“Hard work in the shadows doesn’t mean you won’t be able to shine in the spotlight. So honored the next edition of #WWEChronicle will feature my journey to #SurvivorSeries. @WWENetwork,” Lana tweeted.
On WWE television, Lana has been put through a table by Nia Jax eight times over the last several weeks. Lana, Jax, Shayna Baszler, Mandy Rose & Dana Brooke will be on Team Raw for this year’s Raw vs. SmackDown Survivor Series women’s elimination match. Bianca Belair and Ruby Riott have qualified for Team SmackDown thus far.
WWE.com wrote about the Lana episode of Chronicle: “WWE Chronicle: Lana will take you behind the scenes of the vivacious Superstar’s life away from the ring, including as she spends time with her family. Expect to see a side of Lana that you’ve never seen before when the next episode of WWE Chronicle drops Saturday, Nov. 21, only on the award-winning WWE Network.”
– Braun Strowman will be the focus of the next episode of WWE Chronicle.
WWE Network News reported that a new episode of Chronicle focused on Strowman will premiere on the WWE Network on Saturday (August 29). Strowman is defending his Universal Championship against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt in a falls count anywhere match at tonight’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
– A new episode of WWE Day Of will then debut next Sunday (August 30), which is the same day as WWE’s Payback PPV. WWE Network News reported that the Day Of episode will be focused on Seth Rollins and his match against John Cena from SummerSlam 2015:
A new episode of WWE The Day Of is coming to WWE Network – and it is a bit of a unique case. It appears a new edition of WWE The Day Of will be traveling all the way back to 2015. Typically, The Day Of episodes cover major events that have recently passed, such as the prior month’s pay-per-view. Needless to say, this is a unique one.
Based on what we’ve gathered, this upcoming video will follow Seth Rollins for his big match with John Cena at the Biggest Party of the Summer, SummerSlam 2015. This match was notable as it featured the guest host, Jon Stewart, inserting himself into the proceedings to cause trouble for Cena. This episode will be premiering on Sunday, August 30th.
– Jerry Lawler announced that he’ll be the next guest on Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview series on the WWE Network. When the episode will be premiering hasn’t been announced, but Lawler wrote that it will be airing in a couple of weeks: “Just finished shooting an episode of @steveaustinBSR Broken Skull Sessions!! It will air on the @WWENetwork in a couple weeks.”
A look at how the major companies are looking at either running or not running is the lead story in this week’s issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We also have a major feature on the characters from ABC’s 20/20, from David Schultz, John Stossell, Jim Wilson and Eddy Mansfield, as well as a feature on Gerald Brisco and how Vince McMahon got control of the TBS time slot for one year.
The issue also covers:
The schedule for UFC, WWE and AEW.
The time frame Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida talked about for live events, the hypocrisy sanctioning these events, why UFC isn’t running Las Vegas, ESPN’s change of policy, another state open to bring in wrestling, boxing and MMA, UFC’s first show back, update on Fight Island, Bellator plans and Scott Coker talks his ideas.
Another feature on WWE financials with Vince McMahon’s quotes on all facets of business going forward and what is and isn’t honest about them. We also look at why you can’t compare live attendance, what category does look good and what doesn’t, empty arena shows, costs of taping now and why Vince says the WWE Network should grow.
The firings of Cain Velasquez and Curtis Axel and the departure, at least for now, of Gerald Brisco.
How close Brisco and Vince McMahon have been, the 1984 purchase of GCW by McMahon and how it went down, how McMahon lost the time slot after one year, the WWE signing and usage of Velasquez, and what major WWE decision-maker thought Axel would be one of the company’s signature stars.
The latest episode of Dark Side of the Ring on David Schultz. We look at the start of Schultz’s career, his feud with Hulk Hogan, slapping John Stossel, Eddy Mansfield, Jim Wilson, Jim Barnett, how Schultz got fired by WWE, Jim Cornette on the show, the Lou Thesz-Eddy Mansfield confrontation, the deregulation of wrestling, and how the story on Jimmy Snuka and the 20/20 story on wrestling intertwine.
