Tag: giulia

WWE SmackDown notes: Chad Gable, War Raiders, Giulia & Kiana James

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Notes from Friday’s WWE SmackDown.

On Friday, Sami Zayn was seen complaining backstage when Nick Aldis revealed that he had a meeting with someone, eventually revealing the returning Gable. Later backstage, Gable met with Rey Fenix and apologized for his actions under the Grande Americano mask, saying he had learned a lot while wrestling in AAA. Fenix, who won the AAA Cruiserweight title on the same night, said he accepted Gables’ apology, but he wasn’t the only one that needed an apology.

Gable lost his mask at AAA Noche de los Grandes this past weekend, losing to the second El Grande Americano in a mask vs. mask match. After his loss, Gable commended Americano’s efforts saying that while he was the original Americano, there is only one Americano now.

War Raiders return, Kiana James & Giulia split

In another segment, the War Raiders returned to television after winning the AAA Tag Team titles at Noche de los Grandes. They told R-Truth that they would be ready whenever Truth & Priest wanted to put their WWE Tag Team titles on the line.

One team that saw a split on Friday was Giulia and Kiana James. After James was pinned in her Queen of the Ring qualifying match, she chose to blame Giulia for her loss and said she was done with her client. James continued to yell and berate the former United States Champion until she retaliated, laying James out.

Giulia responds to crowd support at WWE Raw in Italy

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Giulia received a thunderous reaction to her WWE Raw appearance in Italy, with fans cheering for her throughout the match. 

She later expressed gratitude for the fans rallying behind her during her Raw match. She took to X citing her love for wrestling and the extensive audience support received. 

“I love wrestling, I love stepping into the ring and fighting, I feel sensations I don’t know how to describe. It brought me back here to Italy where I found a magnificent audience that has given me an extraordinary experience, an impressive affection. Thank you so much I love you all. Long live Italy Arrivederci‼︎”  

Giulia is of Italian and Japanese descent, with her father hailing from Italy and mother from Japan. Despite her wrestling heritage being associated with Japan, Raw marked a rare opportunity for her to perform in front of an audience from her family’s roots. 

While this was her first singles match on Raw since her transition to the main roster last year. It is uncertain whether Giulia is officially a part of the Raw brand or the match was a one time appearance. 

On Raw, she competed in the first qualifying match for the Queen of the Ring tournament against Roxanne Perez, Lash Legend and IYO SKY. Meanwhile, the same transpired for the men’s division too with Oba Femi gaining victory over Carmelo Hayes, Solo Sikoa and Penta. 

WWE Raw took place at the Inalpi Arena in Turin where they hosted Clash in Italy the previous night. 

TNA name shown in the crowd at WWE Clash in Italy 2026

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A popular TNA name made his appearance at WWE Clash in Italy 2026.

Following the third match of the night, WWE showed a montage of several wrestlers who were present at Inalpi Arena in Turin attending Clash in Italy. After Brock Lesnar defeated Oba Femi, WWE showed footage of Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Bron Breakker sitting ringside.

The feed featured Giulia sitting ringside and attending the show, before they also showed former WWE Intercontinental Champion and TNA’s current on-screen director of authority, Santino Marella, also in the arena.

Marella was met with a massive roar from the audience and a swarm of fans who hyped him up as he appeared on screen. Marella was present at WWE Clash in Italy, just as part of the audience, and had nothing planned for the show (as of this writing).

Marella is next scheduled to team up with Indi Hartwell and face the duo of Arianna Grace and Channing “Stacks” Lorenzo on the upcoming episode of TNA Impact.

Seven WWE stars who deserve a major push | Opinion 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE WrestleMania 42 crowned new champions while also setting directions for future storytelling. 

The Raw after Mania saw three new members added to the main roster in Sol Ruca, Ethan Page and Joe Hendry. While the first two competed in their first matches on the brand to showcase their skills, Hendry debuted on Raw live tonight with a live concert.

However, several other talents from the current roster could emerge as the new faces of the company this year if booked effectively. 

Royce Keys

Keys made his SmackDown debut on April 10 against Berto, whom he defeated within minutes. Prior to this, he was competing in dark matches which he later revealed was intentional to familiarize himself with both his new home and new audiences. 

He won the Andre the Giant memorial battle royal on SmackDown before WrestleMania. It’s barely the tip of the iceberg for Keys’ WWE run and with WrestleMania 42 behind them, the page has officially turned over for new talents to make their mark. 

Despite competing in just three matches so far, Keys has the potential to transition from promising newcomer in WWE to top card contender. A gradual boost and development over random surges of top tier matches could help establish him as a dominant force on the roster. 

