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WWE Rumor Roundup: Samoa Joe’s Return,

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Lana’s Future, WWE Releases
all the latest news,
o!ers and special By Phillipa Mariee April 18, 2020
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NEW UNIVERSAL CHAMPION
BRAUN STROWMAN

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5 WWE SUPERSTARS WHO COULD

QUIETLY RETIRE IN 2020
1. Samoa Joe Still Not Cleared To Return

10 SHOCKING SCENARIOS THAT

MAY TAKE PLACE AT
WRESTLEMANIA 36

5 WWE SUPERSTARS VINCE

MCMAHON WILL BURY THIS YEAR

Image via WWE

Samoa Joe hasn’t been seen on WWE TV for a number

of months since it was revealed back in January that he
su!ered a concussion while filming a WWE commercial.
Joe has since been suspended for 30-days following his
Wellness Policy Violation, but his return date from the
suspension has passed and as part of the latest episode
of The Wrestling Observer, Dave Meltzer revealed that
Joe is still injured and has not been cleared from the
concussion.

WWE has since released the commercial that Joe

su!ered the concussion while creating, but it’s believed
that Joe could be sidelined for a long time.

Raw: Must Be Monday

2. Lana’s WWE Future?

Image via Pinterest

Earlier this week, a number of WWE stars were released

in line with WWE’s budget cuts and interestingly, Rusev
was one of the stars that were chosen for release. His
wife Lana is still working for WWE and is currently part
of a storyline with Bobby Lashley on RAW, but there
were some rumors that the former Total Divas star
could be following her husband out of the door.

According to an update from The Wrestling Observer,

there are no plans to cut Lana, so she is expected to
remain with WWE.

3. Update On Producers’ Furlough End Date

Image via Twitter

Earlier this week, it was revealed that many on-screen

talent was released by the company, but at the same
time, the backstage sta! and producers were actually
furloughed rather than released. This means that all
these stars will take a pay cut and will then return to
the company at a later date.

According to WrestlingInc.com, this date is believed to

be July 1st, of course, this could still change at Vince
McMahon’s discretion, but this is also the date that
WWE’s upcoming pre-records come to an end, which
means that it could be significant.

4. WrestleMania 37 Plans Could Be In Jeopardy

Image via Twitter

WWE were handed quite the blow when they were

forced to present their biggest show of the year from
the Performance Center earlier this month.

According to a report by The Sportster, WrestleMania

37 could also be in jeopardy since the SoFi Stadium in
Inglewood, CA, has already announced the cancellation
of their grand opening events and noted that: “it’s
entirely possible that the first season of the new
stadium will involve few if any paying customers, with
the venue, simply providing the backdrop for the TV
broadcast of 16 regular-season games due to be played
there.”

5. WWE Has Quietly Released a Number Of NXT

Stars

Image via WWE

It has been a rough week for the wrestling business,

but while many main roster releases were made public,
it appears that WWE has already begun cutting its NXT
talent but hasn’t made an o"cial announcement.
According to PWInsider, a number of known names
have already been released including Taynara Conti
Conti,
Cezar Bononi
Bononi, Tino Sabbatelli
Sabbatelli, and Mars Wang
Wang.

Other names that have been added to this list include

Dan Matha (Dorian Mak), Alyssa Marino, Aleksandar
Jaksic, Nick Comoroto (Nick Ogarelli), MJ Jenkins,
and Deonna Purrazzo
Purrazzo, the latter of which took to
Twitter to reveal her release. As already noted, WWE
hasn’t o"cially announced the release of any of these
stars.

The Virtuosa
@DeonnaPurrazzo

The people closest to me know this is something I’ve

been struggling with wanting for the better part of the
last year.

Happy to say I gave this journey my best and MORE

excited for the future!
18.3K 2:07 AM - Apr 16, 2020

3,078 people are talking about this

6. WWE Locker Room Reportedly Angry

Following Releases

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The recent WWE releases came just hours after Vince

McMahon declared that the company needed to make
budget cuts and were a huge shock to all of the talent
involved. According to a report by Tom Colohue of
Sportskeeda, the WWE locker room is both angry and
now worried that there could be more releases on the
horizon.

“The second that everyone was informed the cuts were

going to be happening, I started getting messages
basically saying, ‘This is not on, this is wrong.’ The locker
room is furious and it goes from top to bottom. Nobody
in any way is accepting of this. There is massive
disappointment, massive anger and there is still an
underlying worry anyone could be next.”

As ever, wrestling fans are reminded that the

above are just rumors and should not be taken at
face value as facts.

RESULTS SMACKDOWN WWE

WWE SmackDown Results and Takeaways, Apr 17: New

Champions, MITB Qualifiers
By Gaurav Yadav - April 18, 2020

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WWE SmackDown Results and Highlights

The show opened with a tribute to WWE Hall of Famer
AEW
Howard Finkel, who passed away on Thursday at the age of 69.
Dustin Rhodes To Retire If He Loses TNT
Championship Tournament Match...
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross hosted the latest edition of A
Moment of Bliss with the Universal Champion, Braun
Strowman
Strowman, who talked about his history with Bray Wyatt and
said he owes nothing to his former mentor. Strowman opened
a gift box which he found near the edge of the ring, and had
RUMOR ROUNDUP
his mask from his time in Wyatt Family. Wyatt’s laugh echoed
WWE Rumor Roundup: Samoa Joe’s
all around the arena to end the segment.
Return, Lana’s Future, WWE Releases

Tamina def. Sasha Banks: Tamina took down Banks to

become the No.1 contender for Bayley’s SmackDown
Women’s Title, while Lacey Evans attacked Bayley, who was
at the announce table.
WWE

Sheamus def. Denzel Dejournette: The Celtic Warrior WWE SmackDown: WWE Stars Will Be
Forced To “Climb The Corporate...
took down the NXT superstar with his devastating Brogue
Kick. Post-match, Sheamus got in the face of Michael Cole
once again who tried to speak about Je! Hardy.

