Live WWE SmackDown Updates, Results, & Reactions

Near the conclusion of tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown, several matches were revealed that will be taking place on the April 21, 2023 episode of SmackDown. This includes two title matches, with scheduled defenses from the Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez and the Intercontinental Champion Gunther.

You can see the current 4/21 SmackDown lineup below:

• WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships: Raquel Rodriguez & Liv Morgan (c) vs. Chelsea Green & Sonya Deville
• WWE Intercontinental Championship: Gunther vs. Xavier Woods
• Braun Strowman & Ricochet vs. The Viking Raiders (Erik & Ivar)

It was also announced that in two weeks, on the April 28, 2023 episode of SmackDown, Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will defend their Undisputed WWE Tag Team Titles against The Usos in a WrestleMania 39 rematch. This is supposed to be the start date of the WWE draft, as well.

Cody Rhodes is at the peak of his game right now. Sure, he wasn’t able to defeat Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 39 for the top spot in WWE, but even still, reaching the main event of ‘Mania is a huge improvement from where his WWE career once was. Along with his improved position in WWE, Rhodes is starting to get some attention in the world of Hollywood.

According to a new report from Fightful Select, Rhodes has been attending meetings regarding potential acting roles. Can you picture “The American Nightmare” impacting film or television?

Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.

One of the most thrilling WWE events of the year is Money in the Bank. Along with the typical elevated WWE matches at a premium live event, the company holds two multi-person ladder matches where the respective winners earn a shot at a WWE Title at any time and any place they choose.

A new report emerged earlier today that names LA Knight as a “leading candidate” internally to win the match. Of course, we still have until July 2023 to see who actually wins the match. WWE’s Money in the Bank will take place at the o2 Arena in London, England, on July 1, marking the first time it’s ever been held outside the United States.

You can read more about this story here.

After the major announcement last week that WWE was bringing back the draft, excitement mounted online as the WWE Universe speculated what the start date might be. Details were made clearer this evening when it was announced that the WWE Draft is two weeks away from gracing our televisions!

This puts the official start date of the draft at the April 28 episode of WWE SmackDown, followed by a second night on the May 1 WWE Raw. Triple H promises that the draft will be “bigger than it has ever been before,” but that remains to be seen!

You can read more about this story here.

Speculation continues regarding Drew McIntyre’s status with WWE after he blacked out his Twitter account earlier today, including removing all WWE references besides his Twitter handle. It was revealed during WrestleMania weekend that McIntyre’s WWE contract is set to expire by the end of the year, and both sides hadn’t approached a deal they agreed on.

McIntyre has been off of WWE television since his WrestleMania 39 match against Sheamus and Intercontinental Champion Gunther. He was reported absent from the April 7th episode of SmackDown due to a “health issue.”

You can read more about this story here.

Solo isn’t finished – he comes to the outside and uses a uranage slam on Riddle into the announce table. It didn’t break, so he pushes the entire table on top of Riddle to prove his point. Refs run down to the ring, demanding Solo get back while they try to help Riddle. KO and Sami run over and pick up the table off of Riddle. He looks to be in intense pain as The Bloodline looks on from the ring.

SmackDown goes off the air this week with KO and Sami consoling Riddle while The Bloodline stands tall in the ring.

We come back to the show with Riddle and Solo trading shots. Riddle comes off the ropes but eats an elbow to the face that gives Sikoa a two count. Solo yells at Riddle to stay down as he grips the nerves in his shoulder. Solo with a hard uppercut to send Riddle back down to the mat.

He prepares himself in the corner but misses the splash, hitting the top of the ring post in the process. Riddle with several kicks, including an enziguri. He hits a running forearm in the corner on Solo, followed by an exploder suplex that sends Solo flying. He goes for a punt kick and a moonsault but it’s avoided; so it the senton splash! Riddle manages to hit the floating bro on a standing Sikoa for another close two count!

The Usos come out to the arena from the crowd. KO and Sami come back, too. They all clash on the outside as Riddle yells support at KO and Zayn. Solo comes from behind but Riddle reverses and takes Solo down. He hits a springboard floating bro on The Usos on the outside of the ring. But he still eats a Samoan Spike! Solo beats Riddle in his return match.

