Here's more wrestling news for February 8th 2022
And your headlines for Afternoon include
WWE giving “preferential treatment” to one of their network partners! Tension boiling between them
WWE likely to re-sign Hall of Famer who says he plans on wrestling for a long time to come
“That’s a hard no!” Former WWE Champion refused to be inducted into the Hall of Fame without his tag team partner
NXT Champion Bron Breakker accepts challenge for title match from main-roster Superstar
WWE has no plans to release coveted documentary despite trailer release nearly a year ago
Former WWE World Champion to make appearance at this weekend’s Superbowl
Ex-WWE Superstars thanks Vince McMahon as he signs new Legends contract And more!
We’re kicking off today with WWE, who each week produces hours of content from RAW and Smackdown, which airs on the USA Network and FOX.
Typically RAW garners much better numbers for WWE than Smackdown, and has done so for years now, and that's despite WWE giving FOX preferential treatment.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer explain that despite doing worse on FOX, WWE is more keen to please the network, giving them the biggest stars
including Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey.
It's even been reported that Rousey will have a Smackdown exclusive deal now that she's back, the exact opposite of her first run in the company.
Meltzer explained that while RAW does an estimated four times the average USA Network viewership, Smackdown often does under the average for FOX
and WWE are desperate to please FOX so they can remain on the Network. It’s no secret that WWE and FOX have been at odds
in the past, with the network disappointed about the viewing figures that SmackDown receives, believing they would be much higher when they first signed the
current deal. WWE's five year deal with FOX was agreed in 2019, meaning we're about half way into the current
contract, and we'll just have to see how FOX feels when that current deal comes to an end.
Later this month, Bill Goldberg will return to competition when he faces Universal Champion Roman Reigns at Elimination Chamber.
This match, according to Goldberg himself, is the last match on his part-time deal with WWE, but fans can expect many more matches from the Hall of Famer.
On his show, Meltzer said that although there's no confirmation of Goldberg resigning, it's expected he will, as WWE has the money to keep him away
from the competition.
Meltzer also noted that Goldberg is one of the very few Attitude Era stars who is both still wrestling, and that WWE has access to.
At 55 years old, Goldberg has slowed down in the ring, but still remains wildly popular with the Saudi crowd, and he and WWE have some interesting decisions to make r.
after Elimination Chamber.
Goldberg may not have signed a new deal with WWE yet, but it’s expected he will, especially after his recent comments on his WWE-produced documentary.
Speaking on Goldberg at 54, as the doc was made before his 55th birthday last December, Goldberg said he is massively grateful to all the fans who continue to
support him, and even at his veteran age in wrestling, is more than willing to continue learning about the business, and be a part of it for as long as he can.
Fans may not be as pleased to see Goldberg as they once were, but the two-time former Universal Champion has no plans on slowing down, and instead becomes
a three-time Champion later this month when he faces Roman Reigns.
When WWE released Jeff Hardy last December, they lost one of their most popular Superstars, who remains under a 90-day non-compete clause with the company.
Prior to the Royal Rumble, WWE tried to coax Jeff back, with the promise of a good run and a Hall of Fame induction, but the Charismatic Enigma turned them down.
Now, it’s expected that Jeff will join Matt Hardy in AEW, and during one of his Twitch streams, the former ECW Champion explained what caused his brother to say no:
Jeff asked ‘so you want to induct me into the Hall of Fame?’ And he said ‘well let me ask you, I know you guys have spoken with AEW. Is this going to be the
Hardy Boyz? Is this myself and my brother Matt?’ And they go ‘oh, no no, no, no. We can’t get Matt. He’s under contract at AEW. You know, it
it would just be you.’ And Jeff said ‘well, that’s a hard no A three-time former WWE World Champion, with various
other titles to his name, Jeff Hardy is certainly worthy of a solo Hall of Fame induction, but only after he is inducted with his brother as one of the most popular
tag teams of all time. If WWE does want Jeff to be a Hall of Famer, they’ll have to get Matt inducted too, and with the
older Hardy signed to AEW, and having made it clear he’s very happy to be a wrestler working for Tony Khan, the task of getting Matt on board is easier said
done for Vince McMahon
One name who’s a long way away from his WWE Hall of Fame induction is Bron Breakker, who only debuted a few months ago, but has already made a name
for himself in NXT 2.0.
The reigning NXT Champion, Breakker is willing to take on all-comers, and that now includes Dolph Ziggler.
Recently, Ziggler mentioned coming to NXT 2.0 to challenge Breakker, and in a tweet this week, the second-generation Superstar accepted the challenge
saying they’ll face off after Breakker is done with Santos Escobar. That match with Escobar will come at NXT Vengeance Day,
in Breakker’s first title defence since becoming NXT Champion, and with the Champ expected to retain, expect the match with Ziggler
sooner rather than later, in what’ll be Bron Breakker’s biggest challenge to date.
Now, in April 2021, WWE released a trailer for a new documentary featuring Vladmir the Superfan, which is still yet to be released on the WWE Network or Peacock.
It’s been reported that the documentary is fully finished, but has been shelved indefinitely, and it’s now just sitting in WWE’s data system waiting to be released.
When Mike Johnson of PW Insider was asked about the project, he was told that there’s been “zero communication” between WWE and Vladimir for the
past few months, and there’s no sign of that changing. From being at WrestleMania 12, to appearing on- screen with Stone Cold Steve Austin at ECW One
Night Stand 2005, Vladimir is incredibly loyal to WWE, but his support for the company sure is being tested the longer this documentary takes to make it to TV.
Next year, Dwayne The Rock Johnson will re-relaunch the XFL alongside his business partner Dany Garcia, and hopes to bring a new version of Football to the
masses.
The Brahma Bull may now own the XFL, but will also have a presence at the NFL’s Superbowl 56, as confirmed by the man himself.
On Twitter, The Rock confirmed an appearance at the Superbowl, saying it’ll be electrifying, and is looking forward to making an impact this Sunday.
There’s no word on what the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment has planned for the Superbowl, but expect something big, ahead of the Rock’s own 23.
league launching in 2023.
And we’re ending today with Marty Wright, aka the Boogeyman, who has signed a brand new deal with WWE.
On social media, Wright posted a photo of his new WWE contract, and thanked Vince McMahon for allowing him to keep working for the company in
a limited capacity. It’s believed that Wright has signed a legends contract, which will see him make sporadic
appearances as the Boogeyman on TV. Even at 57 years old, The former WWE Superstar remains in phenomenal shape, and continues to
make appearances on the indies, in addition to running his own aerobics fitness program called ‘Boogey Boot Camp.’
The Boogeyman’s last appearance on WWE TV came at last year’s RAW’s Legend’s Night in January 2021, and with this new contract, expect the worm-eating
clock smashing, smoke-billowing Superstar to appear at some point in the near future.