Tag: World Heavyweight Championship

WWE reveals participants for World Heavyweight title tournament

Posted on by Ian Carey

The 12 wrestlers competing for the World Heavyweight Championship have been revealed.  

WWE announced on Sunday the six wrestlers from Raw and six from SmackDown who are entered into a tournament for the new title. 

Raw wrestlers:

  • Seth Rollins
  • Finn Balor
  • Damian Priest
  • The Miz
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Cody Rhodes

SmackDown wrestlers:

  • United States Champion Austin Theory
  • AJ Styles
  • Bobby Lashley
  • Rey Mysterio
  • Edge
  • Sheamus

The tournament’s format will see two triple-threat matches take place on Monday’s Raw with the winners facing each other later in the show. The winner of that match will advance to the finals at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia. 

Two triple-threat matches will also take place on SmackDown this week with the winners wrestling each other later that night. The winner of that match will then advance to the finals to face the advancing wrestler from Raw at Night of Champions. 

Monday’s Raw takes place from the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Friday’s SmackDown is scheduled for the Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, Tennessee. 

May 1, 2023 Observer Newsletter: More on AEW Saturday show, WWE reveals new World Heavyweight Championship

Posted on by Dave Meltzer

More information has emerged over the past week regarding the new AEW television show.

The show, believed to be called AEW Collision, as noted last week, is expected to debut on 6/17 with a show from 8-10 p.m. Eastern, from the United Center in Chicago, which would also be the return of C.M. Punk along with what is expected to be either another major name debut or return.

WrestleZone first reported it and we confirmed that it would air on TNT. As noted before, there will be many preemptions during the year due to NBA, NHL, and MLB playoffs as well as potentially for NCAA basketball tournament games and U.S. National team soccer games. The 6/17 start was because there will be no Saturday NBA or NHL playoff games after that point.

The NBA final series will include games on 6/7 head-to-head with Dynamite, 6/9 head-to-head with Smackdown, and 6/12 head-to-head with Raw (if a game five is needed).

Subscribers can click here to read this week’s issue.

WWE Raw video highlights: Triple H unveils new World Heavyweight title

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A new World Championship is coming to WWE.

In what was hyped as news that would shake the foundation of WWE, Paul “Triple H” Levesque announced the creation of a new World title on last night’s Raw. The title is named the World Heavyweight Championship — and the first champion will be crowned at Night of Champions in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, May 27.

Triple H said Roman Reigns did something very smart by negotiating that he didn’t have to defend the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship as frequently as champions normally do. Triple H said that’s great for Reigns, but it isn’t great for WWE. 

When Reigns gets drafted to either Raw or SmackDown, he’ll take the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship with him. The World Heavyweight Championship will be the top title on the other brand.

The WWE Draft begins on SmackDown this Friday night and continues on Raw next Monday.

“This will be a champion you can be proud of,” Triple H declared. “This will be a champion you can respect, that you can admire. This will be a champion that will defend this championship anywhere, any place, any time — all over the world. This champion will not have to demand your acknowledgement. This champion will earn your acknowledgement and will earn the title of World Heavyweight Champion.”

More coverage from last night —

WWE Raw video highlights —

Finn Balor tries to recruit Cody Rhodes to Judgment Day

The LWO debut new theme music

LWO vs. The Bloodline

Sami Zayn warns Jey Uso about what will happen if The Usos lose on Friday

Video package recaps Trish Stratus’ confession from last week

Trish Stratus knew she had to take Becky Lynch out of her misery

The Street Profits vs. Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin

Triple H unveils new World Heavyweight Championship

Jimmy Uso tells Jey not to talk to Sami Zayn

Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez vs. Damage CTRL

Bronson Reed stands tall over Austin Theory and Bobby Lashley

Chad Gable vs. Mustafa Ali

Jimmy Uso confronts Sami Zayn

Cody Rhodes vs. Finn Balor

Omos interrupts Seth Rollins

Kevin Owens questions Sami Zayn about where he’s been

Rey Mysterio vs. Damian Priest

Bad Bunny challenges Damian Priest to a street fight at Backlash

Raw fallout: Belair, Morgan & Rodriguez are champions for a reason

Raw Talk: Omos & MVP, Alpha Academy, Maxxine Dupri, The Street Profits appear

Wrestling Observer Radio: New WWE title belt, CM Punk backstage at RAW, AEW Saturday show, more

Posted on by Bryan Alvarez

Wrestling Observer Radio with Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer is back with tons to talk about including Lou Thesz, CM Punk showing up at RAW Monday, AEW’s Saturday show, ratings, Nate Diaz arrest warrant, Stephan Bonnar’s cause of death, RAW from Monday with a new title being announced and more. A packed show as always so check it out~!

Timestamps:

Start: Lou Thesz’s birthday

7:09: CM Punk was backstage at Raw

11:30: New AEW show airing on TNT, Vince McMahon made more changes than usual to Raw

14:46: NJPW this weekend, Chavo Guerrero comments on Rey Mysterio storyline

20:00: Ratings

25:40: Warrant issued for Nate Diaz, Mark Coleman and Tim Sylvia slapfight, Stephan Bonnar cause of death

30:24: Ric Flair on Joe Rogan, Grizzled Young Vets denied release

38:30: WWE Raw report

1:07:27: AEW Dynamite and NXT Spring Breakin’ lineup

1:10:09: Dave’s Stardom thoughts

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Triple H announces creation of new WWE World Heavyweight title

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A new World Heavyweight Champion will be determined at Night of Champions.

On Raw Monday evening, Triple H talked about how Roman Reigns is nearing 1,000 days as champion, but also lamented that Reigns negotiated in his contract that he didn’t have to defend the title frequently. As a result, Triple H announced that when Roman Reigns is drafted, the Undisputed WWE Universal title will remain on one brand. The other brand will be home to the World Heavyweight Championship. The first champion will be crowned at Night of Champions on May 27 in Saudi Arabia.

The World Heavyweight Championship was a former world title used in WWE from 2002 through December 2013, when it was unified with the WWE Championship.

Roman Reigns has been the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion since last year at WrestleMania 38, when he defeated Brock Lesnar to unify the WWE and Universal titles. He has been a top champion in WWE since August 30, 2020, defeating Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt at Payback for the Universal title. His most recent title defense took place at WrestleMania 39, where he defeated Cody Rhodes.