Back from the break, we also see that Xavier Woods will challenge the Intercontinental Champion Gunther next week on SmackDown. Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez will also defend their Women’s Tag Titles against Sonya Deville & Chelsea Green. Lastly, Ricochet & Braun Strowman get a chance at revenge against The Viking Raiders.

This match starts out quick, with Solo getting the first offense. Riddle puts him in a standing kamora lock, followed by a sleeper hold while on Sikoa’s back. He kept putting in the sleeper, but Solo drops down to his back and squishes him. Riddle climbs back up and is thrown off. “The King of Bros” comes out of the corner but eats a hard right to shut him down. Solo rains down several headbutts to keep the control. He uses the ropes to choke Riddle, following it up with some chops in the corner.

Riddle returns with some rights and chops, but Jimmy climbs on the apron and interrupts the match. This allows Jey to interfere. KO and Sami come after them, but the referee jumps out of the ring and actually ejects KO and Sami. He sends The Usos out too! It’s a true singles match now, but Heyman might still be looming nearby. Solo hits a Samoan drop on Riddle as we head to our final commercial.

Paul Heyman takes the time to grab the microphone and says he has a historic announcement. After muscling their way through management, they got it approved for two weeks from now at SmackDown. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn will defend their Undisputed Tag Team Titles against the Usos in Corpus Christi, Texas. Heyman says he guarantees they will lose those belts because the Tribal Chief is running out of patience for the two of you (he stands in a way where he might be referring to The Usos here).

The match starts after the break!

We see a replay of what happened between Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch this past Monday. Next week, Trish Stratus will explain her actions!

Ricochet and Braun Strowman are walking around the backstage area, discussing the draft. The Viking Raiders come out of nowhere and absolutely destroy them! They Ragnarok Ricochet into a table as we head into the main event.

Riddle is out first with Kevin Owens, followed by Solo Sikoa accompanied by The Bloodline (minus Roman Reigns)

Madcap tries to come back with a clothesline, but Shinsuke turns it into an armbar. Emma pulls him to safety as she looks around confused.

We see a video that shows Scarlett pulling out a tarot card of Shinsuke Nakamura. Kross smashes his fist into the table and says, “Tick tock!”

Riddle is now preparing for his main event. That’s up next!

Madcap comes in with exploding shots on Nakamura. He runs in with a shoulder strike in the abdomen of Nakamura. He goes for a fallaway slam but it gets botched. Nakamura stars coming back with several kicks, including a sliding German suplex. He follows it with a jumping knee strike off the second rope. Kinshasa! That’s it, y’all.

Nakamura wins!

We are back from the commercial, and we see the University of Nebraska football team sitting front row at SmackDown. Another ad showing the main event coming up between Riddle and Solo Sikoa is highlighted.

Shinsuke Nakamura is back and the crowd is happy to see him! They sing along to his theme music as Nakamura comes down to the ring in a black coat. It’s going to be a match! Emma is backstage telling Madcap Moss that he shouldn’t listen to the fans. Moss has won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, so Emma thinks he has a leg up. She tells him it’s important he wins because of the upcoming WWE Draft. Moss enters!

Michael Cole and Wade Barrett note how WWE broke records today with their WWE SummerSlam ticket sales. We then see a replay about what happened Monday night between Lita, Becky Lynch, Trish Stratus, and the new Women’s Tag Team Champions Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez.

Liv and Raquel are introduced as pyro goes off. They grab some microphones and Liv tells the crowd they are so proud to be representing as the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions. Raquel is proud that the titles were brought home to SmackDown. Raquel thanks Liv for being willing to use her body as a weapon. Liv thanks her and says she’ll always let Raquel throw her into people (as she chuckles.) She says that incredible things happen when you least expect it. If they’re this good this fast, they can only imagine where they will be in the future.

Sonya Deville and Chelsea Green come out, with Sonya saying she felt she was getting stupider backstage listening to them. She also tells the audience to shut up while they’re speaking. Sonya questions how Liv and Raquel are champions if they didn’t even defeat Lita & Becky. Sonya doesn’t understand, saying that it was probably Adam Pearce who overlooked this fact. Chelsea says that they are being overlooked for this mediocre tag team of Liv and Raquel. Chelsea says the only difference between the fans and Liv/Raquel is the championships.

