Steve Austin

WWE touts historic numbers for Money in the Bank premium live event

 

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, today announced that Money In The Bank 2024, which featured the surprise announcement of WWE Superstar John Cena's retirement in 2025, became the highest-grossing WWE arena event in Canada in company history.

In addition to the record-setting weekend, WrestleMania XL: Behind the Curtain has amassed more than 2.3 million total viewers since its July 3 debut on WWE’s YouTube channel. The documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of the chaotic build to WrestleMania XL and features interviews with Dwayne Johnson, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and WWE Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque.

"Weekends that bring visitors en masse to our host cities play an important part in our planning process,” said WWE President Nick Khan. “The results are a testament to our Superstars, our creative team led by Paul Levesque, our media & production team led by Lee Fitting and, most importantly, our fans who both attended and created our massive viewership."

Money In The Bank highlights include:

GATE: Money In The Bank 2024 became the highest-grossing WWE arena event in Canada in company history.

ATTENDANCE: More than 45,000 fans attended the four events running Thursday to Sunday, including the debut of WWE Superstar Sami Zayn’s comedy show, Sami Zayn & Friends Do Toronto, in addition to Friday Night SmackDown, Money In The Bank and NXT Heatwave at Scotiabank Arena.

VIEWERSHIP: Saturday’s show became the most-watched Money In The Bank of all time, with viewership up 46 percent from last year’s record-setting number.

JOHN CENA: WWE Superstar John Cena made international news with his announcement that he will retire from in-ring action following The Last Time Is Now John Cena Farewell Tour in 2025.

MERCHANDISE: In partnership with Fanatics, merchandise sales were up from last year’s record-setting number, with the Canadian-themed Money In The Bank briefcase grabbing the top spot as the best-selling item of the weekend.

FAN HOSPITALITY: Money In The Bank weekend set a revenue record for fan experience packages offered by exclusive partner On Location.

SOCIAL: Cena’s retirement announcement amassed more than 65 million social media views in the first 24 hours, making it WWE’s most-viewed social segment since WrestleMania XL.

Sika Anoaʻi, One Half of The Wild Samoans and Father of Roman Reigns Passes Away Aged 79

Legendary wrestler Leati Sika Amituana'i Anoaʻi, known to fans as Sika, has passed away.

Sika, along with his brother Afa, was a dominant force in tag team wrestling. The Wild Samoans, as they were known, captured the WWF Tag Team Championship three times. Their ferocity and innovative moves left a lasting impact on the sport. Sika's legacy extends beyond the ring. He was the father of WWE superstars Roman Reigns and the late Rosey.

Sika's contributions to wrestling were recognized in 2007 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as part of The Wild Samoans.

One of Sika Anoa’i’s nephews, Jahrus Anoa’i, took to his Instagram to share the sad news. He noted that Sika had passed away on June 25th. He wrote a touching message about the legacy of the WWE Hall of Famer, one that will surely bring a tear to anyone’s eye.

"It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of former Hall of Famer, Polaivao Leati Sika Anoa’i. He passed away peacefully on June 25th. Sika was a celebrated figure whose contributions and legacy have left an indelible mark. His memory will live on through his achievements and the many lives he touched.

He was many things: a hard-working father, a caring brother, a supportive uncle, and a proud grandfather. He was a cherished friend to many, a loving family member whose warmth and kindness knew no bounds, and an inspiration to countless individuals. His legacy will continue to inspire and uplift future generations, reminding us of the impact one person’s life can have on so many. Rest in love, Uncle Sika 🤍🕊️ #wildsamoans #halloffamer #sikaanoai"

Ric Flair On Bret Hart, 'God He's Bitter'

Ric Flair recently addressed Bret Hart’s criticisms of others in the wrestling business on a Jeff Jarrett's My World podcast. He called his fellow WWE Hall Of Famer "bitter"

“What I do wanna do is be able to walk into the building and not have people say, ‘God, he’s bitter, he’s old, and he’s gonna continue to knock people. I couldn’t live like that. And calling Roman Reigns the next Triple H or cracking on him… I mean, how uncomfortable is that for people in the family to walk around in front of Hunter [Triple H]? And Shawn [Michaels], who is an integral part of the company. NXT, that’s part of the company, right? What else? Jerry Lawler… ‘Jerry Lawler hit me with a chair too hard.’ Wow, okay… I don’t understand it. I don’t ever wanna be that lonely.”

“I don’t know what happened there [Hart’s problem with Eric Bischoff], and now he’s blaming Eric for everything. Eric made him rich. I don’t know how you blame Eric. I was talking to Eric the other day. I said, ‘It’s the flavor of the week. He’s mad at Goldberg one week, mad at me the next, something I didn’t do, I was repetitive.’ Well, you wrestle an hour every night 280 times [a year], which he wouldn’t know nothing about, and you’re gonna get slammed off the top, that’s called taking a bump. How many press slams did you take, Bret? None.” 

