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Not only Nick Aldis, but The Rock also holds a significant authority position in WWE. Beyond competing in the squared circle, The Final Boss also serves as a TKO board member, granting him immense power within the Stamford-based promotion.

During his WrestleMania XL Tag Team Match, The People’s Champion even warned the referee that he could fire him showing off his authority if things didn’t go his way. This moment underlined The Fina Boss’ substantial influence, which could extend to major decisions, including replacing General Managers.

Nick Aldis serves as the present GM of SmackDown. Aldis maintains a neutral stance and consistently acts without favoritism, prioritizing fairness. However, with The Bloodline’s involvement, it’s plausible that The Final Boss might prefer a GM who supports Solo’s faction in their ongoing war with the OG Bloodline. This scenario could lead to The Rock replacing Aldis with Shane McMahon as SmackDown’s supremo.

If Nick Aldis starts enforcing strict policies against Sikoa’s faction, hindering their momentum, The Great One might intervene by bringing Shane back. With McMahon as GM, he could align with The Rock’s vision, favoring Solo’s Bloodline to undermine Roman Reigns’ OG Bloodline. Such a development would undoubtedly captivate the WWE Universe, adding another intriguing layer to the ongoing saga.

Shane McMahon has previously served as Commissioner of SmackDown, notably during his rivalry with Stephanie McMahon, RAW’s GM at the time. Therefore, it wouldn’t be surprising if WWE reintroduces Shane in this capacity, especially amid recent speculation about a potential AEW debut for him which hasn’t yet materialized.

The likelihood of this scenario increases significantly as The Rock is already speculated to be revealed as the true mastermind behind Solo Sikoa’s Bloodline.

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What could be the future of Nick Aldis if he gets replaced as General Manager by The Rock?

Although the above scenario is highly speculative, what if Nick Aldis was actually replaced as General Manager?

If this happens in the near future, the WWE Universe might witness the in-ring comeback of The National Treasure in the Stamford-based company. Before joining Triple H’s promotion, Aldis had competed in the squared circle for various promotions, including IMPACT Wrestling.

He is a two-time NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion, and a former TNA World Champion, among other accolades. This highlights that, in addition to being an authority figure, The National Treasure excels at taking down opponents in the ring.

An in-ring return for Nick Aldis could be an ideal scenario if he were ever replaced or removed as SmackDown General Manager and highly entertaining for the fans.

Source: Sportskeeda

WWE made a massive announcement on social media. This caught the attention of a 39-year-old star, and he reacted to it.

Brian Myers first made a name for himself in WWE under the ring name Curt Hawkins. He signed a developmental contract with the company on February 24, 2006. Hawkins aligned himself in a faction with Edge, but this didn’t propel him to the heights he expected.

Over the years, Brian Myers became known more for losing matches than winning them. After a disappointing stint with the Stamford-base promotion, he was finally released in 2020.

Following his departure, he continued to work in the independent scene, but he still manages to stay in tune with what’s happening with his former employer. WWE recently announced the launch of the WWE Independent Development program to aid independent wrestlers and wrestling schools. The company also announced that it will be releasing the list of its first set of wrestlers to get the ID designation.

Among those IDs was Bryce Donovan, who was scouted from Wrestling Open. He made his debut in 2016. This announcement got Brian Myers’ attention, who seemed to agree with the decision.

“He’s @CreateAPro’s John Cena. Long time coming & much deserved.”

Check out his tweet below:

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Booker T commented on Reality of Wrestling being a part of WWE ID

WWE announced its ID program to provide financial assistance to independent wrestling schools and wrestlers, which will provide an easier pathway to promotion.

The first schools announced to get the ID designation were Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling, Cody Rhodes’ Nightmare Factory, Seth Rollins’ Black and Brave Academy, Elite Pro Wrestling Training Center, and Knokx Pro Wrestling Academy.

On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T spoke about ROW getting the ID designation. He said they have been working towards this for many years, and much effort went into it. He also highlighted how they are in a position to help the next generation of wrestlers.

“Many, many years we’ve been working on becoming a developmental program for WWE and never knew if it was ever gonna happen or not but we just kept grinding man. We just kept working, no matter what, day in and day out, we came in with that vision that perhaps, you know, and if not, we just going to keep trying to create the best we possibly can create and now 20 years, man, 20 years. That’s why for me it’s real. It’s surreal as it possibly can be. I’m serious now in a position where we can really really help the next generation of young guys trying to get into this business as well as create a monster man and that is Reality of Wrestling.”