Green and Sonya want a tag team title shot. Liv says they’ll talk to Adam because she wants to battle them for the Women’s Tag Team Titles. Liv hits a codebreaker but Chelsea and Sonya escape afterward.

Backstage, Paul Heyman is hyping up Solo Sikoa for his match against Riddle. He tells Solo that when they embarrass him, they disgrace his entire family. Names like Rikishi and Umaga are dropped as Paul says the names of his family cannot be let down. Solo tells Paul to tell Roman Reigns, “I’ve got this.” Paul agrees to do so.

We see an advertisement for the main event! Also tonight, Shinsuke Nakamura is back.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are coming out as they are scheduled for their Championship celebration! We’ll be right back!

We’re back from the break, and Priest is in control, nailing Escobar with right hands in the corner. He uses a flatliner for another close two count. Priest keeps on him with a knee to the back as he wrenches back on the arms. Santos gets out and tries to rush Damian in the corner, ultimately getting stomped into the mat. Judgment Day is on the outside, looking delighted.

They climb up the ropes; while Priest is standing on the second rope, Santos comes off the top with an avalanche hurricanrana. Escobar gets another close two-count with the one! They trade right hands while staggered. Priest goes for a discus clotheline but he eats a jumping knee. Santos with strikes and a leg scissors to send Priest into the corner. He tosses Escobar onto the apron, but it still lets Escobar set up and hit a moonsault. Another close two count for LWO!

Escobar picks Damian up but Judgment Day starts interfering in the match! Rhea distracts the referee while Dominik strikes Santos. LWO comes to attack Judgment Day on the outside! It’s becoming a huge brawl. Escobar with a surprise suicide dive out of nowhere to take out Priest. Rhea is trying to interfere too, but Zelina Vega comes out of nowhere to assist. Still, Damian Priest nails a kick and the south of heaven chokeslam for the victory. Wow!

Priest prepares to send Santos through the announce table, but suddenly, Rey Mysterio’s music hits and he appears from the audience. He takes out Damian and then goes into the ring, preparing to hit Dom with a 619. At the last second, Judgment Day pulls Dom to safety as the crowd boos.

We return from the break, and Santos reverses a corner clothesline from Priest. He climbs to the top rope and hits Priest with a crossbody to follow up. He sends Priest out of the ring and attempts an over-the-top-rope attack, but Priest moves at the last moment. He slams Escobar with a right jab as he comes off the ring apron. Back inside the ring, Priest uses a running elbow and a falcon arrow for a close two-count.

Santos hits some chops to fight back. Priest with a series of kicks, and he keeps on a wrist lock. Santos then wacks Priest with some more chops and a dropkick for another two. Santos makes it to his feet and uses running knees on Priest in the corner. He does it again! Escobar tosses Priest into the opposite corner and mounts him for nine punches in a row. Priest tries to choke him, leading Escobar out of the ring. Priest exits the ring and comes in with an axe handle off the steel steps as we go to break.

Priest comes down to the ring and says that Backlash is in Puerto Rico. And Bad Bunny can attend the show in the front row again, but if he touches his family, he will be decimated once more. We see a recap video of Bunny and Dominik fighting, followed by Priest slamming Bunny through the table. The crowd is booing loudly. Priest tells them to play the south of heaven chokeslam through the table in slow-motion so they can see it better.

This inspires Zelina Vega of the LWO to come out to the stage. Ripley looks like she’s going up the ramp to confront her, allowing the rest of the LWO to run in and get some sneak attack shots on Judgment Day. Priest vs. Escobar is next!

Backstage, Gunther is giving a pep talk to Imperium. Woods is celebrating by playing his trumbone to the “New Day rocks!” tune. Ludwig Kaiser makes it clear that he’s not enjoying the music Woods is playing. Gunther says that if Woods wants his attention, do it respectfully, but he’s a goof. He doesn’t like goofs.

