Bayley Suffers Injury While Training, Expected To Miss Nine Months

Former WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley has suffered an injury while training, the company announced on Friday. She’s expected to miss nine months of in-ring action.

WWE shared the news in a post on its Twitter page. The company also stated that it will announce a replacement opponent for WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair Friday night on SmackDown.

The company also stated that it will announce a replacement opponent for WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bianca Belair Friday night on SmackDown.

BREAKING NEWS: @itsBayleyWWE has suffered an injury while training and will be out approximately nine months.

A replacement for her match against @BiancaBelairWWE at #MITB will be announced tonight on #SmackDown.https://t.co/qLsf8KTHNp

— WWE (@WWE) July 9, 2021

Bayley was scheduled to challenge Belair in an “I Quit” match for the title at the WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view on Sunday. “The Role Model” is the first WWE Women’s Grand Slam Champion, as she has won every title in the company’s women’s division.

WrestleZone will provide more details as they become available.

Update: Mike Johnson of PWInsider reports that it’s believed that Bayley tore her ACL while she was training at the WWE Performance Center.

Additionally, Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com reports that the injury occurred at a mandated “return to the road” training session. It was called a “freak accident”, as Bayley was simply doing some chan wrestling during the training session.

We're told the Bayley injury happened during the mandatory "return to road" training session at the WWE Performance Center while doing chain wrestling with another Superstar. It was referred to as a freak accident.

Zelina Vega Returns To WWE

Tonight’s WWE SmackDown on FOX saw Sonya Deville bring Vega back, introducing her as the next blue brand entrant in the Women’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match.

Vega, playing the heel, cut a promo on the mic about how she will win the MITB briefcase and then cash in to become either the WWE NXT, RAW or SmackDown Women’s Champion. She was interrupted by Liv Morgan, who was still upset about not getting a Money In the Bank spot while Carmella and Vega have.

Vega had been released in late 2020 following issues with the company over their third party edict. It was recently revealed that the company was bringing her back, a few weeks before her husband, Aleister Black, was released on June 2 as a part of budget cuts. 

WWE Releases Multiple Superstars

The rumored WWE releases coming Friday turned out to be accurate as the company continued their recent paredown of the roster, focusing on both NXT and 205 Live talents.

The final list as of Friday night: Fandango, Tyler Breeze, Tony Nese, Ariya Daivari, August Grey, Ever-Rise (Chase Parker and Matt Martel), Curt Stallion, the Bollywood Boyz (Sunil and Samir Singh), Arturo Ruas, Marina Shafir, Killian Dain, and Tino Sabbatelli.

The majority of the releases were first reported by Fightful or PWInsider.

WWE Confirms Top Superstars Have Been Released

WWE released the following announcement and wished the Superstars the best in their future endeavors:

Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, and other Superstars released

WWE has come to terms on the releases of Braun Strowman, Aleister Black, Lana, Murphy, Ruby Riott and Santana Garrett.

WWE wishes them the best in all of their future endeavors.

As noted, it had been reported earlier this week that these releases were being made due to budget cuts. These departures come after a round of talent cuts in mid-April, a round of talent cuts in mid-May, and a number of significant office/corporate departures in May that were part of a major WWE HQ restructuring.

Several WWE NXT Releases

Several WWE NXT departures have been made today, according to PWInsider:

Former MMA Horsewomen member Jessamyn Duke is gone from the company. After a MMA career with the UFC and Invicta, Duke signed with WWE in 2018. She appeared on RAW Underground last year, picking up a win over Avery Taylor. She has not been in action since then.

Vanessa Borne (Danielle Kamela) has also been released. She trained under WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi in 2016, and signed with WWE in April 2016. Borne was reportedly called to the main roster in January 2020 after re-signing with WWE, but never made her official debut. She worked as a NBA dancer, NFL cheerleader and FOX Sports presenter before signing with WWE. 

Skyler Story (Brandi Lauren Pawalek) is also no longer with NXT. She was formerly known as Ava Storie and Brandi Lauren on the indies, and also spent about a year with Impact Wrestling from 2017-2018. 

Ezra Judge (Ezekwesiri “EJ” Nduka Jr.) was also released. He was signed in August 2019 after multiple WWE tryouts. Judge previously played arena football and was a pro bodybuilder for the IFBB. 