It will be interesting to see how many more independent wrestlers will be part of this in the near future.

Source: Sportskeeda

Seth Rollins made an appearance on “The Pivot” podcast, where he gave insight into the current state of WWE. According to Rollins, there is a significant imbalance in the company’s current roster.

“Some of our biggest moments have been with babyface champions. Over the last four years, Roman Reigns has been the top guy, and he was the biggest heel. Now, we’re in a moment with Cody Rhodes and in an era of babyfaces. We have names like me, Cody, Randy Orton, Sami Zayn, and Roman Reigns has returned as a babyface. We’re in a time where everything is working and people are really enjoying what’s happening,” said Rollins during the podcast.

Rollins also expressed concern about the current landscape: “I’m watching and thinking, ‘We’re lacking good heels around here.’ The business is cyclical, and we need to ride the waves that come our way and figure out how to maximize profits from that. When we look at names like Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Sammartino, many of the biggest draws were built around great babyfaces.”

Last night, NXT topped AEW Dynamite in both total viewership and the key 18 to 49 demographic. While AEW Dynamite aired as usual on TBS, NXT switched its broadcast to Wednesday on The CW instead of its regular Tuesday slot.

NXT held its show live from the historic “ECW Arena,” now known as the 2300 Arena, featuring nostalgic content from ECW. The show included a revamped opening that used the original theme song from the 90s ECW show, along with special appearances from renowned wrestlers from the original ECW era.

AEW Dynamite averaged 523,000 viewers, down from 628,000 the previous week. On the other hand, NXT reached an average of 619,000 viewers, an increase from 588,000 the week prior, but still below the 702,000 two weeks ago.

In the key demographic, AEW Dynamite scored a 0.16. Meanwhile, NXT reached a 0.17 in the same demographic.

WWE is in advanced negotiations with several sportswear retailers, including Becky Lynch’s name among the approved figures for potential products. This information was revealed during the latest episode of WrestleVotes Radio on Patreon.

Becky Lynch’s contract with WWE expired on June 1, when she chose not to renew and took time off. Despite this, her name remains on the company’s weekly talent roster, as previously reported by WrestleVotes.

“In interesting news about merchandise and partnerships, we’ve learned that WWE has been in significant talks with multiple sports apparel retailers. These companies are global and worth billions of dollars. The crux of this story comes from the names that one of these companies asked to use if a deal goes through. We’ve been informed that these names include Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Bianca Belair, and Becky Lynch. WWE has approved all these names for concept,” reported Joey Votes.

TC added: “I haven’t seen anything signed. I don’t have any information on approvals or contract finalizations, but from everything I can see, I really feel like Becky Lynch is involved and is coming back. I believe it will be sooner rather than later; I don’t think we’ll have to wait, definitely before WrestleMania. I’d say maybe at the Royal Rumble, maybe even sooner. I believe she’s ready and training for her return right now.”

Netflix is considering streaming Monday Night RAW live from Europe to the United States in 2025, changing the show’s traditional time slot. This information was revealed via WrestleVotes Radio, part of the Sportskeeda Backstage Pass.

WWE recently announced a three-week tour of the UK, scheduled to take place during WrestleMania season. This tour will include six television tapings of Monday Night RAW and SmackDown.

According to sources connected to Netflix, the streaming platform has shown interest in airing live episodes of Monday Night RAW directly from Europe. “Netflix is absolutely open to the idea of broadcasting these RAW shows live as they happen. Essentially, we could have Monday Night RAW on Monday afternoons during WrestleMania season. WWE is considering the idea, with no decision made yet, but Netflix is willing to carry these live broadcasts as they happen,” reported WrestleVotes Radio.

This possibility arises after the announcement made on January 23, confirming that RAW will leave the USA Network and move to Netflix in 2025. The streaming platform will also handle the international broadcasts of WWE Premium Live Events, changing the structure of the WWE Network outside the United States.

The debut of Monday Night RAW on Netflix is confirmed for January 6, 2025.

Regarding SmackDown, which will remain on USA Network, the report indicates that the European episodes will maintain a delayed broadcast format for the United States.

A TKO officially put an end to the discussions about sports betting related to WWE matches in the United States. Mark Shapiro, President and Chief Operating Officer of TKO, made this announcement during his appearance on CNBC this Thursday.