Xavier says that Gunther has been the Intercontinental Champion for a long time, and since the WWE Draft is coming up soon, he wants to win the Intercontinental Title to take it with him to wherever he ends up.

As promised, we see the recap of what happened between Solo and Riddle last December. Zayn and Riddle are then shown backstage having a heart to heart. Sami tells Riddle to be careful because he’s seen everyone around him getting hurt by The Bloodline. Owens shows up and says Zayn doesn’t need to tell him to be careful. Owens says it’s the opposite; he needs to bring out all the rage and gets revenge.

Riddle says that while he was away, he realized he can only control what he can. And what he can control tonight is taking all of his anger out on Solo Sikoa after being out for 180 days.

Judgment Day is interviewed backstage ahead of Damian Priest’s match against Santos Escobar. Kayla Braxton asks about the match last week where Zelina attacked Rhea Ripley, which ticks Rhea off. Priest says that Escobar doesn’t know how to pick friends because he’s running around with Rey Mysterio and getting in his business. As for Bad Bunny, he’s ready to address that in the ring.

We see an official announcement for Solo Sikoa vs. Matt Riddle. Up next, we’re seeing a recap video showing how Solo Sikoa put Riddle out of action months ago.

We return with Xavier in control, ramming Knight’s head into the turnbuckle. Knight reverses him in the opposite corner with a neckbreaker. He gets a two count with it. Woods fights back with strikes and an axe kick to bring Knight down. Woods avoids several running attacks from Knight before nailing a spinning elbow for a close two count.

Woods misses with a shot at another axe kick, allowing Knight to use a DDT for another two. He glances around at the audience, and then slowly picks up Xavier. Woods counters attempts at vertical suplexes, but it doesn’t work, so Knight just beats him down to the mat. Woods comes back by hanging knight up on the third rope, following it up with a double stomp to the back of the neck. He jumps to the other turnbuckle and hits a picture-perfect leg drop. Knight grabs the bottom rope at two! He survived it!

Woods comes back off the ropes but Knight grabs him and gives him a scoop slam into the mat. LA Knight with his signature elbow drop. Woods reverses the finisher but Knight still maintains control, trying to use the tights to win. The ref sees it and doesn’t count. That’s when Woods uses the same pin and pulls Knight’s tights for the 3 count! Woods gets it!

Back from the commercial break, we get a replay of what happened before the break between Riddle, KO, and Sami Zayn battling Solo Sikoa and Jimmy & Jey Uso. We see Adam Pearce backstage who tells a referee that Solo and Riddle can settle their differences in a main event match tonight. That’s gonna be an intense one!

We see Xavier Woods’ promo from Twitter that we featured in our live blog earlier this week. LA Knight dropped some words of his own in an online video, which we see a glimpse of. Woods is out first, which means LA Knight vs. Woods is coming up next! Cole says well wishes to Kofi Kingston after suffering an ankle injury weeks ago.

Knight comes out looking confident, as usual. The bell sounds! Knight gets Woods in a headlock right off the bat, but Xavier escapes. Knight grounds him with a shoulder tackle. Woods hits back with a dropkick and some posing to the crowd. He applies his own headlock to Knight, followed by a takeover to the mat. Knight throws him off and hits an elbow to Woods’ face. Xavier turns a leg scissors into a Russian leg sweep, and then splashes on Knight on the outside of the ring. He tries for a sliding dropkick through the second rope, but Knight avoids it and slams Xavier into the ring post. We’re off to another commercial break!

Jimmy asks Jey if he’s hearing them right because they’re acting like they are so under pressure despite only having the titles for a few weeks. Sami says The Usos are under a lot of pressure because they have to report to their daddy, Roman Reigns. Jimmy says he’s always saying the same things about how The Bloodline has cracks in it, and they should report to their daddy. He says to listen to the people saying The Bloodline is more dangerous than ever. They’re also stronger than ever.

Jey speaks up and says when they get their chance at the tag team titles, they’ll choke like they always do. And it won’t be KO turning on Sami; no, it’ll be Sami stabbing him in the back as he did to The Bloodline. Sami says they can keep acting like nothing he says is true, but it doesn’t change that Solo almost turned on him last week. Sami says they didn’t come here just to talk, did they? The Bloodline circles around the ring, but that’s when Riddle comes out of nowhere and starts battling Solo outside the ring.

