New Details on WWE Talent Releases, Including Who Made the Call

How and why the decision was made to cut two dozen wrestlers from WWE main roster and NXT this past Friday night.

Friday, April 24 was an extremely difficult night for WWE employees and fans alike as the company executed a number of post-WrestleMania talent cuts.

This has unfortunately become an annual occurrence, to the point that many in the locker room were speculating that the releases would take place all week long, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful Select.

Former WWE Women's Champion Nikki Cross was the first to announce her departure, doing so on her X account at 5:21 p.m. ET. She made her announcement roughly 20 minutes after the company began informing two dozen wrestlers that they were being released or that their contracts were not going to be renewed.

Not long after Cross hit publish on her post, it was public knowledge that all of the Wyatt Sicks would be leaving the company, along with Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, Kairi Sane, Motor City Machine Guns and a bevy of others.

When diving into the how and why these cuts were made, Sean Ross Sapp noted that while there has been a great deal of chatter about TKO making the calls for them, the final decisions were made at the WWE level.

WWE President, Chief Content Officer and talent relations department made the tough calls of cutting talent "Triple H, Nick Khan and WWE talent relations were ultimately the primary decision makers," Ross Sapp said in his report Sunday night. "WWE sources indicated that majority of releases were to make way for new talent, and the possibility of SmackDown reducing to two hours in the near future."

The insiders at BodySlam did report earlier in the day on Sunday that SmackDown would be moving back to two hours within the next few weeks, a call that was apparently made by the USA Network.

A disproportionate number of SmackDown stars were released when compared to those in the Raw locker room who will soon be hitting free agency. Both brands, however, were hit with an infusion of NXT talent this week, including Ethan Page, Sol Ruca, Joe Hendry, Fatal Influence, Blake Monroe and Ricky Saints.

A number of releases at the NXT level were reportedly made with a new recruit class expected at the Performance Center in Orlando in the very near future.

Some of the releases were a bit more surprising than the others. Santos Escobar, for example. WWE re-signed him to a big-money deal just this past year and then never used him on the main roster. He made several appearances for AAA before suffering an injury that required surgery, and Escobar is expected to be sidelined for several more months.

"This used to be against the company's policy, but has happened a number of times in recent years," Ross Sapp said of injured talent being released. "Karl Anderson, BJ Ray and Ridge Holland were all released or not extended while they were awaiting clearance."

Zoey Stark is another talent who has been out injured. She tore her ACL and MCL in a Money in the Bank Qualifying Match last May, but sources told Fightful Select that she was recently cleared to return to the ring. She'll be good to go wherever she chooses once her right of termination and requisite notice is up in 90 days.

One talent who is expected to garner heavy interest on the free agent market is Kairi Sane. The multi-time Women's Tag Team Champion was among the more shocking company departures, considering she's been a key figure in the ongoing rivalry between IYO SKY and Asuka on Monday Night Raw.

"There was heavy frustration to her being cut before any real payoff to the story was made," Ross Sapp said in his report.

Kairi Sane has received a significant amount of support on social media from both her friends and the WWE Universe. The hashtag "WeWantKairi" has been trending on X for much of the weekend.

source: si.com

23 WWE Wrestlers Cut in Massive Shakeup

Inside WWE’s latest mass releases: why 23 superstars were let go, how it impacts Raw, SmackDown, and NXT, and what’s next for the fired wrestlers.

In the days following WrestleMania 42, WWE made a sweeping round of roster cuts, releasing more than 20 superstars across its main roster and NXT brands in a move that has quickly reshaped the company’s landscape.

According to CBS News, among the most notable names are Aleister Black, Zelina Vega, and Kairi Sane—all of whom had active roles on television heading into WrestleMania season. Vega confirmed her departure during a Twitch stream, while additional releases were reported shortly after.

Black’s exit stands out in particular. The former upper-midcard fixture had built momentum in recent months, picking up wins over high-profile opponents, including Sami Zayn and Randy Orton.

His return to WWE just one year ago, following a run outside the company, had positioned him as a potential breakout name—but that trajectory appears to have ended abruptly.

Vega, his real-life partner, was also a consistent presence on SmackDown.

Elsewhere, Sane’s departure halts her involvement in a long-running storyline tied to Damage CTRL, alongside Asuka, Iyo Sky, and Bayley. The group had also been featured prominently on WWE programming.