Chapter Two of Je! Hardy’s life story aired with Hardy

WWE
talking about his addiction issues and the time he spent in
WWE SmackDown: Universal
prison due to his various run-ins with the police.
Championship Match Announced For
Money In The Bank,...
Dana Brooke def. Naomi: Dana Brooke took down Naomi
in one of the biggest upsets to qualify for the MITB ladder
match.

Sonya Deville cut a fantastic promo, calling out Mandy Rose WWE

and accusing her of stealing the spotlight in their tag-team.

WWE Tapes MITB Content On The Roof
Deville called Rose a lab-made product and said she has no Of WWE HQ, Changes...
fighting skills, unlike Deville. Ziggler interrupted and confessed
his feelings for Rose. A brawl ensued as Otis joined the fray,
and Rose and Otis stood tall to end the segment.

Daniel Bryan def. Cesaro: Bryan qualified for the MITB

ladder match by taking out the Swiss Superman with the
Yes Lock, as Gulak helped to fend o! Nakamura at ringside.
During the match, ‘The Truth’ appeared, with the mystery
hacker teasing an upcoming split between either of The
Usos, New Day, Bliss & Cross, Miz & Morrison, or Bayley &
Banks.

Elias was ambushed by King Corbin who laid down a brutal

beatdown after Elias’ constant mockery of the King in his
songs.

WWE Smackdown Tag Team Championships | Big E

def. The Miz(c) and Jey Uso: In a (sort of) rematch from
the WrestleMania matchup, Big E took back the titles for
the eighth time, after hitting the Miz with the Big Ending.

WWE SmackDown Takeaways

1. Unique Twist

WWE
@WWE

BREAKING: WWE Superstars will climb the corporate ladder

at #MITB!

The match begins on the ground floor of WWE Headquarters

but the briefcases will be hanging all the way up on the roof of
the corporate tower! ms.spr.ly/6019T5s6S

21.9K 6:21 AM - Apr 18, 2020

6,405 people are talking about this

WWE has apparently taken note of the significant praise for

their Boneyard and Funhouse Matches, and are continuing
with the string of cinematic matches, as the MITB match this
year will be held inside their headquarters, with the briefcase
suspended on the rooftop.

WWE is trying out creative things in the current situation, with

out-of-the-box solutions to entice the fans sitting at home.
Matches in an empty arena will certainly get stale after a
point, and hence, kudos to WWE for organizing such matches!

2. Mic-Drop Worthy Promo

Sonya Deville attempts to mend her relatio…

Sonya Deville has always been labeled as a potential main-

eventer, with her strong personality being a major talking
point for the fans. This week, Deville cut a promo of lifetime,
absolutely ripping into her Fire & Desire partner Mandy Rose,
and proved her mettle on the mic.

Deville should surely get a push into the main-event scene in

the near future, when the title is in the hands of a babyface
champion, as she has all the tools to succeed in the top role.

3. The Black Sheep

Bray Wyatt surprises “Black Sheep” Braun S…

From Wikipedia, black sheep is an idiom used to describe an

odd or disreputable member of a group, especially within a
family. Strowman was the ‘black sheep’ of his Wyatt Family,
and Wyatt brought up his loyalty or the lack thereof towards
him, and WWE is playing forward with this story, which is an
excellent narrative.

With Drew and Strowman holding the titles, the main-event

scene feels fresh for the first time in years, as either Brock
Lesnar or Roman Reigns have been chasing or holding either of
the titles for the last several years, and now it seems like WWE
is finally looking at alternate options.

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STAY IN TOUCH By Phillipa Mariee April 18, 2020
To be updated with
all the latest news,
o!ers and special
announcements.

Email address

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5 POSSIBLE OPPONENTS FOR THE

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Back at WrestleMania, The Miz was unable to be part of

the show due to illness, which meant that John
5 WWE SUPERSTARS WHO COULD Morrison stepped into the Tag Team Championship
QUIETLY RETIRE IN 2020
ladder match alone and defended against Jimmy Uso
and Kofi Kingston. The three other members of the
match didn’t have a chance to get their WrestleMania
moment this year, but WWE decided to allow them to
10 SHOCKING SCENARIOS THAT be part of their own match this week on SmackDown.
MAY TAKE PLACE AT
WRESTLEMANIA 36
Jey Uso, Big E and The Miz battled it out in the triple
threat match this week on SmackDown, but even
though the trio was spared ladders, it was still a highly
competitive match.
5 WWE SUPERSTARS VINCE
MCMAHON WILL BURY THIS YEAR
The Championships were successfully defended
seemingly via a fluke when Morrison fell o! the ladder
at WrestleMania and at the time was holding both of
the title belts. There was no such lick for The A-Lister
this week since it was The New Day who walked out of
The Performance Center as six-time SmackDown Tag
Team Champions.

It was a match that had all of the action and included

Big E going through the announce table as well as the