Fightful Select reports that Alexander Wolfe (Axel Tischer) has also been released. He just wrestled on last night’s NXT TV episode, losing to Killian Dain. 

Kavita Devi (Kavita Dalal) was also cut today, per Fightful. The former TV presenter and powerlifter signed with WWE in October 2017, becoming the first female pro wrestler of Indian nationality to wrestle for the company. 

It was noted that those being released today are told that their departures are due to budget cuts.

NXT referees Drake Wuertz and Jake Clemons were also released.

Zelina Vega Reportedly Returning To WWE

Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad) is reportedly headed back to WWE.

Vega was at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando on Thursday of this week, according to Fightful Select. Word is that Vega was at the Performance Center for some sort of filming with the company.

Wrestling Inc. recently learned that Vega’s WWE return has been planned for a while now, before WrestleMania 37.

There’s no word yet on when Vega will be back, but we will keep you updated on her status. WWE recently started airing vignettes for the return of Vega’s husband, Aleister Black.

Vega was released from her WWE contract back on November 13 after issues with the company related to their edict on third party activity with sites such as Twitch. Her 90-day non-compete clause expired in mid-February, but, she has focused on acting and video game streaming since leaving WWE, and has not worked with any other wrestling promotions.

WWE Releases Several Superstars

WWE announced 9 departures this afternoon – Samoa Joe, Mickie James, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Bo Dallas, Wesley Blake, Kalisto, Mojo Rawley, Tucker and Chelsea Green. They won’t be free to sign with other promotions until Wednesday, July 14, according to F4Wonline.com.

First WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Revealed

The The first-ever WWE NXT Women’s Tag Team Titles have been officially announced.

NXT General Manager William Regal opened tonight’s NXT show on the USA Network and announced that Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez are the inaugural NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions due to their win in the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic earlier this year.

The first-ever Women’s Tag Team Titles for the black & yellow brand come one week after WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler retained over Dakota Kai and Raquel Gonzalez in controversial fashion. Kai and Gonzalez had earned their title shot by winning the first-ever Women’s Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. Last week’s NXT show saw Regal arguing with main roster official Adam Pearce over the controversial finish, and Regal then declared that he would have a major announcement to make this week.

Bianca Belair On Her Post-Royal Rumble Talk With Triple H

 

Bianca Belair recently spoke with Ryan Satin of FOX Sports to promote her big win in last Sunday’s Women’s WWE Royal Rumble Match. She revealed a talk she had with Triple H after her win at Tropicana Field.

Belair was asked if Triple H gave her any specific advice as she’s headed to WrestleMania 37, or any insight on what to prepare for over the next few months.

“I mean, I’ve always gotten a lot of different words from him and some of them I always want to keep for me and for myself,” she said. “But, the one thing that really stuck with me from that night was, he just commented on everything that I’ve been through from the very beginning and said he always believed in me, and the one thing that stuck with me was, I won the Royal Rumble and I’m about to go to WrestleMania, but I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.

“That’s the one thing I’m like, ‘Okay. You’re right.’ Because, you know, you win the Royal Rumble, and you’re going to WrestleMania and everybody in WWE wants to go to WrestleMania. That’s your dream. But, winning the Royal Rumble, hearing him say that you haven’t even scratched the surface yet, lets me know, ‘Don’t get complacent. You won the Royal Rumble, but don’t get complacent.’

“So, lets me know, ‘Get your emotions in check. Don’t just be happy with the Royal Rumble win. You gotta go to WrestleMania and you still have something else to prove. And even after WrestleMania, whatever happens, you still have a long career to go from there.'”

WWE Confirms Reason For Zelina Vega's Release

WWE confirmed to Sports Illustrated that Zelina Vega (Thea Trinidad) was terminated on Friday for breaching her contract.

The "final straw" was considered to be Vega opening an OnlyFans account, despite WWE's edict on third-party platforms. Her account featured exclusive videos and photos of "cosplays, lingerie, swimsuits and more," for $30 a month. In September, WWE Superstars were told they would have to close down accounts on sites, like Cameo and Twitch — even if they were using their real names and avoided any affiliation with WWE.

Vega was reportedly very vocal about keeping her Twitch account, but according to the SI report, WWE upper management felt she "boxed them into a difficult situation" by sticking with her third-party platforms. WWE had said previously talent would be fined, or potentially released, if they didn't adhere to their demands.