Je’Von Evans

Evans is already a fan favorite for his energetic approach and in-ring agility. 

During his short time on NXT, Evans faced Randy Orton which displayed his readiness for the main roster, and that also displayed the faith WWE officials in his run.

Evans was officially added to Raw in January and has since competed in marquee matches featuring top names of the industry. He also made his WrestleMania debut competing in the ladder match for the Intercontinental Title.

Carmelo Hayes

Hayes gained fans’ sympathy after losing the United States title in an abrupt manner to Sami Zayn barely a couple of weeks before WrestleMania 42 — a show Hayes didn’t wrestle at. While he seemed to be fairing well, the rushed title loss established himself as champion. The lack of prolonged payoff left fans feeling the title reign was cut short before it could fully develop. 

Regardless of the setback, Hayes has received support from the WWE fanbase. A natural direction to solidify the buzz around him would be to put him against his former NXT ally/foe Trick Williams for the title.

If handled correctly, Williams vs. Hayes on the main roster could evolve into a top tier WWE rivalry in the long run. 

Jordynne Grace

Grace built a rapport with fans when she debuted at the 2024 Royal Rumble while holding the TNA Knockouts Championship at the time.

Earlier this year, she was one of the many stars officially called up to SmackDown. She was briefly in pursuit of the WWE Women’s Championship, feuding with Jade Cargill. It didn’t turn out to be much though as Cargill was already in the plans to face Rhea Ripley at WrestleMania. 

With more consistent exposure and some big wins, Grace could both be positioned as a strong contender and emerge as a top name in the women’s division. 

Finn Balor

Balor’s grit as a competitor was overshadowed by the Judgment Day, but his exit from the group gives him more leeway to prove himself as a strong World title contender again. He already brought back his former entrance theme, The Demon, and his signature look from a decade ago.

Despite losing two World Heavyweight Championship matches to CM Punk, Balor’s resume still remains strong to regain his glory days from nearly a decade ago. 

Also, given how WWE has been riding the nostalgia wave with returns and reviving gimmicks, Balor’s push once again to the top of the roster feels like a natural move, especially considering he was the inaugural Universal Champion at SummerSlam 2016. 

Giulia

Giulia walked into WWE with an extensive career in Stardom and NJPW. However, that momentum was diminished shortly after her main roster move.

She competed in NXT for a year, won the Women’s title, and was also the winner of the Iron Survivor Challenge in 2024. With this groundwork, her main roster transition made sense, but the results haven’t been what even she would probably say she expected.

She has already proven her versatility to stand out on the main roster, so with proper booking and long-term presentation, Giulia could be demonstrated as a dominant opponent in the women’s division. 

Tama Tonga

Last month, Tonga expressed displeasure at Solo Sikoa stealing Uncle Howdy’s lantern amid The MFTs feud with Wyatt Sicks. He has continued to question Sikoa’s leadership on a few occasions and the latter’s patience seems to be wearing thin.

Tonga debuted in WWE in April 2024, attacking Jimmy Uso to secure an alliance with Sikoa. 

He has the capacity to be a strong contender on his own and an exit from the faction could make for deeper storytelling, a developed character arc, and targeting the U.S. Title to kick off a singles run. 

Tiffany Stratton wins Women’s United States title on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new United States Champion was crowned on Friday’s SmackDown.

The first SmackDown after WrestleMania 42 saw Tiffany Stratton defeat Giulia to win the title for the first time, picking up the win after the prettiest moonsault ever. This ends Giulia’s run with the title after 112 days, defeating Chelsea Green on the January 2 edition of SmackDown.

After her title win, Stratton cut a short promo saying that for most of this year, she has felt like a runner-up, pointing out she didn’t win the Women’s Elimination Chamber back in February, and now she no longer feels that way. Her promo ended when the new Women’s Tag Team Champions Brie Bella and Paige arrived.

Stratton had been feuding with the likes of Giulia and her associate Kiana James in the weeks leading to the title match. After defeating James, Giulia defeated Stratton at the end of March. However, Stratton went on to defeat Jordynne Grace on the final SmackDown before WrestleMania, establishing herself as the number one contender.

Jordynne Grace says she got in trouble for move used in Giulia NXT match

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Jordynne Grace got in trouble in WWE for using a banned move in her match against Giulia on NXT last year. 

