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In today's WWE rumor roundup, we delve into the future of The Undertaker and his upcoming advertised shows, the venue that could host WrestleMania 37, which will happen in 2021, as well as a SmackDown Live Superstar's name change.
We will also look at a few changes that could happen to NXT Superstars after the show's move to USA Network, as well as what Vince McMahon tells commentators during the show.
#1 Backstage update on The Undertaker's advertised shows
The Undertaker is set to return to WWE on September 14th on SmackDown Live, which is the go-home show for Clash of Champions.
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The Phenom has been advertised to appear on that show, and Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter has stated that the legendary WWE Superstar was not brought in to help pick up slow ticket sales for the show at Madison Square Garden, and that his return to the show has been planned for a while.
The Deadman's last match on WWE television was at Extreme Rules, where he teamed up with Roman Reigns to face Drew McIntyre and Shane McMahon.
WrestlingInc are speculating that The Undertaker could have been brought in for the September 14 show to build an angle for the SmackDown 20th anniversary show that will take place on October 4, which also happens to be the first show that will air on FOX on Friday nights.
#2 Rowan name change
WWE changes Superstars' names to give their character a new lease of life, or to make it easier for fans to remember their name. Mustafa Ali became Ali, Andrade "Cien" Almas was shortened to Andrade, and Erick Rowan became plain ol' Rowan.
But, WWE seem to have reverted to the original name of the former Bludgeon Brother, with WWE's website showing his name as Erick Rowan once again.
Rowan has been in the Roman Reigns mystery attacker storyline recently, along with Daniel Bryan and Reigns.
#3 Corey Graves on Vince McMahon talking to him during commentary
WWE commentators have a difficult job of commentating for 2/3 hours every show, keeping track of everything that's going as well as commentating on a live show, but they also have the added difficulty of relaying what their boss, Vince McMahon, tells them in their earpiece.
Corey Graves, who features on both RAW and SmackDown, has become an entertaining commentator, but he recently revealed in a podcast with Sean Mooney that McMahon yelled at him during commentary and revealed what happened later.
“The first time he reprimanded me for anything, I was on camera. It’s different when you’re not on camera, you can kinda play it naturally and acknowledge it. But when you’re staring at the lights, and all of a sudden Vince is yelling at you in your ear, it’s like really hard to keep your composure and keep your train of thought, and I’m pretty sure when it happened, I just locked up in the middle of a sentence, because it was like ‘oh no, I’m dead! What’s happening?’,” said Graves. (H/T Cageside Seats for the transcription)
Graves then said that he has earned the trust of the WWE Chairman and that it was hard at first, but he is used to it now:
"So I think I’ve earned his trust to a point, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still moments where I’ll say something and he’ll, you know, I can’t necessarily repeat what he says to me all the time, but it’s definitely an experience. It was definitely hard to get used to, but now I think I am as used to it as I will ever get.”
#4 WrestleMania 37 location
WrestleMania is one of the biggest events not just in sports entertainment/pro wrestling, but also in the whole world of sports and entertainment, with an entire week of action, as well as a huge WWE show filled with excitement and surprises.
Next year's WrestleMania, WrestleMania 36, will be held in Tampa, Florida at the Raymond James Stadium on April 5, 2020.
WWE have not yet announced the location for WrestleMania 37, but reports suggest that it will be held in Los Angeles. Arash Markazi of the LA Times has confirmed that Los Angles will host the 37th edition of the event.
The last time that the show was held in Los Angeles was in 2005 when WrestleMania 21 was held at the Staples Center. If WrestleMania 37 does take place in Los Angeles, it will most likely be at the Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, which is currently under construction and will host the the Super Bowl in 2022.
#5 NXT pay rise
WWE recently announced that they will be moving NXT to the USA Network next month. Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that NXT Superstars will get a pay hike that will be closer to what Superstars on RAW and SmackDown Live earn.
The report suggest that NXT Superstars currently earn between $40,000 and $60,000, but that they could up the pay as AEW Superstars earn upwards of $100,000.