Several members tied to the Wyatt Sicks faction—including Bo Dallas, Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Dexter Lumis, and Erick Rowan—were also let go. The group, introduced in 2024 as a tribute to the late Bray Wyatt, had recently wrapped a feud after losing a multi-man street fight.

Cross addressed her departure publicly, writing, “Goodbye and thank you, WWE… I’m really excited for whatever my next chapter will hold,” while also acknowledging the coaches and performers who shaped her career.

The cuts extend beyond those names, with additional talent including Apollo Crews, Santos Escobar, and Zoey Stark others reportedly parting ways with the company.

The scale of the releases reflects a familiar pattern for WWE, which often reevaluates its roster following WrestleMania, its biggest annual event.

Road Dogg Brian James Gone From WWE Amid Major Creative Shake-Up

There's been a major creative reshuffle within WWE that's seen veteran Road Dogg leave the company.

With WWE's biggest show of the year just around the corner, the sports entertainment giant is undergoing some pretty big creative changes.

The folks over at Bodyslam were the first to report on Thursday after that the Road Dogg, Brian James, is out as co-lead writer of Friday Night SmackDown and has departed the company.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider has since corroborated BodySlam's report and added that it was Road Dogg who made the decision to leave the company. No specific reasoning for his decision was given.

The WWE Hall of Famer had been with the company in a creative capacity since 2014, aside from seven months away in 2022, and worked in a variety of roles backstage before being named co-lead writer for the Blue Brand last year.

Road Dogg's appointment to the positions garnered a significant amount of criticism from fans online, however, the recently retired AJ Styles went public in his defense and called on people to give him a chance. The former tag team champion had previously held the same position in the run-up to WrestleMania 35 back in 2019.

James was also heavily featured in season two of WWE Unreal on Netflix, where fans were given a behind-the-scenes look into creative meetings as Road Dogg made pitches for the likes of R-Truth and Chelsea Green.

source: si.com

WWE 2K26 announced with an Attitude Era throwback

2K Games has announced WWE 2K26, the next game in its long-running professional wrestling video game series.

The new game was announced during Friday Night Smackdown with an Attitude Era Edition, featuring a cover adorned with stars from the Attitude Era of the WWE such as Triple H and The Rock. The Attitude Era was a period between 1997 and 2002 that saw an increase in edgier content and unpredictable storylines.

In addition to the Attitude Era Edition, WWE 2K26 will have at least two more specially themed editions -- a Monday Night War Edition, referencing an overlapping era of weekly events during the Attitude Era, as well as a King of Kings Edition, which prominently features Triple H.

No further details have been revealed for the game yet, including the details for what's included in each edition, new gameplay features, or platforms. Las year's entry was released on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch 2. WWE 2K25 was the first game in the series to be released on the Nintendo Switch 2. It was released to generally positive reviews, with critics praising the small but meaningful additions, including the addition of intergender matches and improved presentation and performance.

The full reveal of the standard cover of WWE 2K26, including its cover star and new features and details about the game, will take place on Jan. 30, 2026.

Las Vegas Approves $6 Million Payment To WWE For WrestleMania 42

According to a report from LV Sports Biz, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) is preparing to approve a $6 million payment to WWE in support of WrestleMania 42, which is set to take place next April. The approval is expected to be made official during the board’s upcoming meeting on Wednesday, November 12.

The report notes that LVCVA CEO Steve Hill is an enthusiastic supporter of WrestleMania and has often spoken about the significant economic and cultural impact the event brings to the city.

WWE will once again stage WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, marking the first time since 1989 that the event has been held in the same city two years in a row. As part of WrestleMania weekend, WWE is also set to host several major events including SmackDown, NXT Stand & Deliver, and the Hall of Fame ceremony.

Originally, WrestleMania 42 was scheduled to take place at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on April 11 and 12, 2026. However, plans shifted, and the show will now take place at Allegiant Stadium on April 18 and 19, 2026. To compensate, New Orleans has been confirmed as the host city for the 2026 Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, scheduled for September 6.

WWE Reportedly Exploring Creative Changes After Recent Criticism

WWE and parent company TKO are experiencing another banner year when it comes to ticket sales, merchandising, and in particular, landing multi-billion dollar media rights agreements.

It is more than fair to say, however, that the honeymoon period with Paul 'Triple H' Levesque as WWE's Chief Content Officer has come to an end.

