The lead story is a look back at last Saturday’s AEW All Out from Chicago which saw a much-discussed cage match main event, the implosion of the Blackpool Combat Club, and plenty more.
I also look at the latest in the AEW TV media rights negotiations with WBD including the rumors of Fox coming into play.
I also recap the WWE/Fox era which came to an end last Friday with the final SmackDown on the network ahead of their move to USA tonight.
Other topics include CMLL’s big anniversary show, UFC’s major Saturday show inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, ratings, and plenty more.
For the first time ever, WWE’s Tribute to the Troops is coming to Fox.
It was announced today that this year’s Tribute to the Troops event will air on Fox on Sunday, December 6. It will air adjacent to Fox’s regional NFL broadcasts. For those with NFL games airing at 1 p.m. Eastern time, Tribute to the Troops will air at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. For those with NFL games airing at 4:05 p.m. Eastern, Tribute to the Troops will air at 3 p.m. Eastern.
Tribute to the Troops will take place at the WWE ThunderDome and will “include servicemen and women and their families from Marine Corps Air Station New River, US Army Post Fort Hood, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Naval Air Station Fallon and Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.”
“Supporting the United States military year-round is an essential part of FOX Sports’ mission, and partnering with WWE on their Tribute to the Troops is an incredible extension of this ongoing commitment,” Fox Sports Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer Eric Shanks said in a press release.
“This is a unique time and we look forward to providing our troops and their families with an interactive experience that only WWE can deliver as we celebrate our servicemen and women with millions of our fans watching at home on FOX,” WWE Chairman and CEO Vince McMahon said.
WWE noted that they will “announce celebrity guests from the world of sports and entertainment that will take part in the Tribute to the Troops broadcast” in the coming weeks.
In addition to the Tribute to the Troops event, WWE will also be hosting virtual meet and greet sessions with WWE wrestlers and military members.
This will be WWE’s 18th annual Tribute to the Troops show. Tribute to the Troops took place at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina last year but didn’t air on television.
WWE confirmed today that the draft will take place across two shows next month. It will begin on SmackDown on Friday, October 11 and then will continue on Raw on Monday, October 14.
Dave Meltzer reported earlier this month that those were the expected dates for the draft. The SmackDown episode is taking place in Las Vegas, while Denver will host the Raw episode.
October 11 is the second episode of SmackDown on FOX. WWE announced that “On both nights of the Draft, Superstars from Raw and SmackDown will appear along with personalities from FOX and NBCUniversal programming to announce select picks that will determine the rosters of each distinct brand.”
Raw airs on the USA Network, which is part of NBCUniversal.
The last time a full WWE Draft took place was in 2016. WWE has done Superstar Shake-ups since then, with the most recent one being held in April. The “Wild Card rule” was introduced in May, allowing wrestlers to make appearances on both brands.
Meltzer noted that next month’s draft is part of a series of moves that will be made to freshen up Raw and SmackDown both with talent and in other ways.
SmackDown will air live on Friday nights when it moves to FOX. The first episode is on October 4, and the theme of it is SmackDown’s 20th anniversary celebration.
Next month’s draft was advertised during the NFL on FOX today.
Three 24/7 Championship changes have taken place since the end of this week’s WWE television episodes.
WWE uploaded a video where Drake Maverick interrupted a performance by Elias at FOX Sports’ Founders Day event. While Elias was focused on Maverick, R-Truth rolled up Elias to win the 24/7 title. Maverick then unsuccessfully chased after R-Truth and got thrown in a dunk tank.
In a video filmed on the set of FOX Sports’ college football studio show, host Rob Stone pinned R-Truth to win the title after Truth fell. Elias came up from behind and rolled up Stone to regain the championship.
In storyline, the 24/7 title rules were suspended for the night on this past Tuesday’s SmackDown so that Elias could focus on his King of the Ring first-round match against Kevin Owens. Elias defeated Owens with the help of Shane McMahon.
Ali vs. Buddy Murphy is set for the first round of King of the Ring, with the winner advancing to face Elias in the quarterfinals.
Both 24/7 title change videos are available to watch below:
