At Sportskeeda Wrestling, we bring you the hottest, freshest and timeliest news from the world of sports entertainment, as it happens. However, we do understand that because of your busy schedule, you may miss out on some of our news updates, at certain times. For your convenience, this is a compilation of the news gathered from the week that was. We will make this a weekly feature so that you are always tuned into the latest happenings from the world of sports entertainment. Without further ado, we present SKFabe.
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#1 Rusev returns to SmackDown next week
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We recently learned that Rusev had been drafted to SmackDown Live as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up. We saw a video package for him demanding a championship opportunity at Money in the Bank, and if he didn’t get his wish, Rusev would move back to Bulgaria. This week, we learned that because he was dissatisfied by Shane McMahon’s nonchalant attitude towards his demands, he would be returning to SmackDown Live next week and ask the Commissioner for answers about his title shot. We would be very worried, Shane. Maybe you should take next week off, just to play it safe.
#2 Jim Ross will return to call the UK show, very soon
To most of the world as a whole, he is the voice of sports entertainment. While we have missed Jim Ross from calling the action on WWE programming of late, we got to know this week that he will be returning to action, very soon indeed. We reported recently that Jim Ross would join NXT colour commentator Nigel McGuinness, to call all the action from the recently recorded WWE UK shows, which will be broadcast on the WWE Network. Jim Ross seems excited as a result of this opportunity and is looking forward to calling the action with fresh faces. We are just as excited as you are, legend!
#3 Incredibly bad news for Emma
Emma was out with an injury last year. We thought she’d be making her on-screen return as Emmalina thereafter, but that turned into a wait that spanned across months. She made her return recently as Emma, but unfortunately, luck wasn't on her side, this time as well. Emma was pulled from the UK tour when she awkwardly landed on her shoulder, and the referee put up an X-Sign, signalling a legitimate injury. We wish her all the best and hope she returns to in-ring action really soon indeed.
#4 Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella had their first child
Former WWE superstars Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan welcomed their first baby into the world, as the WWE Universe showered much love and adulation upon the proud parents. Birdie Joe Danielson may have been born ten days late, but she is the absolute apple of her parents’ eyes. Measuring 21 inches in length and weighing in at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, she's definitely no Big Show yet. Check out our ‘Clicks n’ Kicks’ feature to get a glimpse of the newborn.
Also read: Clicks n’ Kicks: What did your favourite Superstars do this week on Instagram (6- 12 May)
#5 Lana has a familiar new finisher
Much like Rusev, Lana was drafted to SmackDown Live as well recently. However, it does seem like the two of them may not be paired on screen, anytime soon. While Rusev wants a title shot, Lana has been working live events in a hip-hop themed dancer gimmick. At a recent NXT Live Event, she unveiled a new finisher which turned out to be Rusev’s very own move- ‘The Accolade’. Now that Rusev and Lana are no longer a thing, we wonder if this was really the right decision for the both of them.
#6 Strange match announced for WWE Backlash
We had assumed that the SmackDown Women’s Championship would be defended at Backlash, either by Naomi against Charlotte Flair or a member of the Welcoming Committee heel stable. It turns out, neither we aren't getting either of those scenarios. Naomi, Charlotte Flair, and Becky Lynch will team up to face Carmella, Tamina Snuka, and Natalya. We hope there’s a big storyline swerve planned, because if not, it's not a very exciting match.
#7 Shinsuke Nakamura’s next program unveiled?
Kevin Owens and AJ Styles are in a program together leading into WWE Backlash, while Nakamura and Dolph Ziggler are involved in another one. Nakamura and Kevin Owens are, however, slated to battle one another in a live event, following the Backlash pay-per-view. It is unclear whether this is for the United States Championship. It is also unclear if this is a one-off or a full blown program between the two men.
#8 Some good news for SmackDown Live
SmackDown Live ratings have been falling on a weekly basis since Wrestlemania, with last week scoring the lowest ratings in 2017 with 2.3 Million viewers only. This week was a slight improvement with 2.348 Million viewers. Let’s hope that they rise this week again before Vince McMahon loses faith in the blue brand altogether.
#9 Braun Strowman will be out of action for a while
Braun Strowman may have been tipping ambulances and breaking rings in half, but even monsters have their weaknesses. While his torn rotator cuff may be a kayfabe injury, Strowman has been facing some issues with his elbows of late, as reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This will cause him to miss a few episodes of Raw, although WWE is keen on a Lesnar-Strowman program this summer. He is expected to be off television for four to eight weeks.
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