Tag: WWE Smackdown

Rob Gronkowski to appear on March 20 SmackDown, Vegas lists odds for his first opponent

Rob Gronkowski isn’t officially signed with WWE, but the former Patriots great will be on the March 20 edition of SmackDown.

On one of the more surreal nights in WWE history Friday, there was some “real” news out of SmackDown.

The show was broadcast on FOX in its usual time slot. What was atypical was the matches took place before an empty WWE Performance Center in Orlando, FL, necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic.

So, WWE’s Superstars went through their matches and promos for two hours as if nothing was missing despite the absence of the WWE Universe for a card slated to be held in Detroit.

The news that came out of the show is former New England Patriots star tight end Rob Gronkowski will appear on the March 20 edition of the show. It is scheduled for New Orleans, however, it could also take place in the Performance Center if bans are not lifted.

Gronk’s friend Mojo Rawley made the announcement, though he would not go as far as saying Gronk had signed with WWE. Rawley said, “The rumors are true and Rob Gronkowski will be in the house next Friday. Get hyped, baby.”

The news caught the eyes and ears of one of the nation’s top NFL insiders.

Meanwhile, Vegas is getting on-board with the Gronk-WWE train, listing odds on who could be the FOX football analyst’s first opponent.

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Watch the surreal opening to WWE SmackDown from an empty makeshift arena

WWE staged SmackDown with zero fans in attendance on Friday night.

Nearly every major sports league in the United States has suspended play due to the coronavirus crisis – from the NBA to the NHL to MLS to NASCAR – but WWE elected to move Friday’s episode of SmackDown from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, making for a surreal broadcast.

The Performance Center was transformed to look like a miniature WWE arena, complete with video screens, an entrance ramp, announce table and (empty) seats. In the show open, the return of WWE legend Jeff Hardy was announced, along with an appearance by John Cena. With just a few weeks until WrestleMania 36 is scheduled to take place in Tampa, WWE made every attempt to continue business as usual.

Sasha Banks and Bayley were the first WWE stars to appear, and they made an typical entrance despite the circumstances, gesturing to a non-existent audience.

WWE announced on Friday that the upcoming episode of Raw on “3/16 day,” which is scheduled to feature the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin, will also take place in the Performance Center.

WWE will undoubtedly face criticism for staging any event, even one as small as SmackDown from the Performance Center, but many fans enjoyed the diversion. https://twitter.com/JoeydellW/status/1238619114974912514

 

 

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WWE fans react to the new Intercontinental Championship belt

WWE gave one of its most prestigious titles a makeover on Friday, as Sami Zayn revealed a new Intercontinental Championship and presented the belt to current champ Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown. The new design is the first change since 2011, when …

WWE gave one of its most prestigious titles a makeover on Friday, as Sami Zayn revealed a new Intercontinental Championship and presented the belt to current champ Shinsuke Nakamura on SmackDown. The new design is the first change since 2011, when WWE debuted the version with the white leather.

The new title features significantly more gold, and replaces the traditional blue globe design with the WWE logo in the center of the belt.

Some WWE still prefer older designs, but many love the new title.

[opinary poll=”which-intercontinental-championship-do-y” customer=”forthewin”]