Fans have been more critical of the company's booking practices in 2025 than they ever were during Levesque's previous years in control. The headlining gripe, of course, has been the handling of John Cena's retirement tour.

His shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber was a very promising start, but despite a few glimmering moments — such as his pipebomb promo on CM Punk — many feel WWE has completely dropped the ball with Cena's final run.

That's not entirely on Levesque, as The Rock's abrupt departure from the story left Cena to carry the weight of the entire arc without the lead protagonist that finally talked him into abandoning his principles.

It wasn't working. WWE knew it. Cena knew it and the entire angle was dropped ahead of SummerSlam. However, just as Cena was catching fire with spectacular matches against Cody Rhodes and Sami Zayn, the WWE creative team made the conscious decision to have Brock Lesnar squash him at WrestlePalooza.

He'll now face AJ Styles at Crown Jewel this Saturday, with absolutely zero build up on WWE programming. Outside of a few video packages highlighting their rivalry from 2016 and 2017, and Styles quite literally saying on Raw that they don't need a story for this match.

A lack of compelling storytelling overall, especially when it comes to many of WWE's female superstars, has been another cause of aggravation for fans this year.

Even some of the company's top champions have fallen victim to lackluster creative unbefitting of the talent involved. Tiffany Stratton's rivalry with Jade Cargill and the U.S. Title reigns of Zelina Vega and Giulia serving as prime examples.

Distraction finishes and post-match attacks have become heavily leaned on crutches. Almost as though WWE is overly concerned with protecting everyone, that as a result, no one ever truly goes over.

Pacing has been another major issue. Whether that's finding time to consistently feature the WWE World Tag Team Championships during a two and half hour Monday Night Raw, or on a grander scale, effectively moving from PLE to PLE with often just weeks in between shows.

No one is suggesting that the job of Levesque and his creative team is easy, and the product today is still miles ahead of where it was during the latter years of the Vince McMahon era, but WWE reportedly knows improvements need to be made.

The folks over at BodySlam say the company has taken notice of the audience's criticisms this year and meetings have been held recently to discuss how to best adjust the creative process.

"Sources indicate to Bodyslam that WWE is undergoing creative changes to their team to overall improve the product. Road Dogg will continue to be head of creative for SmackDown, but there will be additions to the team to make the show more enjoyable moving forward."

The general consensus is that Raw has consistently been the better of the two brands for some time now. Creative adjustments on the SmackDown side of things should be welcomed news to those who tune in every Friday night.

source: si.com

Update On WWE Programming On Peacock

A new report provides an update on WWE‘s programming on Peacock.

WWE shows are on the move, as SmackDown has moved to USA Network, while NXT will premiere on The CW Network on October 1.

Steven Muelhausen of The Takedown on SI reports that, per a Peacock spokesperson, as part of their agreement with WWE, SmackDown’s complete past season library is available, while new episodes will be available only 30 days after airing on USA.

With RAW, new episodes will be available 30 days after airing, as the show will remain on USA Network through the end of 2024.

The spokesperson also said that Peacock will no longer have the libraries of NXT and RAW when their contracts expire. The streaming service will have countdown clocks to inform viewers of their expiration dates starting on September 19 and December 2, respectively.

Muelhausen also writes that a WWE spokesperson said that all PLEs will continue to air exclusively on Peacock.

WWE RAW will move to Netflix in January 2025. It is currently unclear how this may affect programming otherwise.

source: WrestleZone

Netflix to Become New Home of WWE Raw Beginning 2025

WWE, part of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), and Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX) today announced a long-term partnership that will bring WWE’s flagship weekly program – Raw – to the world’s leading entertainment service. This marks a major programming shift as Raw leaves linear television for the first time since its inception 31 years ago.

Beginning in January 2025, Netflix will be the exclusive new home of Raw in the U.S., Canada, U.K. and Latin America, among other territories, with additional countries and regions to be added over time. Likewise, as part of the agreement, Netflix will also become the home for all WWE shows and specials outside the U.S. as available, inclusive of Raw and WWE’s other weekly shows – SmackDown and NXT – as well as the company’s Premium Live Events, including WrestleMania, SummerSlam and Royal Rumble. WWE’s award-winning documentaries, original series and forthcoming projects will also be available on Netflix internationally beginning in 2025.