New Monday night competition to Raw, 2K plans or 2020, How WWE stars get paid, wrestler who pulled out of tapings this past week, U.K. and Canada TV ratings, Taynara Conti and Mike Bennett talk being released, Jerry Lawler talks his remark bout Tozawa, Heath Slater talks his departure, David Starr talks current conditions and the most-watched bouts for the past week on WWE Network.
A harrowing story on Ilima lei-Macfarlane and her childhood going to the famed Punahou Schoolin Hawaii and the dirty secret the school covered up for decades that has just come to light.
Full coverage of the Impact Rebellion show with so many champions not there, as well as match-by-match coverage.
Full coverage of all the WWE and AEW television shows from the past week.
In-depth looks at the ratings of all the major shows, the key demos and quarters for AEW and WWE, what happened head-to-head and what can be learned from them.
Results of all the major pro wrestling events around the world over the past week.
ORDERING INFO: Order the print Wrestling Observer right now and get it delivered via mail, by sending your name, address, Visa or Master Card number and an expiration date to [email protected] or by going to www.paypal.com directing funds to [email protected].
Rates in the United States are $14.50 for 4 issues, $35.50 for 12, $70 for 24, $116 for 40 and $149.50 for 52.
In Canada and Mexico, the rates are $16 for 4, $27 for 8, $38.50 for 12, $76 for 24, $126 for 40 and $162.50 for 52.
For the rest of the world, rates are $18 for 4, $48.50 for 12, $93 for 24, $155 for 40 and $201.50 for 52.
If you order by mail with a check, cash or money order to P.O. Box 1228, Campbell, CA 95009-1228, you can get $1 off in every price range.
MONDAY NEWS UPDATE
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking Raw and the latest news. You can also send your questions for the show into [email protected].
Raw tonight has Drew McIntyre vs. Murphy, The Street Profits vs. Viking Raiders, Ricochet & Cedric Alexander vs. Brendan Vink & Shane Thorne plus a Gauntlet match for the final men’s spot in Money in the Bank. Post Wrestling reported the return of A.J. Styles as well for tonight.
Dwayne Johnson listed a number of stars who will be on the new season of Titan Games, which will air on NBC against Raw starting on 5/25. Among the names are former UFC champion Tyron Woodley, former NFL Pro Bowler Joe Thomas, former NFL player Victor Cruz and boxing gold medalist Claressa Shields. AEW announced that announcer Dasha Gonzalez (formerly Dasha Fuentes in WWE) would also be appearing on the show.
WWE
WWE Chronicle: Shayna Baszler debuts on the WWE Network on Saturday night, building up her being in the Money in the Bank ladder match the next night.
Jerry Lawler noted that King Jerry Lawler’s Hall of Fame Bar & Grille will open up tonight with social distancing measures in place. All tables will be six feet apart and they will operate at 50 percent capacity. Employees will all wear masks and gloves.
There were a couple of articles in Australia regarding the appearance of Daniel Vidot, a former Rugby League star, on Smackdown against Sheamus on 4/24. The stories can be found here and here. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
Also the latesttwo episodes of Brendan Vink’s web series SMUG featuring Indi Hartwell and Rhea Ripley. (thanks to Kevin Chiat)
UFC
Matt Brown returns to face Miguel Baeza in a welterweight fight on the 5/16 UFC show in Jacksonville.
AEW
The movie “Cagefighter: World’s Collide,” an MMA movie where Jon Moxley plays a pro wrestling superstar turned MMA fighter, will be airing on FITE for its premiere on 5/16. Chuck Liddell, Luke Rockhold and Christian are in the movie. There will also be a live roundtable after airing.
AEW Dynamite on ITV 4 will be airing at 12:15 a.m. late Friday night, the latest the show has aired and it’s the only two-hour broadcast of the show on television in the U.K. The show has usually started between 10:20 p.m. and 11 p.m.. They are airing the movie “8 Mile” at 10 p.m., a movie the station has aired many times. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
The Wrestling Estate has conducted a roundtable with five independent wrestling promoters in the U.S. to discuss how their business has been affected by coronavirus, what they’ve been doing to stay relevant and any changes they’re thinking of making when live events can return.
The U.K. hip hop duo The Rabble featured their second single, “The Raven,” born out of a lifelong passion for 90s and 00s pro wrestling.
