WWE Live Shows, Rousey, Jeff Hardy, Raw – Audio News Bulletin – April 13, 2020

Listen to today’s audio news bulletin here:

---

What is the real reason WWE is going back to broadcasting live shows; A SmackDown star in line for a big push to stop him from going to AEW; An NXT star seems to be a bit upset; An update on the possibility of Ronda Rousey returning to WWE, and a look ahead to tonight’s Monday Night Raw. For WrestleTalk.com, I’m Liam Winnard with today’s audio news bulletin.

WWE is going to back to airing live shows instead of taping in advance, a decision which has been met with a lot of criticism given the fact that there’s a worldwide pandemic going on.

The company did release a statement to ESPN over the weekend, saying that it is more important than ever right now to provide people with entertainment, and reiterated that everything is being carried out safely and responsibly to bring people “hope, determination and perseverance”.

As it turns out, according to Dave Meltzer, what the statement fails to mention is the real reason for progressing with live shows, which is actually to fulfil contractual obligations with both the USA Network which broadcasts Raw and NXT, and FOX which broadcasts SmackDown.

WWE’s contracts with the TV stations only allows a small number of pre-taped shows a year, specifically, Raw is only allowed three.

You might think that because, you know, there’s a worldwide pandemic going on that WWE would be allowed a bit of leeway, but Meltzer says that the company is fearful that the networks could withhold money if the terms are violated – and that is money that WWE is largely surviving on while it isn’t running house shows.

According to a report from WrestlingNews.co, an up-and-coming SmackDown star is set for a big push in the near future. That up-and-coming star is… well it’s Jeff Hardy. The ‘Charismatic Enigma’ is in line for a big push to persuade him against joining his brother Matt in leaving WWE and signing for AEW.

If you didn’t watch SmackDown, and who can blame you if you didn’t, WWE aired a highlight package with some of Hardy’s most iconic moments, which according to the report is the start of his push.

As well as to stop him from crossing the proverbial line, Vince McMahon is reportedly said to be very impressed with Hardy’s determination to get himself clean following his second arrest of last year in October, which is another reason he wants to push him,

Despite originally signing for the exact same length as his brother Matt, Hardy’s contract has been extended by WWE for at least 11 months to make up for the time he spent on the shelf due to knee surgery and his personal issues since April last year before returning last month.

An NXT star seems to be a bit upset that he hasn’t been included in the tournament to determine an interim Cruiserweight Champion while Jordan Devlin is unable to travel, and that man is Lio Rush.

Over the weekend, the two groups for the tournament were announced, with Group A made up of Kushida, Drake Maverick, Tony Nese and Jake Atlas, and Group B consisting of Isaiah Scott, a debuting El Hijo del Fantasma, Akira Tozawa and Jack Gallagher.

Rush has taken to Twitter to air his grievances, and of course it could be part of an angle or just him playing around, but either way it’s interesting that he hasn’t been included as a former Cruiserweight Champion.

The tournament kicks off on this Wednesday on NXT, and the two winners of each group after everyone in the group have faced each other will meet in the final to become the interim Cruiserweight Champion.

Ronda Rousey has been busy annoying WWE fans on Twitter lately, saying that they are ungrateful and that she doesn’t need the money so why would she bother returning, which many suspected, was going to lead to her returning.

This idea was fuelled when WWE stars such as Nia Jax and Alexa Bliss started replying and things heated up some more when Jax said she wants to knock her the F out, but according to Dave Meltzer, a return isn’t actually in the works at all.

He does add that he expects she will at some point, but right now, she isn’t. Her contract with WWE reportedly runs until April 10, 2021, so it is definitely likely she’ll be back at some point before then.

Taking a look ahead to tonight’s episode of Raw, and WWE hasn’t announced any matches as of this recording, but has confirmed that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre and Raw Women’s Champion Becky Lynch will be appearing.

On Friday’s episode of SmackDown, the blue brand’s Money in the Bank qualifiers will be kicking off, so there’s a possibility that Raw will start its side of things for those ladder matches tonight too.

As always WrestleTalk.com will have live coverage of tonight’s show, so stay tuned to the website and Twitter for that.

For WrestleTalk.com, I’ve been Liam Winnard, that was today’s audio news bulletin, wash your hands, stay at home, and stay safe.

• audio news bulletin
• RAW
• Jeff Hardy
• Ronda Rousey

Share this article with friends