Optimism For SmackDown, Roman Reigns Missing Backlash, Randy Orton Return Update, WWE Apologizes
There is reportedly optimism within the WWE "Higher Ups" that Triple H's version of the product will return on SmackDown.
'Higher Ups' In WWE Optimistic That Triple H's Version Of The Product Will Return On Tonight's SmackDown
Take a deep breath in regard to the future of WWE Creative. Several behind-the-scenes heading into tonight's "WWE SmackDown" believe there's nothing to be worried about.
According to Fightful Select, "higher-ups" were optimistic that Triple H's vision for WWE programming would be making a return with tonight's show. This, of course, comes on the heels of reports late Monday that, fresh off the announcement of a WWE-UFC merger, Vince McMahon was back in the driver's seat calling the shots from the Gorilla position for "WWE Raw." As a result, locker room morale took a massive hit, believing that the past way of doing things had come back to haunt them. However, the hope was that such an occurrence was a one-time deal.
That doesn't mean the show is totally out of the woods though. There is still uncertainty as to whether or not McMahon would be on a plane heading for Portland — the site of "SmackDown" tonight. But Friday's show should paint a good picture as to who is in charge of WWE's creative plans on a show-to-show basis.
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Roman Reigns is fresh off his successful title defense against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 39 Night 2. However, it appears Reigns will most likely be missing WWE’s next PLE, Backlash. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Having vanquished "The American Nightmare," there doesn't seem to be a ready-made program for Reigns at the moment, especially with Rhodes now occupied by Brock Lesnar after this week's WWE Raw.
WWE came under scrutiny after one of their promo packages for WrestleMania 39 featured a picture of an Auschwitz concentration camp. WWE has now come out publicly to apologize for the occurrence. "We had no knowledge of what was depicted," a WWE spokesperson said in the statement to NBC News. "As soon as we learned, it was removed immediately. We apologize for this error." No explanation was given as to where the stock footage of Auschwitz was sourced from or how it might have been labeled.
One of the only surprises of WrestleMania weekend was when Shane McMahon returned to face The Miz. Unfortunately, this match did not go very long as almost immediately Shane got injured. A new report now suggests Shane was quickly flown for surgery. According to PWInsider Elite, McMahon was flown into Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday night, immediately after suffering the injury during an impromptu match against The Miz. It's assumed he underwent surgery at the Andrew Sports Medicine & Orthopedic Center to repair his torn quad.
Cody Rhodes may not have walked away as the WWE Undisputed Universal Heavyweight Champion, but he did walk away as the top merch seller of all Superstars! According to Fightful Select, Rhodes topped all individual superstar merchandise sales across 'Mania Week, as evidenced by the sea of "American Nightmare" gear on display at SoFi Stadium across the two-night WrestleMania 39 spectacle.
The long-awaited return of Randy Orton is something that has been on the mind of the WWE Universe. There have been a lot of conflicting reports on this, but the latest suggests that Orton won’t be back anytime soon. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Orton is "nowhere close" to being in a position to step back between the ropes for action — information that was passed along to squash any hopes from fans that'd he be a WrestleMania surprise or arrive back on the scene soon after.