Source: sportskeeda.com

Paramount Animation & WWE Studios Partner For Upcoming Feature ‘Rumble

Paramount Animation is teaming with WWE Studios on the upcoming summer 2020 release Rumble, which is set in a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes.

The pic will headline the voice cast of Will Arnett, Terry Crews, Geraldine Viswanathan plus WWE Superstars Becky Lynch (The Marine 6: Close Quarters) and Roman Reigns (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). In addition, Tony Danza, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz and Michael Buffer will also be part of the voiceover cast.

Directed by Hamish Grieve, Rumble follows Winnie who seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a loveable underdog monster into a wrestling champion.

Pic is produced by Mark Bakshi and Brad Booker. Susan Levison and Richard Lowell will serve as EPs for WWE Studios. Reel FX and Walden Media are also producers on Rumble.

WWE Studios recently produced the Dwayne Johnson feature film Fighting with My Familywith the actor’s Seven Bucks and MGM. WWE is currently in production on the Netflix feature The Main Event, The Big Show Show for the streamer and Fight Like a Girl, an unscripted series for Quibi. Recent projects also include Andre the Giant, an Emmy-nominated documentary in partnership with HBO, as well as hit shows Total Divas and Total Bellas on E! and Miz & Mrs. on USA.

Said Mireille Soria, President of Paramount Animation, “Rumble is steeped in the world of wrestling, and what better partners to help bring this world to life than WWE. They bring a pedigree and institutional excellence that is unmatched, and we couldn’t be happier to collaborate with them on this special film. We are thrilled to have a seasoned and dynamic cast in place to breathe life into this exciting story, and can’t wait to bring it to audiences.”

Seth Rollins Takes Top Spot In Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers List

This year’s Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Top 500 Wrestlers have been revealed and Current Universal Champion Seth Rollins has taken the top spot.

The list takes into consideration a number of factors such as win/loss record, techincal ability, and success in the year period from July 31-June 30.

Below are the top 10 of the 500.

- Seth Rollins
- Daniel Bryan
- AJ Styles
- Kofi Kingston
- Okada
- Johnny Gargano
- Roman Reigns
- Kenny Omega
- Tanahashi
- Will Ospreay

WWE 2K20 Cover Superstars, Release Date And Collector's Edition Revealed

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–2K today announced current Raw® Women’s Champion Becky Lynch® and WWE Superstar Roman Reigns™ as the cover Superstars for WWE® 2K20, the forthcoming release in the flagship WWE video game franchise. Lynch and Reigns will serve as ambassadors for WWE 2K20’s worldwide marketing campaign – “Step Inside” – which invites players to enter the world of WWE and face a variety of new and exciting challenges in the virtual ring. WWE 2K20 is currently scheduled for worldwide release on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and the Xbox One family of devices, including the Xbox One X and Windows PC. Players who purchase the WWE 2K20 Deluxe Edition or Collector’s Edition will receive in-game bonuses, including playable Superstars Chyna, Hulk Hogan, Mankind and The Rock®, in addition to the Standard Edition game.

“My career has been about breaking barriers and doing what nobody else has done before. Being the first female Superstar on the cover of a WWE 2K video game is no exception,” said Becky Lynch.

“As a gamer myself, being on the cover of WWE 2K20 alongside ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch and joining the likes of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and John Cena is a huge career and personal milestone for me,” said Roman Reigns.

WWE 2K20, in direct response to fan feedback, will include several franchise firsts alongside streamlined gameplay and a variety of popular modes. The story-driven, objective-based 2K Showcase: The Women’s Evolution will follow the careers of the Four Horsewomen – Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley®, Charlotte Flair® and Sasha Banks®. Controls will be streamlined to allow new players to jump into the game more easily, while experienced players will still enjoy a challenge.

In addition, WWE 2K20 players will be able to compete as both male and female Superstars in MyCAREER and Mixed Tag matches, while last year’s popular WWE Towers returns with exciting new challenges, including a story-driven Tower centered around the career of Roman Reigns.

The game will also introduce a new service model – WWE 2K20 Originals – set to deliver a wealth of 2K Showcase add-on content for player exploration beyond the game’s initial launch. Each of the WWE 2K20 Originals will present a new playable world and its own unique theme, with more details to be announced in the coming months. WWE 2K20 Originals is downloadable content that may require additional purchase.

“Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns embody passion, determination and perseverance, and they’re both major game changers within the larger WWE landscape,” said Chris Snyder, Vice President of Marketing for 2K. “They are the spirit of WWE 2K20, which is going to introduce changes requested by our fans. They asked for female-driven MyCAREER and 2K Showcase offerings, and we’re giving them just that, as well as streamlined controls and our brand new WWE 2K20 Originals. We can’t wait to reveal more details soon.”

Roman Reigns Wins First-Ever WWE Award At ESPN's ESPYS, Reigns Comments, Top WWE Stars In Attendance

Roman Reigns just won the first-ever Best WWE Moment award at the 2019 ESPN ESPYS from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Reigns won the award for his "triumphant return to Monday Night RAW" earlier this year following his second battle with leukemia.

The other nominees were Becky Lynch for winning the RAW Women's Title and SmackDown Women's Title at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston for winning the WWE Title at WrestleMania 35, and Ronda Rousey for winning her first RAW Women's Title at SummerSlam 2018.

As we've noted, this was the first time that WWE had an award category at the ESPYS, under the Best Performance category.

"For to me just to be able to be healthy was the only award I needed. This is just so flattering for everyone to kind of lift me up and show me that support system and love from everybody," Reigns said in WWE's announcement on the award. "It was never about awards or anything like that. It was just about awareness, it was just about sharing my story and hopefully someone could use it for a little bit of hope."

WWE noted that Reigns was congratulated during during the red carpet special by Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, the RAW Women's Champion Lynch, and WWE Universal Champion Seth Rollins.

WWE Receives Its Own Category At This Year's ESPYS

For the first time, WWE is getting a "Best WWE Moment" under the Best Performance category at this year's ESPYS, which will be hosted by Tracy Morgan on July 10 at 8 pm ET on ABC.

The nominees for the award are: Roman Reigns' return after his battle with Leukemia, Becky Lynch wins the WWE RAW and SmackDown Women's Championships at WrestleMania 35, Kofi Kingston wins his first WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35, and Ronda Rousey becomes WWE RAW Women's Champion.

Voting is done by the fans via ESPN's site, which you can do by clicking here.

WWE Confirms Bill Goldberg, Brock Lesnar and Undertaker for Upcoming Saudi Arabian PPV

The following press release comes from WWE.com:

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA and STAMFORD, Conn. — The Saudi General Sports Authority, in partnership with WWE, will host an event at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m. AST. The event will feature WWE Superstars Roman Reigns, Undertaker, Kofi Kingston, Braun Strowman, Seth Rollins, Goldberg, AJ Styles and Brock Lesnar, and stream live on WWE Network.

Additional details on the event’s matches, ticket availability and pricing, and regional broadcast information will be announced in the coming weeks.

Roman Reigns announces his leukemia is in remission

“The Big Dog is back!”

So said Roman Reigns on Monday Night Raw, four months after the former Universal Champion revealed to the WWE Universe that he would be stepping away from the ring to battle leukemia, a condition that he has lived with for 11 years.

“When I made my announcement, I said I was going to swing for the fences. We did better than that, y’all. We didn’t just swing for the fences, man, we hit a homerun,” Reigns said. “I’m in remission, y’all.”

Roman Reigns relinquishes the Universal Title to fight against Leukemia

In the opening moments of Raw, Roman Reigns emerged to announce that he had been living with leukemia for 11 years and the disease's return would force him to relinquish the Universal Championship and take a leave of absence from WWE.

Dressed in street clothes, The Big Dog mingled briefly with fans at ringside before dropping the persona of Roman Reigns to address the WWE Universe as Joe and detail his history of living with leukemia. In an emotional but optimistic address, Reigns recounted his initial diagnosis and remission in late 2008 and thanked the WWE Universe for making his dreams come true. He said he was going to go home to focus on his family and health, but he made one thing clear on the way out: “This is by no means a retirement speech.”

Speaking of the “faith” that had carried him through his life, Reigns promised the WWE Universe that he would return to “swing for the fences” at whatever curveballs life threw at him, with a final signoff before a tearful embrace with The Shield atop the ramp: “I will beat this, and I will be back, so you will see me very, very soon.”

Triple H Hits Social Media Milestone

Triple H hit 7 million followers on Twitter, making him the third most followed pro wrestling personality behind only The Rock and John Cena. The top 10 most followed WWE personalities as it stands right now are:

1. The Rock (12.6 million)

2. John Cena (10.9 million)

3. Triple H (7.1 million)

4. Randy Orton (5.8 million)

5. Sheamus 4.8 (million)

6. Steve Austin (4.4 million)

7. Daniel Bryan (4.3 million)

8. Shawn Michaels (3.9 million)

9. Nikki Bella (3.4 million)

10. Chris Jericho (3.4 million)

Roman Reigns is close to cracking the list, sitting at #11 with 3 million followers.