Owens and Zayn battle The Usos on the outside while Riddle hits two ripcord knees to Solo. As he tries to use a top rope maneuver, The Usos pull Solo to safety. Riddle, KO, and Sami stand tall in the ring as The Usos retreat up the ramp.

Sami Zayn joins Kevin Owens, and the two enter the arena. We also see a replay of what happened last Friday, when Riddle made his return to SmackDown to help Sami and Kevin ward off The Bloodline. KO and Sami have microphones in hand, with Zayn speaking first to the electric crowd. He says how proud he is that the tag team title match between them and The Usos was the main event of WrestleMania. It was so special to Sami because he won the titles with his lifelong best friend, but due to the looming draft and the drama with The Bloodline, it’s hard for him to breathe.

Kevin says things are definitely uncertain right now, but regardless of where they end up in the draft, they’re the Undisputed Tag Team Champions of WWE. They will defend them to the best of their ability every week, no matter the show. Sooner rather than later, KO recognizes that The Usos will come for their rematch. Cue, The Usos! Their music hits, and they enter the arena with Solo Sikoa trailing behind.

Here we go, folks! SmackDown is starting NOW!

We see the intro graphic and some pyro as Michael Cole welcomes us to the arena at The University of Nebraska. First out is Kevin Owens!!!

It feels as though CM Punk has never quite left the spotlight since being suspended from AEW last September. First, it was news of the drama that unfolded backstage during the post-All Out media scrum, followed by Punk’s recent Instagram posts that stirred more controversy. Now, it’s being reported that Punk is set to meet with Chris Jericho and other important figures in AEW to see if working together once more will be possible.

One of our readers who chose to remain anonymous gave his take on what AEW President and Founder Tony Khan should do about the CM Punk situation.

I think Tony Khan needs to ensure that Punk comes to him first with any issues that he has with others in the locker room.  If Punk can trust that Khan will deal with his issues, he is less likely to air dirty laundry in public.  Likewise, Khan needs to make it clear to Punk that he will not tolerate the sort of behaviour Punk was guilty of when returned following Double or Nothing.  Strong leadership is required from Khan in this situation, but I have yet to see any evidence that he is capable of providing it.  Punk was right after All Out: he does work with children, but Punk is probably the biggest child out the lot of them.

Feel free to join in the conversation, as well! Click the link here to give your comments.

Earlier today, WWE Playlist released a new video on social media focusing on the growth Rhea Ripley has experienced since her first Championship win in WWE up until now. In November 2018, NXT UK was becoming established as a new brand of WWE, and Toni Storm and Ripley battled in the finals of a tournament to crown the first-ever NXT UK Women’s Champion. Ripley would emerge victorious, starting her on a path to supremacy in WWE.

At WrestleMania 39 earlier this month, Ripley defeated Charlotte Flair to become the SmackDown Women’s Champion and the first woman to hold every Championship offered to women in WWE.

You can see the full video below:

Take a look back at all of @RheaRipley_WWE ’s title victories in WWE, #WWENXT and #NXTUK.#WWEPlaylist pic.twitter.com/F7aQwiLkO2

— WWE (@WWE) April 14, 2023

It was revealed earlier this week that Shawn Spears will be making his return to AEW television for the first time since October 2022 when he competes against “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry in tonight’s Rampage main event. The show was filmed earlier this week, so spoilers are available on the internet, but regardless, Spears encourages fans to watch his return match this evening.

Spoilers be damned. At least watch the Main Event

Spears was also sporting some long, luxurious hair before he returned to AEW. One fan asked why Spears decided to cut it back into a mohawk just before returning, which Spears gave an explanation for.

The people demanded that the Hawk return….Gotta give ‘em what they want!

The people demanded that the Hawk return….

Gotta give ‘em what they want! 😏 https://t.co/LVwETATXrp

— Shawn Spears™️ (@ShawnSpears) April 14, 2023

Spoilers be damned.