“This deal is transformative,” said Mark Shapiro, TKO President and COO. “It marries the can’t-miss WWE product with Netflix’s extraordinary global reach and locks in significant and predictable economics for many years. Our partnership fundamentally alters and strengthens the media landscape, dramatically expands the reach of WWE, and brings weekly live appointment viewing to Netflix.”

“We are excited to have WWE Raw, with its huge and passionate multigenerational fan base, on Netflix,” said Netflix Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria. “By combining our reach, recommendations, and fandom with WWE, we’ll be able to deliver more joy and value for their audiences and our members. Raw is the best of sports entertainment, blending great characters and storytelling with live action 52 weeks a year and we’re thrilled to be in this long-term partnership with WWE.”

“In its relatively short history, Netflix has engineered a phenomenal track record for storytelling,” said Nick Khan, WWE President. “We believe Netflix, as one of the world’s leading entertainment brands, is the ideal long-term home for Raw’s live, loyal, and ever-growing fan base.” 

With 1,600 episodes to date, Raw is the most iconic show in sports entertainment. Since its debut in 1993, Raw has delivered action, compelling drama and unmatched athleticism – 52 weeks a year. Blending the best of scripted content with unpredictable live entertainment, the three-hour show has helped launch the careers of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Triple  H, John Cena, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair and Charlotte Flair.

The show is currently the No. 1 show on USA Network, where it brings in 17.5 million unique viewers over the course of the year. One of television’s best performing shows in the 18-49 advertising demographic, Raw trends on X 52 weeks a year while each new episode is airing. On social media, WWE has more than one billion followers across its platforms.

WWE Reportedly Sets All-Time Record At Madison Square Garden Live Event

Business is booming for WWE right now, with the promotion reportedly setting an all-time record at the recent Madison Square Garden live event.

"Fightful Select" has reported that the December 26 live event at the iconic New York venue is the highest-grossing domestic non-televised event in the history of the promotion. The show saw CM Punk wrestle for the first time since his return to WWE, defeating former "NXT" North American Champion, Dominik Mysterio, whom he will face once again at a live event in California. The report added that WWE has stated internally that the show was sold out, with WrestleTix revealing that over 15,000 tickets were sold for the show. 

"Fightful" has also revealed that the live event in Baltimore, featuring the "WWE SmackDown" roster, was the highest-grossing non-televised WWE show in the region.

The stacked card at the Madison Square Garden show featured several of "WWE Raw's" top stars, including the likes of Rhea Ripley, Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Becky Lynch, and Cody Rhodes. Rollins and McIntyre closed out the event, where the former retained his WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Finn Balor and Damian Priest retained their tag team titles against Sami Zayn and Jey Uso, while WWE Women's World Champion Rhea Ripley defeated Ivy Nile and Shayna Baszler in a triple threat match.

The "Raw" and "SmackDown" rosters have a string of live events lined up ahead of the new year. This week's "SmackDown" will air a best-of show, recapping the highlights of 2023 from the blue brand, much like the "Raw" show on Christmas day.

Paul Levesque On WWE’s Merger With Endeavor: ‘I Can’t Tell You How Excited I Am’

Front row at Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater last night for the Callum Walsh-Ismael Villarreal boxing match were UFC CEO Dana White, WWE President Nick Khan, and WWE Head of Creative Paul “Triple H” Levesque.

 
The fight aired on UFC Fight Pass, which is investing more resources into its boxing and building around potential cornerstones like Walsh. A highly touted super welterweight prospect, Walsh (9-0) won a closely contested bout by unanimous decision, earning Levesque’s respect with his performance.

 
“It’s the first time I had the chance to see him fight live,” said Levesque, who spoke with Sports Illustrated while ringside. “He’s so well-rounded. I think this kid has it on all levels.”

 
Levesque marveled at the ten-round performance of the 22-year-old Walsh, who extended his undefeated streak with the victory.

 
“No matter what the genre, when you reach the next level, there are nerves and second-guessing that come at this level–and maybe a part of you that doesn’t believe in your hype,” said Levesque. “When you get to a certain level, a lot of it is a head game. To see how poised he is at this level, it’s awesome to see.”

 
Levesque is in the midst of a superb run of storytelling in WWE, especially since the company’s merger with Endeavor, which is also the parent company of the UFC. An old-school booker willing to embrace wrestling’s modern aspects, Levesque is molding Raw and SmackDown back into must-see products. Raw has been especially strong, with seemingly minute details–like advertised matches taking place–allowing multiple talents to have significant storylines.