Speaking with Adrian Hernandez, Grace revisited her No.1 contender match with Giulia for the NXT Championship in May 2025. She disclosed that while the bout received an overwhelming response from fans, WWE on the other hand was not too pleased. It was because she used the Michinoku Driver, a banned in-ring move restricted due to high-risk neck or spine injuries. However, the modified version is applied in WWE. 

“I’ll give you a little behind-the-scenes information, we got in trouble for that match. They just said it was too much. I do the Michinoku Driver — at the time, I did not know that they don’t do the Michinoku Driver from Japan here. They do the one where you sit the person out all the way. I didn’t know that was a thing until after this match.”

Grace proceeded to praise Giulia and looks forward to rehashing their feud someday on the main roster.

“It was not taken very well but I loved the match. I love wrestling Giulia, she’s awesome. I cannot wait to wrestle her again. Those matches are really the best moments for me because that’s when the wrestlers really get to feel something, right? They feel like it’s real. It is real but it’s like real in that moment.”

Grace was one the few NXT talents who shifted to the main roster in January this year where she is associated with the SmackDown brand.

Barely ten days after their high-stakes NXT match, Giulia was announced as the newest member of the SmackDown roster in 2025. She is in her second reign as United States Champion.

On the April 17 edition of the program, Tiffany Stratton defeated Grace in a No. 1 contender match for the championship. 

Giulia’s next Women’s U.S. title challenger confirmed on WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Josh Nason

In a rematch from late-March, WWE Women’s United States Champion Giulia will defend against former WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.

Stratton defeated Jordynne Grace on Friday’s SmackDown in a title eliminator to earn the shot after a handspring stunner and then the Prettiest Moonsault Ever on Grace, staring down the champion and Kiana James who were both at ringside watching.

Giulia will be looking for just the second defense of her second reign that began in January. It will be her first defense in more than more than three months. She defeated Stratton in a non-title match on SmackDown last month.

Stratton, also a former NXT Women’s Champion, will be looking for her first Women’s U.S. title and her first championship run since her Women’s title run ended last November at the hands of Jade Cargill.

The date of the match is yet unknown, but could be announced for next week’s SmackDown.

https://twitter.com/ShootOrWork/status/2045320057488539695

Rhea Ripley says Giulia ‘hasn’t been given many big opportunities in WWE yet’

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

Weeks after facing Giulia on WWE SmackDown, Rhea Ripley has now shared her thoughts on Giulia’s current WWE run.

Speaking to Shak Wrestling, Ripley opened up and believed that, despite Giulia’s years of experience, she has not yet been given big opportunities in WWE.

“You go back, and you watch my match with Giulia. Giulia is new to the main roster, but she’s been at this for a long time. But she hasn’t been given many big opportunities in WWE yet. Yes, she might be the [United States] Champion, but she also hasn’t been given long matches on the main roster and that spotlight to really show that she can shine,” Ripley said.

A two-time WWE Women’s United States Champion, Giulia currently finds herself excluded from the WrestleMania 42 card. In the same interview with Shakiel Mahjouri, Ripley claimed that she wanted to “bust her a**” and make Giulia look good.

“So I’m gonna go out there, I’m gonna bust my ass, and try and make her look good. And hopefully that opens up some more opportunities,” Ripley concluded.

While Giulia has no scheduled WrestleMania 42 match to her name, Ripley is set to face Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

Giulia was ‘banged up’ after WWE SmackDown match

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Women’s United States Champion Giulia was banged up after competing on WWE SmackDown last Friday.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, Matthew Ennis, Giulia’s trainer, stated that Giulia was in a lot of pain after facing Tiffany Stratton on SmackDown last Friday. They had to switch things up in the gym rather than sticking with the plan they originally had, which allowed Giulia to feel better after the session and get her to the point where they could push harder the next day.

It should be noted that Ennis did not mention any specific injury that would impact Giulia going forward.

“Giulia came into her session today very banged up from her [match] last Friday on SmackDown,” he said. “Normally, this would be our full lower body day, but today was not a good day for that because she was in so much pain. Low back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulders, you name it.

“So instead of sticking to a rigid plan, we adapted today on the fly, and the goal is just simply to have her walk out of the gym feeling better. Thankfully, through a full body, activation, mobility, stretching circuit, we were able to achieve that goal.

“And now we’ll be more prepared to push harder tomorrow, and that’s a big thing for pro wrestlers — depending on how your body feels, you may need to adjust the workout for the day.”

Giulia and Stratton faced off in a non-title bout on the March 27 edition of SmackDown. A slight distraction from Kiana James helped Giulia pick up the win, with Giulia getting her knees up on a moonsault attempt by Stratton and then cradling her for the pin.