In 2023, WWE expressed interest in legalizing betting on its main events. The company began discussions with various gambling regulators, but would need to implement strict measures to keep the predetermined outcomes confidential.

“It’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen. We’re scripted. Years ago, I managed Dick Clark Productions. We already had enough challenges keeping the winners of the American Music Awards and the Golden Globe a secret with an auditor present. We’re not going to ask Paul Levesque, who runs our creative side, to keep his scripts so protected that we’d start sports betting. It just doesn’t work,” said Shapiro during the interview.

The situation contrasts with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), another property of TKO, which maintains regular operations in the U.S. sports betting market. This difference primarily stems from the unscripted nature of UFC fights.

WWE has secretly added another member of the Anoa’i family to its roster. Lance Anoa’i signed with the company during the summer, as confirmed by internal sources to Fightful Select.

Lance Anoa’i, who was previously signed with Major League Wrestling (MLW), had his release granted by the company last year. Following this event, speculation about his potential move to WWE started circulating online.

The confirmation of his signing just recently happened when referee Felix Fernandez shared a photo on social media featuring Lance Anoa’i wearing NXT gear alongside other names from the WWE Performance Center.

Lance Anoa’i is in NXT 👀

Bro I thought you were coming to Waffle House. It’s been months…

Food is cold ☝🏽 pic.twitter.com/ZfEULOStfu

— MuscleManMalcolm (@MalcolmMuscle) November 7, 2024

The Bloodline has received several reinforcements since WrestleMania 40, including Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu. Hikuleo also signed with WWE during the summer, further expanding the presence of the Samoan family in the company.

According to information from Fightful Select, Lance Anoa’i is currently sidelined due to an injury. As a result, there are no immediate plans for his use in NXT or on the main roster.

WWE Hall of Famer Goldberg officially confirmed that he will have his farewell match in 2025, sparking intense speculation about who his final opponent will be. Known for his powerful and intense wrestling style, Goldberg discussed his upcoming retirement in an interview with Scott Johnson from News 4 Jacksonville and emphasized the difficulty of truly saying goodbye to pro wrestling.

During the interview, Goldberg shared his straightforward view on the concept of retirement in pro wrestling: “You’re not retired until you’re dead in wrestling… that’s how it works.” His words highlight the struggle many wrestlers face in leaving the ring for good, with the desire to make a comeback lingering even after the highly publicized “last match.”

As the crowd speculates about Goldberg’s potential opponent for his farewell match, one name has been widely mentioned: GUNTHER. WWE has yet to confirm a match between Goldberg and GUNTHER, but many believe this could be the iconic final showdown that Goldberg deserves.

The crowd is eager to see if this match will happen and if GUNTHER will be the one to end Goldberg’s legendary career.

TKO President and COO Mark Shapiro recently spoke about Vince McMahon’s perspective on the current direction of WWE. In an interview with CNBC, Shapiro recounted a meeting with McMahon over breakfast, which took place a few weeks after the release of the Netflix documentary about McMahon.

Shapiro reported:

“I had coffee with him a few weeks ago. Just to check in since I hadn’t seen him in a while and hadn’t heard from him. Obviously, the series on Netflix just came out. I wanted to see how he was doing. By the way, he couldn’t have been more cooperative, he couldn’t have been more kind, he was totally professional during the coffee, if you will, it was a personal meeting, a face-to-face.”

Shapiro also highlighted the complete absence of McMahon in WWE’s decision-making processes. According to him, McMahon is not involved in the company’s decisions, does not sit on the Board, and is not consulted about operations.

“He’s completely out of the picture. He doesn’t make decisions, isn’t on the board, doesn’t weigh in, we don’t consult him.”

Shapiro mentioned that McMahon is busy with pending lawsuits and seeks privacy to handle these matters. The executive emphasized that during this time, TKO and WWE remain focused on expanding their opportunities and horizons.

“He has some legal issues he’s working through and honestly wants privacy and time to handle it. Which is great, because in the meantime, we’ll keep building TKO and WWE, expanding our horizons and opportunities.”

Finally, Shapiro emphasized that although McMahon doesn’t have the same role as before, he still holds a stake in WWE, albeit a reduced one.

“And by the way, he’s still a shareholder – not the same kind of shareholder he used to be, but he’s still a shareholder.”

When asked about McMahon’s opinion on the current direction of WWE, Shapiro replied:

“It couldn’t have been more positive, but I wasn’t asking for his opinion.”