The night before he faces Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania, Drew McIntyre will be the focus of a new episode of WWE Chronicle.
During his appearance on WWE’s The Bump today, it was announced that a Chronicle episode on McIntyre will premiere on the WWE Network after NXT TakeOver: Tampa on Saturday, April 4. McIntyre will challenge Lesnar for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 36 the next day.
A brief clip from the Chronicle episode aired on WWE’s The Bump (starting at 18:13). It shows McIntyre talking to Vince McMahon backstage after the Royal Rumble match and McIntyre reacting to his win.
McIntyre entered the men’s Royal Rumble match as the 16th entrant. He eliminated Lesnar with a Claymore Kick after Ricochet gave Lesnar a low blow. The match came down to McIntyre, Roman Reigns, Edge, and Randy Orton as the final four, with McIntyre last eliminating Reigns to win the match.
McIntyre opened Monday’s post-Royal Rumble episode of Raw with a promo where he officially challenged Lesnar for WrestleMania 36. After McIntyre defeated Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson in a handicap match on Raw, he was ambushed by Lesnar and laid out with an F-5.
WWE has announced when John Morrison’s episode of Chronicle will be premiering.
The WWE Chronicle episode on Morrison will debut on the WWE Network after Worlds Collide on Saturday, January 25. It will focus on Morrison’s return to WWE.
The Chronicle episode was first mentioned by Morrison during a promo on SmackDown this past Friday night. Morrison claimed that a Chronicle documentary was being filmed in advance of him returning at the Royal Rumble, but he returned early to be there for The Miz. Morrison also blamed the fans for turning against Miz.
Morrison and Miz are feuding with The New Day, and Morrison will return his return to the ring against Big E on SmackDown this Friday night.
A new WWE 24 episode focused on last year’s WrestleMania will premiere on the Network after the Royal Rumble on January 26.
NXT vs. NXT UK is the theme of the Worlds Collide special. It’s taking place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez will be the subject of the next edition of WWE Chronicle.
The WWE Network schedule for this week lists that a Chronicle episode focused on Velasquez will premiere after NXT TakeOver: WarGames on Saturday night. A description for the episode isn’t available, but it will likely follow Velasquez during his WWE debut and his match against Brock Lesnar at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
Velasquez’s first appearance for WWE was at SmackDown’s FOX premiere last month. He attacked Lesnar after Lesnar won the WWE Championship from Kofi Kingston. In storyline, the attack was to get revenge for Lesnar laying out Rey Mysterio and Dominick.
After signing a multi-year deal with WWE, Velasquez had his first match for the company at Crown Jewel. Lesnar retained the WWE title by catching Velasquez in a Kimura and submitting him in just over two minutes.
Lesnar will defend his WWE title against Rey Mysterio at Survivor Series on Sunday (November 24).
New WWE Network programming will also debut after Survivor Series. The first episode of Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Sessions interview series will air, with The Undertaker joining Austin as his guest for the premiere.
Goldberg will be the subject of the next edition of WWE Chronicle.
WWE Network News reported today that a Chronicle episode on Goldberg will premiere on the WWE Network after Hell in a Cell on Sunday, October 6. Here’s the description for the episode: “WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg reflects on his legendary career as he returns to the ring for matches against The Undertaker and Dolph Ziggler.”
The match against Undertaker was the first time Goldberg had wrestled since 2017. It took place at Super ShowDown in Saudi Arabia this June and fell apart after Goldberg got hurt during the match. He tweeted after it was over: “Knocked myself out and thought I could finish…. love my fans…..but let u down. Everyone else that found ‘pleasure’….. hope ur happy”
Goldberg then faced Ziggler at SummerSlam and got some redemption. After Ziggler hit two superkicks, Goldberg quickly defeated him with the spear and jackhammer. There was then a post-match angle where Ziggler goaded Goldberg and was given two more spears.
Goldberg is advertised to appear on SmackDown’s FOX premiere, which is taking place two days before Hell in a Cell.
The most recent episode of Chronicle debuted earlier this month and focused on Sasha Banks.