Whether Giulia and Stratton’s feud will continue into WrestleMania 42 remains to be seen. During a recent interview with The Schmo, Stratton addressed rumors of a potential WrestleMania match between her and Giulia.

“Yeah, I have heard those rumors, too, and I feel like they’re just rumors because I haven’t really been told anything that I’m on WrestleMania,” Stratton said. “But we’ll have to wait and see. I hope there’s a championship involved.”

Updated WWE SmackDown preview for March 27

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE has made a couple of new announcements — and an apparent adjustment to the card — for this week’s episode of SmackDown.

– SmackDown is taking place from PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh this Friday night. WWE has announced that Randy Orton will appear on the show, with the company teasing that Orton will be looking for a new target after his recent attacks on Cody Rhodes and Matt Cardona. Orton is now just a few weeks away from challenging Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship at WrestleMania 42.

WWE.com wrote:

  • Just one week after savagely attacking his former friend and brother, Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton unleashed another vicious assault on Matt Cardona. Which Superstar will The Legend Killer ambush next?
  • Don’t miss all the action of SmackDown, Friday at 8 ET/7 CT on USA. 

– Though not official yet, a match between Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre is expected to be added to the WrestleMania card soon. The build to that will continue on SmackDown with general manager Nick Aldis addressing the status of both wrestlers after last week’s show-closing angle where Fatu and McIntyre crashed off of a ledge while brawling.

– It was initially announced that Tiffany Stratton would challenge Giulia for the Women’s United States Championship on SmackDown. That looks to have changed with WWE.com now advertising Giulia vs. Stratton as a “non-title showdown.”

Here is the full preview for the show:

WWE SmackDown (Friday, March 27) —

  • Who will Randy Orton attack next?
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins
  • Nick Aldis gives an update on the condition of Jacob Fatu and Drew McIntyre
  • Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
  • Non-title match: Women’s United States Champion Giulia vs. Tiffany Stratton

Tiffany Stratton on rumored WWE WrestleMania 42 plans: ‘I hope there’s a championship involved’

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Tiffany Stratton has addressed rumors surrounding WWE’s plans for her at WrestleMania 42.

During an appearance at NASCAR All Access, Stratton was interviewed by combat sports personality The Schmo. Amid a series of rapid fire questions, she was asked rumors of her facing Giulia for the Women’s United States Championship.

“Yeah, I have heard those rumors, too, and I feel like they’re just rumors because I haven’t really been told anything that I’m on WrestleMania, but we’ll have to wait and see. I hope there’s a championship involved,” she said.

Stratton is currently feuding with Kiana James and Giulia on SmackDown, laying the foundation for the potential title match.

Stratton was reminded of her WrestleMania 41 match against Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women’s Championship and her seemingly breaking a tooth. However, she said that wasn’t the case.

“I did not have a tooth knocked out. Everyone thinks that, but I did not have a tooth knocked out. It was blood. Okay. It was just blood. There was no tooth knocked out,” she explained.

After her Money in the Bank win last year, Stratton cashed in the contract to begin her first reign as WWE Women’s Champion. She held the title for 301 days before a knee injury that kept her out of in-ring action for the latter part of 2025.

Stratton returned at the Royal Rumble this year and also competed in the Elimination Chamber which Rhea Ripley won.

Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson, Women’s US title match set for next WWE SmackDown

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Jelly Roll will be in action next week.

The music star demanded and got a match for next week’s SmackDown in Pittsburgh against Kit Wilson after Wilson laid out Jelly Roll following during a slam poetry read-off. The Bella Twins will also be in action, and the Women’s United States title will be on the line.

Jelly Roll answered Kit Wilson’s callout and immediately demanded a fight. Wilson rejected the offer and instead proposed a slam poetry read-off, which was designed to insult Jelly Roll’s weight loss among other issues. After Jelly Roll fired off with some comebacks involving Wilson’s mother, Wilson retaliated by laying out Jelly Roll and striking him with a diving elbow. Later in the show, Jelly Roll recovered enough to walk up to Nick Aldis demand a match, which he got for next week.

The Bella Twins and Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss will meet after the latter team interfered in the twin’s WWE Tag Team title match against champions Lash Legend & Nia Jax, causing a DQ. The three teams brawled after the match but much like last week, the segment ended with Jax and Legend standing tall.

Giulia will defend the United States title against Tiffany Stratton, indicating on this week’s show that she was upset that Stratton had embarrassed her the previous week. The segment also hinted at dissension between Kiana James and Giulia.