 
Endeavor CEO has tasked Levesque to oversee all of WWE’s creative, a role he relishes.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” said Levesque. “Working with Endeavor, it’s next level. The flywheel for all the things they touch–if you were trying to build that on your own, it’s taking you a decade. For us, now, it fast tracks everything we’re doing.

 
“Endeavor, UFC, they’re the best in the business at what they do. They put things on a different level of professionalism, and we fit right into that. The future is so bright because of the opportunities Endeavor is going to provide for us and the synergies that are there. We’re going to take this to a whole new level.”

source:  si.com

WWE’s ‘Smackdown’ to Move from Fox to USA Network in New Rights Deal

WWE’s “SmackDown” is officially set to return to USA Network in a new five-year rights deal.

The weekly show currently airs on Fox but will move to its new network home in October 2024 when the Fox deal expires. “Smackdown” originally began airing on Fox in 2019 as part of a five-year deal between the network and WWE. It had previously aired on USA Network from 2016-2019 and had a number of network homes before that, including Syfy, The CW, UPN, and MyNetworkTV.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources say the new deal is worth roughly $1.4 billion, up from the $1 billion Fox paid in 2019. As part of the new deal for “Smackdown,” WWE will produce four primetime specials per year for NBC, marking the first time that WWE will air in primetime on the network. It is unknown at this time exactly what form those primetime specials will take, i.e. if they will feature live wrestling or if they will be more documentary-focused like WWE’s programming on A&E. According to an individual with knowledge of the deal, the exact nature of the specials is still being determined.

“NBCUniversal has been a tremendous partner of WWE for decades,” said WWE president Nick Khan. “We are excited to extend this longstanding relationship by bringing ‘SmackDown’ to USA Network on Friday nights and look forward to debuting multiple WWE special events annually on NBC.”

The rights deals for both “Smackdown” and “Monday Night Raw” were due to expire in the next year. While “Smackdown’s” future has been determined, there is no word yet on where “Raw” will land. It currently also airs on USA Network, as does WWE’s NXT. Sources say that there has been serious interest from a number of top platforms but no deal has been made at the time of this publishing. Neither of the other two shows is expected to continue to on USA Network, according to sources.

“It’s a privilege and thrill to continue NBCU’s decades-long partnership with WWE which has helped cement USA Network’s consistent position as the top-rated cable entertainment network in live viewership” said Frances Berwick, chairman of NBCUniversal Entertainment. “With Friday nights on USA, primetime specials on NBC, and the WWE hub on Peacock, we’ll continue to use the power of our portfolio to superserve this passionate fanbase.”

Since 2021, NBCUniversal’s Peacock has been the exclusive streaming home of the WWE Network. That includes the company’s expansive library of wrestling shows as well as the home for annual events like WrestleMania, the Royal Rumble, Summer Slam, and more.

WWE was recently sold to Endeavor, which merged WWE with the UFC to form a new company dubbed TKO Group. Vince McMahon, former CEO of WWE, has assumed the role of executive chairman of TKO Group. Under the terms of the deal, McMahon — who was WWE’s controlling shareholder — will own 16.4% of the economic interests in TKO (and 16.4% of the voting power in the new entity). McMahon stepped down as WWE’s chief executive in 2022 amid an investigation by the company’s board into alleged hush-money payments to women who accused him of sexual misconduct. McMahon returned to the company in January 2023 as executive chairman to head up efforts to sell WWE.

source:  variety.com

Analysis Shows WWE's Fan-Driven Business Metrics Improved Under Paul Levesque

However you feel about the state of WWE programming and the specifics of how shows have or haven't differed when spearheaded by Paul "Triple H" Levesque as compared to Vince McMahon, there absolutely have been differences. Levesque brought back various wrestlers who had been cut by the previous regime, and under his guidance, the last-minute changes that were constant under McMahon had subsided. Past that, it becomes a matter of personal preference and business metrics. On Thursday, Wrestlenomics offered the latter, comparing TV ratings and live attendance for Levesque's eight months running creative to how McMahon's WWE was doing a year earlier. And the answers are favorable to Levesque.

