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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Vince McMahon Wants NXT to Be Edgier Product
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon is reportedly looking to appeal to a younger demographic with the new NXT 2.0 product.
According to Fightful Select (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), McMahon suggested the use of more adult language and themes, as well as “more lenience” regarding the ring gear of female wrestlers.
McMahon also reportedly wants NXT wrestlers to “keep up with current affairs with promos and character verbiage.”
It was noted by Fightful that McMahon primarily wants to target the 18-34-year-old demographic with the new version of NXT.
NXT 2.0 launched last week, and it had a decidedly different feel from the previous NXT, with its focus on young, unknown talent.
That largely continued this week, especially in terms of building up Bron Breakker as one of the top stars on the brand.
It also seemed as though the boundaries were pushed a bit more than normal based in promos and some of the jokes that were cracked by the announce team.
It remains to be seen if the changes in philosophy will bring in a younger audience, but NXT 2.0 has been entertaining thus far and done a good job of showcasing some of the young talent WWE has under contract.
Young Rock Casting Several Old School Wrestlers
After a successful first season, the NBC sitcom Young Rock is casting for Season 2, and many of the names included will be familiar to wrestling fans.
According to PWInsider’s Mike Johnson, the 1980s wrestlers and wrestling personalities the show is currently casting include Jerry “The King” Lawler, Tommy Rich, Bam Bam Bigelow, Haystacks Calhoun, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, Big John Studd, “Classy” Freddie Blassie, Mr. Fuji and The Great Kabuki.
Young Rock is also re-casting some of the wrestlers featured in Season 1, including “Rowdy” Roddy Piper.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an executive producer on the show, which focuses on his upbringing in a professional wrestling family and his time as a football player at the University of Miami.
The Rock went on to become one of the biggest stars in the history of pro wrestling, and he is among the most successful actors in the world as well.
Young Rock received positive reviews, especially from wrestling fans.
PWInsider noted that Young Rock Season 2 will begin filming in Australia in October and production for the 10-episode season will run through January.
Fox to Air King of the Ring Special First Weekend of October
In anticipation of the potential return of WWE’s King of the Ring tournament, Fox will reportedly air a King of the Ring special.
According to Johnson, the special will air the weekend of Oct. 1 through Oct. 3 in different time slots depending on the market. It is expected to serve as a preview for the 2021 King of the Ring tournament.
The return of King of the Ring has been speculated on for quite some time, and while WWE has yet to confirm anything, all signs point toward it taking place in October.
Andrew Zarian of the Mat Men Pro Wrestling Podcast recently reported that the King of the Ring and debuting Queen of the Ring tournaments will occur during the month of October with the finals of both taking place at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on Oct. 21.
King of the Ring was once a highly anticipated annual tournament in WWE, and it even had its own pay-per-view from 1993-2002.
More recent iterations of King of the Ring have seen the tournaments play out primarily on Raw and SmackDown, and it seems as though that will be the case this time around as well.
The latest King of the Ring tournament occurred in 2019, and it saw Baron Corbin beat Chad Gable in the finals to take the crown.
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