WWE SmackDown (March 27)

  • Jelly Roll vs. Kit Wilson
  • Women’s US title match: Giulia defends against Tiffany Stratton
  • Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss vs. The Bella Twins

Giulia discusses taking English classes, support from Kiana James

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Giulia recently spoke about her real-life friendship with Nikki Cross in WWE and how Kiana James helps her with on-screen communications. 

Speaking with Adrian Hernandez, Giulia spoke about her friendship with Cross and how she helped her cope with backstage struggles and called her “a treasure.” 

“Oh, yes. Nikki Cross. She’s so nice. Oh, so scary. But she’s scary. But yeah, if she is not with me. Yeah, I always struggle, more struggle. But she helped me a lot.”

“She’s my treasure.”

The interviewer also asked Giulia about her friendship with James. Giulia said that the speed at which people talk in English is tough for her to decipher at times and James helps by making translations for her easier to understand. 

“Also she helped me a lot because my English is bad,  really bad. So, sometimes I cannot understand people who is talking so fast.” 

Yeah, but some people super, super fast, super fast first and then she’s here. She’s standing behind me and translate easy English and yeah, she’s so nice and we, I think we respect each other and yeah, it’s really meaningful.”

Giulia also talked about going for English classes twice a week in addition to learning from her phone or YouTube whenever she gets the time. 

“So, I go to English class twice a week and then also I take extra English class. And an app like on the phone. And YouTube. And if I have time, I sit down, study, study, study. So, every day because my English was zero when I came here.”

Giulia officially made her WWE debut on NXT at No Mercy in 2024 confronting then-NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez. At New Year’s Evil in January 2025, Giulia defeated Perez to win her first singles WWE title. Prior to this she had an extensive 4-year association with New Japan Pro-Wrestling. 

That following April, Giulia made her main roster debut on SmackDown. In June she dethroned Zelina Vega for the Women’s United States Championship that she later lost to Chelsea Green after a 133 day reign. Earlier this year, Giulia won back the title from Green on the January 2 edition of SmackDown.

During her SmackDown stint, Giulia and Kiana James were teamed up on-screen with the latter as her manager. On the March 6 edition of the show, they challenged Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair to a No. 1 Contenders match for the Women’s Tag Team Titles but lost. 

Rhea Ripley shows off black eye following WWE SmackDown match

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

A recent WWE SmackDown match against Giulia left Rhea Ripley with a brutal mark on her face.

On Friday, during the February 20 episode of SmackDown, Rhea Ripley faced off against Giulia in a nine-minute match. Despite both wrestlers proving almost equal for each other, Ripley won the match via disqualification. However, it also left her with a black eye.

Shortly after, on Instagram, Ripley uploaded a story showing off her black eye, while also sarcastically wishing Giulia a “happy birthday.”

However, the exact moment when Ripley suffered the black eye is not confirmed; it is expected that the spot took place when Giulia kicked hard on Ripley’s skull, drilling her head into the mat.

This was not the first time Ripley suffered a facial injury. Previously, she also suffered an Orbital socket/broken nose injury in 2024, requiring her to wear a mask. One year later, in 2025, she again suffered a broken nose injury, requiring her to wear her mask again.

The WWE Women’s tag team champions, Ripley and IYO Sky, are currently in a feud against Giulia and Kiana James, while Ripley is also a part of the Women’s Elimination Chamber match.

WWE announces change to SmackDown lineup

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A change has been made to the scheduled lineup for WWE SmackDown tonight.

Just a few hours before the show was set to begin, WWE announced that Rhea Ripley would be replacing her tag team partner IYO SKY in her match against Giulia. A reason for the change was not given.

This is a non-title match between two champions. Giulia currently holds the Women’s United States title, while Ripley & SKY are the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. They successfully defended those belts against Giulia & Kiana James on SmackDown two weeks ago.

SKY vs. Giulia was set to be a first-time-ever singles match between the two Japanese stars. The Ripley vs. Giulia bout is also a first-time singles meeting.

Amerant Bank Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Florida is the venue for SmackDown tonight. The show is airing on Syfy due to USA Network’s coverage of the Winter Olympics. WWE has announced that an appearance by Cody Rhodes will be kicking off the episode at 8 p.m. Eastern.

WWE SmackDown (Friday, February 20) —

  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams vs. Damian Priest
  • Elimination Chamber qualifying match: Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax vs. Kiana James
  • Oba Femi vs. Kit Wilson
  • Giulia vs. Rhea Ripley
  • Ilja Dragunov vs. Tama Tonga
  • Cody Rhodes kicks off the show