Roman Reigns Issues Statement About Recent Allegations Involving Steroid Ring

In an update on the story involving Roman Reigns being named as part of a steroid distribution scandal, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion issued the following statement to PWInsider.com:

“I have never heard of Richard Rodriguez or Wellness Fitness Nutrition. I learned from the mistake I made nearly two years ago and paid the penalty for it. Since then, I’ve passed 11 tests as part of WWE’s independent drug testing program.”

Daniel Bryan on Roman Reigns being WWE's next John Cena

WrestleMania 30 was the height of Daniel Bryan's career, as not only was he the most over superstar in the company, but it was in the main event of this show that he defeated Randy Orton and Batista to claim the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Many thought this would be the start of Bryan becoming WWE's new John Cena and the top superstar in the company, as it was around this time as well that Cena started to do more feuds with upcoming superstars and more projects outside of the company.

However, WWE didn't go with The King of Beards in the end, as Vince McMahon wanted Roman Reigns to be the next face of the company instead despite fan's reaction to him.

Speaking recently on the E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness, Bryan discussed how he felt when he was first told about WWE's plans to move with Reigns as the next John Cena.

Via StillRealToUs, The SmackDown Live general manager recalled his conversation with Vince McMahon, as the WWE Chairman said to him: “You know, we really want to push Roman to be the next John Cena.”

Bryan said in reply: “Boss, I one hundred percent support that, but I just want you to know that I want to be the next John Cena.”

Daniel Bryan revealed he's not the confrontational type that would say, 'I’m the man. I want you to push me,' but he did reiterate in his conversation with Vince that he would be pushing himself to be the next John Cena of the WWE no matter what.

Bryan said to Vince: “To be honest with you sir, that’s great that you want that for him. I want to be the next John Cena, and I’m going to push myself to be that person.”

Bryan retired from in-ring wrestling in February 2016 due to medical issues and was named as SmackDown Live's general manager not long after, but recently, he has been teasing a return to the ring, whether that's with or not with the WWE.

As for Reigns, WWE is still pushing him as their next face of the company, with him rumored to main event WrestleMania once more next year in New Orleans, which would be his fourth WrestleMania main event in a row.

Triple H on why Roman Reigns shouldn't be turned heel

For years now we have been hearing the same thing be said about Roman Reigns that has been said about John Cena - turn him heel.

Cena has had an extremely successful career in WWE, having won a record-tying 16 World Heavyweight Titles, four Tag Team Championships, five United States Title wins, the 2012 Money In The Ban Ladder Match winner, and two Royal Rumble match wins (2008, 2013). For the past few years, however, Cena has taken a bit of a backseat to the WWE main event picture while he pursues other ventures in film. In his absence a new face has emerged and is being groomed to assume the top spot in WWE - Roman Reigns.

Top 10 Highest Paid WWE Superstars

The highest paid WWE Superstars of 2016 have been revealed by Forbes who used data compiled from WWE’s booking contracts, pay documents, public filings as well as interviews with industry insiders. Below are the top 10.

10: Randy Orton - $1.9 million

9: Seth Rollins - $2 million

8: The Undertaker - $2 million

7: Shane McMahon - $2.2 million

6: AJ Styles - $2.4 million

5: Dean Ambrose - $2.7 million

4: Roman Reigns - $3.5 million

3: Triple H - $ 3.8 million

2: John Cena - $8 million

1: Brock Lesnar - $12 million

Roman Reigns Ranked Number 1 By PWI Top 500 List

Roman Reigns has been ranked as the number one wrestler in the world according to PWI Top 500 List. The list was evaulated from July 1st 2015 all the way to June 30th of 2016. During that time, Reigns won the WWE title three times from that point on.

Reigns had the following to say to PWI about being number 1:

"Thank you, man. It's crazy. Last year, was I what, three or four? To just remain in that same company, to be in that class with those guys, it's a world class. It's a great honor and it goes with a lot of hard work. It's very flattering, it just shows that if you keep your head down and stick to your day-to-day, you grind it out and take the long road, good things happen. It is a great achievement and another great accolade."

New Universal Champion Crowned on WWE Raw Tonight, Triple H Returns to TV to Help the Fatal Four Way Winner

As seen on WWE Raw tonight, Kevin Owens won the four way elimination match to become the new WWE Universal Champion.

The match came down to Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, and then Triple H made a surprise return to WWE TV. Triple H delivered the pedigree to Reigns, allowing Seth Rollins to get the pin fall on Reigns. Triple H then stunned the WWE Universe by hitting the Pedigree on Seth Rollins which allowed Kevin Owens to score the pin fall on Rollins and win the match and become the new WWE Universal Champion.