HBK Praises Haliburton; WWE Rumors on Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan & Backstage Rule Change
Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Michaels Commends Haliburton's NXT Appearance
Indiana Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton appeared on Tuesday night's episode of NXT, moderating the contract signing for the upcoming NXT Championship match between Ethan Page and Trick Williams.
Several other Pacers players were in the front row to support Haliburton, who took a shot at some of the fans who booed him by poking fun at the Orlando Magic since the WWE Performance Center is located in Orlando.
Haliburton also kept the peace between Page and Williams for the contract signing before bringing out CM Punk, who announced he would serve as the special guest referee for Page vs. Williams.
After the show, WWE posted video of Haliburton speaking to WWE Hall of Famer and head of NXT Shawn Michaels backstage. The Heartbreak Kid thanked Haliburton and told him he did a great job, while Haliburton, who was wearing an HBK shirt, said he had a lot of fun:
NXT is preparing for its move to The CW with the premiere episode occurring in Chicago on Oct. 1.
Punk will be on hand for the show in his hometown, serving as the special guest referee for what figures to be the main event between All Ego and Trick.
Meanwhile, Roxanne Perez will put the NXT Women's Championship on the line on that episode as well against Giulia, who made her WWE debut this month following a hugely successful career in Japan.
While Raw and SmackDown remain WWE's main shows, NXT getting a television deal independent of them speaks to the job Michaels has done with the brand.
NXT has become a destination for big names from both within and outside the pro wrestling world, and Haliburton's appearance may have helped bring some new eyes to the product.
WWE Reportedly Seeking Contract Extensions for Key Women
WWE has reportedly approached some of its biggest stars in the women's division recently in hopes of signing them to new contracts.
According to PWInsider.com (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), WWE has spoken to Rhea Ripley, women's world champion Liv Morgan and WWE women's champion Nia Jax about signing extensions.
Per PWInsider, it is part of a new strategy for WWE, as the company aims to lock in some of its biggest stars to long-term deals, even if their currently contracts are not on the verge of expiring.
Ripley and Morgan are currently embroiled in one of the biggest rivalries in all of wrestling, and they will meet in a women's world title match at Bad Blood next month.
As part of their long-running feud, both Ripley and Morgan have sent each other to the injured list at various points. Morgan won the women's world title that Ripley had to vacate due to injury and then stole Rhea's boyfriend, Dominik Mysterio, who help Liv beat Ripley at SummerSlam.
A strong argument can be made for Ripley in particular being one of the biggest stars in all of WWE, as her popularity has eclipsed most women and men on the roster.
Jax was released from her WWE contract in late 2021, but she returned to the fold in September 2023, and she has since gone on the most impressive run of her career.
Nia has noticeably improved her in-ring, character and promo work since her first stint, and it has led to her becoming the top heel in the SmackDown women's division.
Jax won the Queen of the Ring tournament and later beat Bayley for the WWE Women's Championship, cementing her status as one of the faces of the women's division.
WWE Reportedly Now Crediting Writers for Promos
The ever-changing landscape of WWE under the leadership of creative head Triple H and president Nick Khan has reportedly permeated into the writers' room.
According to PWInsider.com's Mike Johnson, WWE is now listing the names of the writers who contributed to promo segments on internal run sheets handed out backstage.
That is reportedly something that was never done before under former WWE chairman, CEO and head of creative Vince McMahon, who resigned from his position with WWE parent company TKO back in January.
For Monday night's episode of Raw, writer Alexandra Williams was listed on the run sheet for CM Punk's promo, along with Brian Parise for Jey Uso's and Christian Scovell for Sami Zayn's.
While it has long been commonplace for a producer to be listed on the run sheet for a match or a segment involving physicality, that has not been the case for writers with promise.
Per Johnson, a source referred to the change as a "natural evolution" of how WWE is doing things backstage.
The creative landscape has seemingly been markedly better and less rigid under Triple H, and giving some internal credit to those who help make the segments possible is perhaps an attempt at fostering a happy and rewarding work environment.
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