At least watch the Main Event 🙌🏻 https://t.co/ONxL0JO9Cf

— Shawn Spears™️ (@ShawnSpears) April 14, 2023

Before she was the reigning WWE Raw Women’s Champion, Rhea Ripley had a score to settle with WWE Hall of Famers Edge and Beth Phoenix. This led to an intense tag team match at Elimination Chamber 2023, where Ripley teamed with her Judgment Day counterpart, Finn Balor, to battle Edge and Phoenix in a mixed tag team match.

Phoenix and Edge pulled out the win on that occasion, but according to a new interview with Ripley, she feels she has unfinished business with “The Glamazon.” Additionally, Ripley thinks a first-time-ever clash with another gritty high-flyer would be exciting to see.

“I think one of the main ones is, I want my singles match with Beth Phoenix. I want my singles match, not a tag, a singles. But if she doesn’t fit the mold of what we’re going with, and we’re going with first time ever, I want to say Lita. I think that would be a lot of fun.”

You can read more about this story here.

It’s Friday night, and you know what that means – we’re getting a new episode of WWE SmackDown and AEW Rampage! All Elite Wrestling is setting up some intriguing matchups for tonight’s show, including an IWGP Tag Team Championship match between current champions Aussie Open and their challengers, Best Friends. Fresh off his shocking return to AEW this past Wednesday, Jeff Hardy will also appear with his brother, Matt.

Just a reminder: AEW Rampage will air after the NBA playoff game that begins at 9:30 pm EST on TNT in the U.S.

You can see the current card below:

• “Jungle Boy” Jack Perry vs. Shawn Spears
• IWGP Tag Team Championships: “Aussie Open” Mark Davis & Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. “Best Friends” Trent Beretta & Chuck Taylor
• New AEW Tag Team Champions “FTR” Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler speak
• Taya Valkyrie vs. Emi Sakura
• Mark Briscoe, Jay Lethal, Jeff Jarrett, & Satnam Singh will be in action
• Angelo Parker & Matt Menard speak
• Matt & Jeff Hardy to speak

Friday Night #AEWRampage is STACKED! Tune in to @tntdrama TONIGHT at 9:30pm ET/8:30pm CT or immediately following @NBAonTNT for one hour of jam-packed action! 💥 pic.twitter.com/mASL7EOJOr

— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) April 14, 2023

As we get closer and closer to SmackDown, WWE is revealing more details about tonight’s card. It has now been announced that the new WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez, will be celebrating their win over Becky Lynch and Trish Stratus to win their first set of tag titles this past Monday on Raw.

It’s unclear if this will lead into a new storyline with the champs, but it’s possible SmackDown’s Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler might be gunning after those belts after their win in a four-way tag match at WrestleMania 39. Other segments and matches for tonight’s SmackDown can be seen below:

• Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez celebrate Women’s Tag Team Titles win
• Damien Priest vs. Santos Escobar
• LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods
• Shinsuke Nakamura returns
• Riddle and company continue battling The Bloodline

TONIGHT on #SmackDown

New WWE Women's Tag Team Champions @RaquelWWE & @YaOnlyLivvOnce hold a Championship Celebration!

📺 8/7c on @FOXTV pic.twitter.com/3LYVzChb7U

— WWE (@WWE) April 14, 2023

CM Punk continues to be a hot commodity in the world of pro wrestling. With new reports indicating that Punk is working on returning to AEW soon, other stars are giving subtle hints that they aren’t thrilled about working with “The Second City Saint” again. The most recent comes from Brandon Cutler, who responded to an opinion article from Deadspin that claimed CM Punk was gaslighting his way back to AEW because he still hasn’t given a genuine apology about what occurred backstage following the post-All Out 2022 Media Scrum. It appears Cutler agrees with this statement, though he deleted his reply shortly after posting it.

It’s well-known amongst dedicated AEW fans that a falling-out occurred after the 2022 All Out media scrum, where Punk insulted Colt Cabana, Hangman Page, and other members of The Elite by bringing up real-life controversies. The Elite reportedly confronted Punk after his speech, leading to a legitimate brawl between Kenny Omega, The Young Bucks, Punk, and his former coach, Ace Steel.