This, of course, has brought on the debate of how WWE treats its talent, as they are currently classified as independent contractors. That conversation has grabbed not only the attention of Andrew Yang, but, SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, who sent Wrestling Inc. a statement this morning in regards to the possibility of working with wrestlers:

"Wrestling is as much about media as it is sports, and we are going to directly engage with members of this profession to help find ways for them to protect themselves," Carteris wrote. "As more people reinvest in unions, and as more working people are harassed by employers who don't want to protect them, SAG-AFTRA is committed to doing what we can to help professional wrestlers secure the protections they deserve."

Carteris also personally reached out to Vega on social media after Zelina's "I support unionization" tweet picked up steam.

Stephanie McMahon Says WWE Intends To Have 50/50 Representation Of Women On Rosters

WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon says that the company intends to eventually have equal representation of men and women on the active rosters of all three brands, RAW, SmackDown, and NXT.

To promote this weekend's WWE SummerSlam pay-per-view, Stephanie did a media call and spoke in length about the women's evolution and the steps that WWE will take to feature its women wrestlers in better storylines and more main event fixtures.

During her chat with Charlotte Wilder of Fox Sports, Stephanie noted that women being featured in main events should no longer be considered "a big deal" as it was a few years ago when the likes of Charlotte Flair, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch started headlining both PPVs and weekly shows.

"I don't want it to be a big deal anymore when our women are the main event. I think that they just should be equally alongside the men. There needs to be parity on the roster, I'd love to see an equal number of men and women equally represented. Of course, at times that would ebb and flow, but I think that would be very important. And just more storylines, more women, more storylines. I think that we've done a good job — I really do — but I think we can do even better," said Stephanie, who recently revealed that WWE is actively looking to hire more female writers.

Stephanie also praised her husband, Triple H, for hiring high-level women athletes and preparing them for the main roster through the Performance Center and NXT.

"The women's evolution happened in our business [once] we started recruiting and training athletes," Stephanie said. "Triple H started recruiting elite female as well as male athletes and training the women the same as the men — giving them the same match time, the same opportunity, the same number of reps. And like anything else, the more reps you have, the better you're going to be. And these women just really stole the show and rose to the occasion. The audience started chanting, 'this is wrestling' and 'women's wrestling.'"

Stephanie also revealed that she "is trying" to put together another all-women event such as Evolution, which first took place in October 2018.

Shotzi Blackheart Shares Touching Thing Triple H Did For Her After Car Was Stolen

WWE NXT star Shotzi Blackheart revealed last week that her 2015 Honda Civic had been stolen overnight from outside of her apartment. Her wrestling gear bag was inside the car, with her signature helmet and other items.

Later in the week, Blackheart posted a video to YouTube, seen above, where she revealed that local police had recovered her car. There was some minor damage to the front of the vehicle, but her belongings were still there including her signature helmet.

Shotzi has now taken to Twitter to share a touching story surrounding what happened. In her message, she explains that Triple H and the team at NXT actually produced a new helmet for her to wear to the ring.

"I didn't get to wear this but it came with a really awesome story so I wanted to share," Shotzi wrote. "As soon as Triple H found out about my car and helmet he made sure that I had help and had the crew put this together for me in time for my match filmed only 1 day after it was stolen!"

Thankfully, Shotzi found her special helmet and will now have a spare. Upon the item being returned, Blackheart told police that it's very sentimental to her because it was hanging on the wall of the wrestling school she first trained at. Her trainers eventually let her have the helmet once she started having matches, and she's taken it all over the world with her while she's furthered her career.

On NXT TV as of late, Shotzi has been feuding with The Robert Stone Brand. The rivalry has now lead to Shotzi teaming up with Rhea Ripley in hopes that they will take down the group.

Man arrested on kidnapping charge at home of WWE star Sonya Deville

A man was arrested Sunday on a kidnapping charge at the home of WWE star Sonya Deville.

Phillip A. Thomas was arrested and charged with three felonies -- attempted armed kidnapping, armed burglary and aggravated stalking -- at a home in Lutz, Florida, according to police. Thomas is also being charged with misdemeanor criminal mischief. He is being held without bond.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest but did not release the homeowner's name. ESPN confirmed via public records that the home is owned by WWE's Deville, whose real name is Daria Berenato.