On the TV side, "WWE Raw" averaged 1.80 million viewers each week under Levesque, up 4% from McMahon a year prior, which is doubly impressive considering USA's reach among cable customers has dropped. "WWE SmackDown," meanwhile, saw a bigger increase, going up 6%, from an average of 2.14 million viewers under McMahon to 2.28 million viewers under Levesque. Since "SmackDown" is on FOX, a free broadcast network, the caveat about its potential viewership does not apply, though.

As for ticket sales, that data is from WrestleTix, which is able to count tickets distributed, but without being able to distinguish between paid admissions and comps. With that out of the way, for every month of the Levesque era, "Raw" averaged a higher number of tickets out than the McMahon regime did a year prior, and "SmackDown" did the same for all but one month, even with the latter including the initial surge in interest when WWE resumed touring after COVID-19 precautions eased. Across the full eight-month periods being compared, "SmackDown" averaged 8,555 tickets distributed for Levesque vs. 7,532 for McMahon, a 14% increase, while "Raw" averaged 8,463 tickets distributed for Levesque vs. McMahon's 6,787, a 25% increase. And though the McMahon period had a 2% lead on Levesque's for domestic house shows, that gain was carried by August through November 2021, the early months of post-pandemic touring.

WWE Announces Updates To Commentary Teams

Today WWE announced that Raw, SmackDown, NXT and Premium Live Events will all have updated announce booths starting with this week's season premieres. The news was first reported by Variety on Thursday afternoon.

On Friday Night SmackDown, the commentary table will be headed by Michael Cole with Wade Barrett doing color commentary. Samantha Irvin will be the ring announcer, and interviews will be conducted by Kayla Braxton and Megan Morant.

On Monday Night Raw, Corey Graves will still be providing his colorful insights and will be joined by Kevin Patrick on play-by-play. Mike Rome will continue to announce from the ring, and Byron Saxton will transition from the commentary booth to backstage interviews. Also joining Saxton in backstage interviews is none other than Cathy Kelley in her return to WWE.

Over on NXT, Vic Joseph will be assisted by six-time World Champion and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T. Alicia Taylor will still provide her exceptional voice to ring announcing, and McKenzie Mitchell will once again be conducting interviews.

On the Premium Live Event side, Michael Cole and Corey Graves will come together again to announce from the booth.

Pat McAfee will return to the WWE announce booth following his commitments to ESPN's College GameDay.

WWE Releases More Superstars

WWE has released multiple Superstars including multiple-time champion John Morrison alongside former NXT North American Champion Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott.

As first broken by Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, WWE has released the following WWE Superstars on November 18th:

John Morrison

Top Dolla

Ashante Adonis

Isiah Swerve Scott

Tegan Nox

Drake Maverick

Shane Thorne

Jaxson Ryker

WWE Releases Several Main Roster Names

WWE has released several main roster Superstars, according to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. The following names were released this evening – “B-Fab” Briana Brandy, Gran Metalik, Lince Dorado, Eva Marie, Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Nia Jax, and Harry Smith.

Furthermore, the following WWE NXT Superstars were also cut – Trey Baxter, Jessi Kamea, Karrion Kross, Jeet Rama, Zayda Ramier, and Katrina Cortez.

WWE has also released Scarlett Boudreaux, Oney Lorcan, Franky Monet and Ember Moon.

Friday's WWE SmackDown Soars To Almost 3 Million Viewers On FOX

A report from SpoilerTV reveals that Friday's WWE SmackDown on FOX, which featured all the fallout from this past Saturday's SummerSlam 2021 pay-per-view drew an overnight viewership of 2.933 million viewers.

The 2-hour broadcast also scored a 0.7 rating in the key 18-49 demographic.

The viewership increased significantly from the week previous, which delivered 2.237 million viewers and a 0.55 rating 18-49 demographic.

Friday Night SmackDown Heads To Rolling Loud Miami 2021

WWE and Rolling Loud, the world's premier rap festival, today announced a new partnership that brings Friday Night SmackDown to Rolling Loud Miami 2021 on July 23. The occasion marks the first ever collaboration between WWE and a major music festival.

Gracing the same stage as festival headliners Travis Scott, Post Malone and A$AP Rocky, WWE Superstars will compete in matches live from Rolling Loud Miami. The July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX will feature a split-site broadcast with multiple matches at Rolling Loud Miami, and the remainder of the evening held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

“What Matt Zingler, Tariq Cherif and the entire Rolling Loud team have built is spectacular,” said Scott Zanghellini, WWE Senior Vice President, Revenue Strategy & Development. “We couldn’t think of a better partner to deliver such a unique WWE experience to fans during the July 23 edition of Friday Night SmackDown on FOX.”