An episode of Chronicle focused on Seth Rollins will air on the WWE Network after NXT TakeOver: Toronto this Saturday (August 10). It comes in advance of Rollins challenging for Brock Lesnar’s Universal Championship at SummerSlam.
After SummerSlam on Sunday, a new episode of WWE 24 will premiere. It will feature Kofi Kingston and his visit to Ghana for the Year of Return. A WWE film crew accompanied Kingston to document his first time in Ghana in 26 years.
Kingston is defending his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at SummerSlam.
Tonight, new episodes of WWE Day Of and Table for Three will premiere on the WWE Network after Raw. The Day Of episode will focus on Raw Reunion, while Rollins, Cesaro, and Nigel McGuinness are on Table for Three.
Prime Target: NXT TakeOver Toronto is scheduled to premiere at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time this Wednesday. It will build up Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano’s NXT Championship match at TakeOver.
A new WWE Untold episode premieres at 8 p.m. Eastern this Friday. Daniel Bryan & Kane’s Team Hell No partnership is the subject of the show.
New episodes of WWE 24 and Chronicle are set to debut on the WWE Network over the next week-plus.
After Raw on Monday (July 8), a new edition of WWE 24 called “Batista: Dream Chaser” will air. Here’s the description for the show: “Batista chased his dreams of becoming a WWE Legend and Hollywood megastar. At WrestleMania 35, he returned for the last match of his career.”
Batista returned to WWE in February and furthered his program with Triple H after it was set up at SmackDown 1000 last year. Triple H defeated Batista in a no holds barred match at WrestleMania 35, with Batista announcing his retirement from professional wrestling the next day.
Ricochet will be the subject of a new WWE Chronicle that will premiere after EVOLVE’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, July 13. The description for the episode is: “Get a look into the life of Ricochet as he captures his first title and shows why he’s one of the WWE’s fastest-rising stars.”
At Stomping Grounds last month, Ricochet defeated Samoa Joe to become the new United States Champion. He’s been involved in a program with AJ Styles since.
The WWE 24 episode is listed as being an hour long, while Chronicle is in a 30-minute time slot.
New episodes of WWE Chronicle and WWE 24 are set to premiere on the Network next weekend.
The updated WWE Network schedule for next week lists that a new Chronicle episode focused on Mustafa Ali will air at 8 p.m. Eastern time next Saturday (May 18), while a new edition of WWE 24 focused on Becky Lynch will then premiere after Money in the Bank on Sunday, May 19.
Both documentary-style specials are listed in hour-long time slots.
Here’s the brief description for Ali’s Chronicle episode: “Get an inside look into Ali’s Muslim faith, his climb back to the World title picture and his career aspirations as a WWE Superstar.”
The description for Lynch’s WWE 24 episode is: “Witness the rise of ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch from her Irish wrestling days to competing in WrestleMania’s first all-women’s main event!”
Lynch will have two matches at Money in the Bank, defending the Raw Women’s Championship against Lacey Evans and defending the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair. Ali will be one of the participants in this year’s men’s Money in the Bank ladder match.
New Chronicle and Untold episodes will be airing on the WWE Network during WrestleMania week.
The updated Network schedule for next week lists that a new episode of Chronicle will air after NXT TakeOver: New York next Friday (April 5). Charlotte Flair will be the focus of the episode.
Chronicle is listed in an hour-long time slot, with it scheduled to begin at 10 p.m. Eastern time. Here’s the brief description for the show: “Follow Charlotte Flair on The Road to WrestleMania as she becomes one of the first women to main event The Show of Shows.”
This will be the seventh Chronicle that WWE has produced, with the show following a wrestler during a significant moment in their career. Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Dean Ambrose, Becky Lynch, Paige, and Roman Reigns have been featured on past episodes.
A new WWE Untold will then air on the Network after the Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday (April 6). It’s listed in a 30-minute time slot (starting at 10 p.m. Eastern) and will be about Sting’s WWE debut: “Get the true story behind a moment many fans thought would never happen: Sting’s WWE debut at WrestleMania 31.”
Untold looks back at stories from WWE history. Past episodes have been on Undertaker and Mankind’s Hell in a Cell match from King of the Ring 1998, WWE’s ECW revival, and Eddie Guerrero.
