News

WWE officially strips SmackDown champion after recent injury

WWE confirms Naomi as the new Women’s Tag Team Champion, replacing Jade Cargill after a mysterious attack in November.

Published

2 months ago

January 7, 2025

Naomi has been officially recognized as one half of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions alongside Bianca Belair. The change comes after serving as a replacement following a backstage attack on former champion Jade Cargill prior to Survivor Series.

The championship status update was reflected on WWE’s official roster page following the RAW Netflix premiere. The change had been acknowledged on television since December 20, when Naomi and Belair successfully defended the titles against Nia Jax and Candice LeRae on SmackDown.

The transition in championship status began after Cargill was found attacked backstage before Survivor Series, leading to her removal from the WarGames match. Bayley stepped in as her replacement for that contest, while Naomi has since been fulfilling championship duties alongside Belair.

Training and Return Status Updates

While away from television, Cargill has maintained an active schedule at the WWE Performance Center. Recent reports from PWInsider indicate she has been balancing training with non-WWE projects during her absence.

A PWInsider source provided clarity on the situation:

I don’t care what you read online, okay? Jade Cargill is injured, it’s serious, and I don’t know when she is going to be back.

Dave Meltzer offered additional perspective on the conflicting reports:

In recent weeks we’ve had multiple people internally say she’s injured, as is the angle, and others who weren’t sure, later said she was injured while others say she isn’t. We’ve gotten and seen reports from people internally who have said 100 percent she’s injured factually and others who say the opposite. Literally whatever it is, there are multiple people being told different things although those at the highest level are saying injured. I got a pretty detailed description from someone high on the food chain of what happened and they said that she is absolutely injured … Nobody seems to understand why the other story of what they ‘know’ is going around.

WWE had previously detailed Cargill’s injuries following the attack:

After suffering a mysterious attack on SmackDown, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill has been diagnosed with numerous injuries including deep lumbar paraspinal muscle contusions, a bruised kidney, a sprained MCL in her right knee, a tibial plateau bone bruise of her right knee, and facial lacerations.

Multiple creative pitches have been made regarding the identity of Cargill’s attacker, though specific details remain under wraps. Online speculation has centered around several potential candidates, including Belair, Naomi, and Bayley.

News

Steve Austin Confirmed for WrestleMania 41 Weekend

WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin will appear at WWE World fan experience in Las Vegas Convention Center on April 19-20, with autograph and photo opportunity tickets available starting Tuesday.

Published

2 days ago

March 16, 2025

Patricki Chites

WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin has been confirmed for WWE World during WrestleMania 41 weekend in Las Vegas. The Texas Rattlesnake will appear at the fan experience on April 19 and 20.

The Fanatics Event Twitter account announced the news, revealing that Austin will be at the Las Vegas Convention Center for the two-day event. Fans will have opportunities to purchase tickets for autographs and photo ops.

OH HELL YEAH! 🔥 It’s only fitting we drop this announcement today. “STONE COLD” STEVE AUSTIN 🍺 is headed to WWE World this April 19 & 20. Tickets to purchase autographs and photo ops will be on sale Tuesday at 11AM ET.

Ticket sales for the Austin meet-and-greet will begin Tuesday at 11 AM ET.

WWE attempted to involve Austin in WrestleMania 40 weekend last year, but he did not appear at the premium live event.

Cody Rhodes previously extended an invitation to Austin for WrestleMania 41. However, Austin himself stated he has not discussed any appearance at the Showcase of the Immortals with WWE officials.

Austin’s current confirmation only covers the WWE World fan experience event. There has been no announcement regarding any potential role for him at WrestleMania 41 itself.

DIY

Montez Ford Breaks Silence on WWE Tag Team Championship Win

Following their WWE Tag Team Championship victory on the March 14 SmackDown in a match against Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa, Montez Ford thanks fans for their support.

Published

3 days ago

March 15, 2025

Leonardo Cunha

Montez Ford has responded to the outpouring of support following the Street Profits’ WWE Tag Team Championship victory on SmackDown. Ford and Angelo Dawkins defeated Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa on the March 14 episode to claim the titles.

The championship victory marks the first time in four years that the Street Profits have held gold in WWE. Their win has generated significant positive reaction across social media.

Ford shared his appreciation through a message on Twitter, expressing gratitude to fans for supporting their journey back to championship status.

Very overwhelmed by the love, appreciation, text messages, calls, videos from everyone. It means a lot to mean so much to many people.

Thanks for being with us for the entire 4+year journey of getting our titles back. We celebrating all week till the wheels fall off.

Thank you GOD & thank you to the entire fanbase. God Bless yall & job’s just starting. -Tez.

The Street Profits defeated Gargano and Ciampa in a hard-fought contest on SmackDown, ending their opponents’ championship reign. With this victory, Ford and Dawkins add another title run to their WWE resume.

WWE has not yet announced which teams might step up to challenge the new champions for their first title defense.

Featured

Major WWE Star Announces Hiatus After SmackDown

Following the March 14 edition of SmackDown in Barcelona, Lilian Garcia announced her departure as full-time announcer while transitioning to Saturday Night’s Main Event specials and other WWE projects.

Published

3 days ago

March 15, 2025

Leonardo Cunha

Lilian Garcia announced she will no longer serve as the ring announcer for Friday Night SmackDown. She shared the news through her Instagram following the conclusion of the March 14 broadcast from Barcelona, Spain.

Garcia revealed that while stepping away from weekly SmackDown duties, she will remain with WWE in multiple capacities. Her new role includes handling ring announcing for all Saturday Night’s Main Event specials, which occur quarterly on NBC and Peacock.

The veteran announcer shared details about her transition in an Instagram post after her final SmackDown appearance.

Just finished announcing SmackDown in Barcelona, Spain and it was absolutely incredible!! Gracias por todo el amor España! ❤️ But now I have some news that this was my last show as the full-time SmackDown announcer. A new era is upon us BUT I will still be with the company as I will be announcing for all @wwe Saturday Night’s Main Event shows on @nbc & @peacock , singing at certain special events, AND currently working on other show ideas with WWE! 😉 WWE is my home so stay tuned as a new chapter begins… I invite all of you to continue this journey with me as we share it together!! 📖🤸🏼‍♀️ Bottom line, thank you and I love you dearly!!!! 💙🥰

Garcia originally returned to WWE on the October 21 episode of Raw, resuming her role as a ring announcer. She subsequently moved to the SmackDown brand earlier this year before this recent change in responsibilities.

WWE has yet to announce who will replace Garcia on the Friday night program. Alicia Taylor currently serves as Raw’s ring announcer, while Mike Rome handles announcing duties for NXT.

The announcing roles have been fluid recently, with Garcia filling in for Rome on NXT and Rome appearing on Raw before returning to NXT the following night.

This change represents another adjustment to WWE’s broadcast team, though Garcia will continue to maintain a presence with the company through her new specialized role.