Police said Thomas had been planning the alleged crime for eight months. Sheriff Chad Chronister said Thomas stalked the alleged victim "on social media for years." According to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release, Thomas entered the home at 2:43 a.m. ET Sunday, after the homeowner went to bed, through a back sliding-glass door.

The entry triggered an alarm, which led to the homeowner looking out the window and seeing Thomas on the property. The homeowner and a guest fled the house in a car and called 911. Thomas was still inside the residence when officers arrived, according to the release. He was carrying a knife, plastic zip ties, duct tape, mace and "other personal items."

The release said Thomas cut a hole in a patio screen earlier in the night and remained there for three to four hours, watching and listening to what was happening inside the home through the windows. Thomas went to Florida from his home in South Carolina, telling deputies that he planned to take the homeowner hostage, according to the release.

"Our deputies are unveiling the suspect's disturbing obsession with this homeowner who he had never met, but stalked on social media for years," Chronister said in a statement. "It's frightening to think of all the ways this incident could have played out had the home alarm not gone off and alerted the homeowner of an intruder. Our deputies arrived within minutes and arrested this man who was clearly on a mission to inflict harm."

Deville addressed the incident on social media Sunday, saying it was a "very frightening experience but thankfully everyone is safe."

Thomas, 24, is listed on his jail records as being an Applebee's crew member. Berenato, 26, is starring on WWE's "SmackDown" on Fox as well as the E! network reality show "Total Divas." The New Jersey native is the first openly gay female wrestler in WWE history.

Berenato, a former MMA fighter, has been with WWE since 2015. Asked for comment, WWE referred to Deville's statement on Twitter.

source: espn.com

WWE Pays Tribute To Chyna With New Signature Series Replica

WWE's latest Signature Series title replica pays tribute to WWE Hall of Famer Chyna.

The $499 replica is a reproduction of the Attitude Era version of the WWE Intercontinental Title that The Ninth Wonder of the World once held. It includes a custom nameplate with six Swarovski crystals. The strap features studs in homage to Chyna's ring gear, with her logo and nickname. The belt includes 5mm thick plates and weighs over 6 pounds.

WWE previously released Signature Series Championship replicas for several Hall of Famers and Legends - Eddie Guerrero, Triple H, The Rock, John Cena, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin.

Below is WWE's announcement on the new Chyna replica and a look at the belt:

New Chyna Signature Series Title Celebrates The Ninth Wonder of the World
Of all the wonders of the world, perhaps none shone as brightly as Chyna. The new Chyna Signature Series Championship Title available at WWEShop.com commemorates the trailblazing accomplishments and lasting legacy of this history-making WWE Legend.

Chyna was the first woman to hold the Intercontinental Title, a feat which she accomplished twice in her storied career. Fittingly, the main plate of this new replica is a reproduction of the Attitude Era version of that Championship complete with her custom nameplate and adorned with six Swarovski crystals. The strap is studded in homage to her iconic ring gear with her logo and nickname "The Ninth Wonder of the World" emblazoned across it. This title weighs more than six pounds and features five millimeter thick plates.

Chyna's accomplishments or impact cannot be overstated. Boldly treading into territories previously unknown for female Superstars, Chyna broke as many gender barriers as she did bodies. Known for her unbelievable strength, the late WWE Women's Champion blazed a trail unlike anyone in WWE history.

Celebrate this spectacular career with a truly special title. Perfect for any fan of the Attitude Era or this amazing Legend, you can get yours by heading to WWEShop.com today!

Triple H Reveals How Proud He Is of the Growth of the WWE Women’s Divisions

WWE executive Triple H shared a message on Twitter today, praising the WWE women’s roster on the fifth anniversary of the WWE Women’s Evolution. You can check out that tweet below. As previously reported, WWE has dubbed this week as “Women’s Evolution Week,” celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Women’s Evolution or Revolution.

Triple H wrote, “Cannot overstate how proud I am to see the growth in the #WWERaw, #Smackdown, and #WWENXT Women’s divisions. It took legends, hall of famers, and women from every generation to get where it is today. Excited to watch you all inspire the next generation. #WomensEvolution”

WWE Announces This Week As Women's Evolution Week

WWE.com has announced that this week will officially be "Women's Evolution Week" on all digital and social channels.

The platforms will be releasing content centered around the growth of the WWE women's division, especially over the past five years since the "Four Horsewomen" of WWE (Sasha Banks, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte Flair) arrived on the main roster.