“I grew up on Sweet Chin Music, mesmerized by the spectacle that Vince McMahon and co have built at WWE,” said Tariq Cherif, Co-Founder/Co-CEO of Rolling Loud. “The idea of weaving our two storylines into one world, one must see event, is electrifying.”

“And I quote! If ya smell…what the WWE and Rolling Loud…is…cookin’! Give me a hell yeah!,” said Rolling Loud Co-Founder/Co-CEO, Matt Zingler.

WWE has a rich history of integrating music into all aspects of its brand and collaborating with some of the most celebrated artists in the world. Over the years, world-renowned hip-hop artists including Snoop Dogg, Diddy, Three 6 Mafia, MGK, Wale and many others have performed at WWE’s biggest events.

Bringing 130 of the hottest acts in hip-hop to Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., the sold out Rolling Loud Miami 2021 is a triumphant return for live rap music, and a coming out party for risers and new superstars eager to play in front of a festival crowd. The sixth Rolling Loud festival in Miami, where it started as a humble one-day event in Bayfront Park, Rolling Loud Miami 2021 will occur from July 23-25.

Friday Ratings: ‘Shark Tank’ And ‘WWE Friday Night SmackDown’ Tie In Demos

ABC’s Shark Tank and Fox’s WWE Friday Night SmackDown tied in the demo wars for Friday night, with the season finale of Shark Tank edging out wrestling by virtue of its larger audience.

The Sharks in this episode included Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Lori Greiner, Daymond John and Robert Herjavec

WWE Friday Night SmackDown had a Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Championship match between Big E, Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens and Intercontinental champion Apollo Crews as its draw.

source: deadline.com

New Report Claims India Doubles United States’ WWE RAW Viewership

According to a new report from Lucha Libre Online, WWE RAW’s average viewership in India for the month of Jan. 2021 exceeded 4 million viewers, more than doubling the 1.85 million viewers in the U.S. during the same timeframe.

The report added that while WWE SmackDown averaged 3 million viewers in India, WWE NXT surpassed the 1 million mark in the country for the month of Jan. 2021.

Furthermore, while South Africa averaged in excess of 1 million viewers for both RAW and SmackDown, Canada averaged 300,000 viewers for both shows during the same month.

Meanwhile, Germany and Italy averaged approximately 300,000 viewers for both RAW and SmackDown.

Therefore, only in India, South Africa, Italy, Canada, and Germany, RAW obtained average viewership of approximately 5.9 million viewers in Jan. 2021. SmackDown for its part averaged around 5.2 million viewers in India, South Africa, Italy, Canada, Germany, and South Korea during the first month of 2021.

These numbers do not include the viewership in the United States, Latin America, United Kingdom, Japan, China and many other countries that broadcast weekly WWE programming live on various TV networks.

Triple H On If He Had Creative Input Into Retribution's Debut

During today's media call, Triple H was asked about Retribution's recent RAW debut, and how much input he and NXT wrestlers have into how they will debut when they move to the main roster for RAW or SmackDown. "Wait a minute, you're saying that some of the people in Retribution came from NXT? Geez, I gotta pay more attention to this stuff," Triple H joked. Triple H continued and revealed that he has no creative say-so into what happens after a NXT Superstar is called to the main roster. He noted that the RAW and SmackDown creative teams take over once a call-up happens.

"We have conversations around who will go where, when," he said. "An example of, 'Hey, this person, we have an interest in them. They reach out to us, we have an interest in them. Great, I can write them out of stuff and get them to you by this period of time. Excellent,' and we go from there. "Where it goes from there, at this point in time, I don't have any say on, or anything else. It really goes to those creative teams. I get the call, whether it's from RAW, whether it's from SmackDown, or whether it's somebody that kind of has oversight of both, and we sit down, we have meetings around who goes where, when, and really that's it. You know, sometimes those calls are reversed as well. That's sort of the process, but the creative teams of those brands are controlling what happens to those talent. They might ask me, 'Hey, can this person handle this or can they handle that?,' Because they're maybe not as familiar with them as I may be, but it really doesn't go a whole lot further than that."