You can read more about this story here.

Eric Bischoff is a man unafraid to speak his mind, and he kept that tradition alive this week during a new episode of his 83 Weeks podcast. Bischoff delved deep into the subject of WWE being purchased by Endeavor to be merged with the UFC. Though he recognizes it as a promising deal for everyone involved, Bischoff fears layoffs are on the horizon for some employees.

“I think there’s going to be layoffs — I know there will be — but I think the majority of them are going to come on the UFC side as opposed to the WWE side. I’d be more concerned if I was working for UFC right now, than if I was working for WWE.”

You can read more about this story here.

On the eve of WrestleMania 39, the annual WWE Hall of Fame ceremony was held, with notable stars like Rey Mysterio and The Great Muta among the class of 2023 inductees. One of WWE’s most recognizable women, Stacy Keibler, was also inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, something she was both surprised and delighted about.

A couple of weeks later, Stacy is looking back at the memorable evening she was able to experience with family, friends, and the WWE Universe. The video she shared on Twitter includes moments of her visiting backstage with Rey Mysterio, JBL, Ric Flair, and other WWE stars. She also danced the night away with loved ones after the reception ended.

I can’t express how much love I felt on this unforgettable night! Beyond grateful to you all for making it so special

I can't express how much love I felt on this unforgettable night! Beyond grateful to you all for making it so special 💗🫶🏼💗 #WWEHOF

🎥: WWE Network @wwe pic.twitter.com/JXwrqBVTfO

— Stacy Keibler (@StacyKeibler) April 14, 2023

Few superstars have made the kind of impact Bianca Belair has during her time on WWE’s main roster, and that’s saying a lot, considering she’s only been there for three years. Prior to that, she spent four years as a part of the NXT brand, and though she was featured in main event matches, Belair never made it to the top of the division as NXT Champion.

But whether it was her inspiring losses against stars like Shayna Baszler in NXT or her triumphant victories over the top stars on the main roster, Bianca has already left an emphatic mark on history as “The EST of WWE.”

Missing a few [awards], but so much has happened so quickly & I am so grateful! WWE changed my WHOLE life! What we do here as individuals & as a roster is so special! Let’s keep building this legacy!

This week hit 7 years of being in @wwe; 3 years on Main Roster!
April 11, 2016.
Missing a few, but so much has happened so quickly & I am so grateful! WWE changed my WHOLE life! What we do here as individuals & as a roster is so special!
Let’s keep building this legacy!#ESTofWWE pic.twitter.com/AoEOS3ymzd

— Bianca Belair (@BiancaBelairWWE) April 14, 2023

Tonight’s episode of SmackDown is shaping up to be a memorable one! We can expect to see what is next in store for The Bloodline in their ongoing war with Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes, and the returning Riddle, but it’s also a big night for Shinsuke Nakamura!

The former Intercontinental Champion is slated to make his return to WWE television for the first time since November 11. A recent report from Fightful Select indicated that Nakamura will be going into a program with Karrion Kross, as a tarot card related to Nakamura has been created for the show.

You can see the current card for SmackDown below:

• Damien Priest vs. Santos Escobar
• LA Knight vs. Xavier Woods
• Shinsuke Nakamura returns
• Riddle and company continue battling The Bloodline

The current plan is for Shinsuke Nakamura to start a program with Karrion Kross, staring tonight on #SmackDown.

– per @FightfulSelect pic.twitter.com/jW69yylGbQ

— PW Chronicle (@_PWChronicle) April 14, 2023

We’re back, pro wrestling fans! Another episode of WWE SmackDown is just a few hours away, and in the meantime, we’ll be here to keep you updated on all the latest news heading into the blue brand.

One man flooding the headlines this week has been CM Punk, who now has a tentative return date scheduled for his AEW comeback. Reports indicate that June is a month to keep an eye on, as the company is returning to Punk’s hometown of Chicago on June 21, 2023.

There was also speculation that top WWE superstar Seth Rollins was unhappy with the company after sudden changes on Raw caused him to have a “freak out” in front of the audience. Despite the ordeal, a new report says that “The Architect” has no plans of leaving WWE anytime soon.