Roman Reigns’ return is the focus of the next edition of WWE Chronicle.
The WWE Network schedule for next week lists that an episode of Chronicle on Reigns will air after Raw on Monday (March 4). The show is listed in a half-hour time slot, starting at 11 p.m. Eastern time and ending at 11:30 p.m.
The brief description for the episode is: “Follow Roman Reigns as he returns to Raw to give an update on his battle with leukemia.”
Reigns returned to WWE television on this Monday’s Raw and announced that his leukemia is in remission. He also took part in a segment later in the show, with Reigns and Seth Rollins saving Dean Ambrose from Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Elias.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Becky Lynch, Paige, and Ambrose have been featured on past editions of Chronicle.
Following Reigns’ Chronicle episode, a new WWE Untold will air on the Network at 11:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday. It will look back at WWE’s ECW revival from 2006: “Get the extreme story behind ECW’s 2006 return from those who lived it, including Paul Heyman, Shane McMahon, Tommy Dreamer, and more.”
The next edition of WWE Chronicle will focus on Paige and the end of her in-ring career.
WWE has announced that a Chronicle episode on Paige will premiere on the WWE Network after NXT TakeOver: Phoenix this Saturday. The episode is listed in a half-hour time slot.
Here’s WWE’s description of the episode: “Paige was born to be a WWE Superstar. She was the first NXT Women’s Champion and captured the Divas Championship in her WWE debut. In June 2016, though, the raven-haired Superstar was sidelined for 17 months. Follow the two-time Divas Champion from her unexpected November 2017 return to the heartbreaking revelation that she can never compete again.”
Paige announced her retirement from in-ring competition in April 2018 due to career-ending neck injuries. She became the on-screen general manager of SmackDown until the McMahons and Triple H took over as the authority figures of both brands in December. It was noted that Paige would have a new role, but that has yet to be revealed.
“Fighting with my Family,” the movie on Paige’s life that was inspired by a documentary on her family, will be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, February 22.
Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, Dean Ambrose, and Becky Lynch have been featured in past Chronicle episodes.
Ahead of her title defense at TLC, WWE spotlighted SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch on an episode of Chronicle.
The 24-minute episode was released on the WWE Network, WWE.com, and WWE’s YouTube channel today. Lynch discusses her journey in professional wrestling, her character transformation into becoming “The Man,” and the injury that took her out of facing Ronda Rousey at Survivor Series. The episode also includes video of Lynch during her phone interview on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show this week.
With Chronicle mixing real life with storyline, the episode covers the build to Lynch returning to the ring and defending her title against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a triple threat tables, ladders, and chairs match tomorrow night.
This is the fourth episode of Chronicle that WWE has produced. Past editions have focused on Shinsuke Nakamura ahead of facing AJ Styles at WrestleMania 34, Samoa Joe ahead of his match with Styles at SummerSlam, and Dean Ambrose during his return to the ring and turning against Seth Rollins.
Lynch’s episode of Chronicle is available to watch below:
Becky Lynch will be the focus of the next edition of WWE Chronicle.
WWE has announced that a Chronicle episode on Lynch will premiere tomorrow (Saturday, December 15), which comes in advance of Lynch defending her SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair and Asuka in a triple threat tables, ladders, and chairs match this Sunday.
The episode will be available to watch on the WWE Network on demand and WWE’s YouTube account at noon Eastern time tomorrow.
Here’s WWE’s description for the episode: “SmackDown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch was gearing up for her highly anticipated match at Survivor Series against Raw Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey, but after taking a punch from Nia Jax, the champion found herself in ‘doctor jail,’ and the dream match was called off. Follow Becky as she looks back on her evolution into becoming ‘The Man,’ and join The Irish Lass Kicker on her journey back to the ring at WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs in a new edition of WWE Chronicle.”
WWE Chronicle mixes real life with storyline for its episodes. Past editions of Chronicle focused on Shinsuke Nakamura ahead of WrestleMania 34, Samoa Joe ahead of SummerSlam 2018, and Dean Ambrose during his return to the ring and turning against Seth Rollins. Those episodes ranged from 37 minutes to an hour long.