The full article from WWE reads:

Five years ago on July 13, Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks arrived to Raw, signaling a change for women's wrestling in WWE. In honor of this landmark night in sports-entertainment history, WWE will celebrate Women's Evolution Week on its digital and social channels all this week.
Check back with WWE's digital platforms each day this week for exciting looks back at landmark Women's division moments in WWE, the trailblazing Superstars who paved the way and what lies ahead for the intrepid female competitors of the future.

WWE's first and only all-women pay-per-view event, Evolution, took place on October 28, 2018. The card featured multiple standout matches including a brutal Last Women Standing Match between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair for the SmackDown Women's Championship.

Becky Lynch Vacates RAW Women's Title To Asuka, Announces Pregnancy On RAW

Becky Lynch is expecting her first child.

The Man appeared during tonight's RAW from the WWE Performance Center and announced that she is pregnant. The segment opened with Lynch coming out with the women's MITB briefcase. She got emotional and cried before bringing Asukaout. She then revealed that Asuka hasn't been able to open the briefcase because she was the only one with the combination. Lynch opened the briefcase and the RAW Women's Title belt was inside. Lynch then confirmed that Asuka is the new RAW Women's Champion as Sunday's MITB Ladder Match wasn't for a future women's title shot, it was for the RAW Women's Title.

Asuka danced around and came back to the ring where Lynch was waiting. That's when Lynch announced that she was going to be a mother because she can't fight anymore. Lynch then finally smiled and showed some happiness while embracing Asuka. Lynch made her emotional exit up the ramp, told fans she will miss them, and left to the back as Asuka continued her celebration.

RAW returned from the commercial break and we saw Lynch being congratulated by several Superstars in the backstage area.

Lynch is engaged to Seth Rollins.

Triple H Reveals There Will Be Another Mae Young Classic

During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes, Triple H commented on WWE’s plans for another Mae Young Classic:

“We’re gonna do it again here soon, and we’re kind of getting to that point again now, like, wow, there is just a lot out there. So they are here and there and they’re all over the place. I think the talent sort of gravitate toward finding each other and they end up in these little pockets and then they’re all learning from each other but helping to bring that out and show it to the rest of the world is the goal."

WWE Superstars will climb the corporate ladder at WWE Money In The Bank

This year’s WWE Money In The Bank Men’s and Women’s Match participants will have an even more unique challenge ahead of them than usual.

The match begins on the ground floor of WWE Headquarters, but the briefcases – containing contracts for a championship match anytime, anyplace – will be hanging all the way up on the roof of the corporate tower.

Catch the historic, groundbreaking matches when WWE Money In The Bank streams live on the award-winning WWE Network on Sunday, May 10, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

WWE PC Coach And Others Released, WWE To Cut Hundreds Of Employees, More On Today's Departures

WWE NXT Superstar MJ Jenkins, Performance Center coach Norman Smiley, Spanish announcer Jerry Soto and on-air talent Josiah Williams to the list of wrestlers, creative writers, producers, referees and other talent released today by WWE.

Regarding the releases, @Wrestlevotes noted that the number of staff and talent releases will be "well into the hundreds" when everything has been finalized. Casey of Squared Circle Sirens also noted on Twitter that staff from the WWE Performance Center are being let go.

Below is the updated lists of confirmed cuts made today by the company, along with the tweets from Jenkins, Smiley, Soto and Williams:

WRESTLERS:

* MJ Jenkins
* Deonna Purrazzo
* Aleksandar Jaksic
* Rusev
* No Way Jose
* Mike Kanellis
* Maria Kanellis
* Primo
* Epico
* Rowan
* Sarah Logan
* Karl Anderson
* Luke Gallows
* EC3
* Drake Maverick
* Curt Hawkins
* Heath Slater
* Eric Young
* Lio Rush

PRODUCERS (Furloughed or released):
* WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle (Released)
* Billy Kidman
* Mike Rotunda
* Pat Buck
* Fit Finlay
* Shawn Daivari
* Scott Armstrong
* Sarah Stock
* Shane Helms
* Lance Storm

ANNOUNCERS:
* Aiden English
* Jerry Soto

REFEREES:
* Mike Chioda

CREATIVE:
* Andrea Listenberger

COACHES:
* Norman Smiley

OTHER ON-AIR TALENT:
* Josiah Williams