Triple H Announces NXT TakeOver Matches, Kurt Angle, Saudi Arabia in WWE Roundup

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.        

Triple H Announced NXT TakeOver: XXV Matches

Triple H announced a pair of big matches Friday for NXT TakeOver: XXV, which is set to take place June 1 in Bridgeport, Connecticut:

In addition to an NXT Championship rematch between Johnny Gargano and Adam Cole, Shayna Baszler will defend the NXT Women's Championship against Io Shirai.

At NXT TakeOver: New York two nights before WrestleMania 35, Gargano beat Cole in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match for the NXT title, which the injured Tommaso Ciampa vacated.

On that same card, Baszler won a Fatal 4-Way that included Shirai, Kairi Sane and Bianca Belair to retain the NXT Women's Championship.

Since Gargano beat Cole, there have been cracks in the foundation of the Undisputed Era. Cole blamed Roderick Strong for his loss, and there have been signs that Strong is set to break away from Cole, Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish.

Meanwhile, Baszler is seconded by her Four Horsewomen stablemates in Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir, while Shirai no longer has backup in Sane since she was called up to the main roster.

Both Gargano and Shirai are facing long odds against tough opponents who have the numbers advantage, and that should make for a pair of entertaining matches with big stakes on the line.

Angle Preparing to Become WWE Producer

After competing in his final match at WrestleMania 35, Kurt Angle is transitioning into a backstage role for WWE.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Marc Middleton to WrestlingInc.com), Angle is training to become a WWE producer, which will allow him to aid Superstars in putting their matches together.

The report noted that Angle has been shadowing producers and "learning the different aspects of the job."

Angle lost to Baron Corbin at April's WrestleMania in what was billed as his retirement match. Angle got some revenge on Corbin the next night on Raw, but he was then attacked by Lars Sullivan, who was making his main roster debut.

The 50-year-old Angle figures to be a major asset for WWE in his new role since he has wrestled professionally for the past 20 years and won a gold medal in amateur wrestling at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Few have a more impressive resume than Angle, and there is little doubt that Superstars will listen when the WWE Hall of Famer speaks to them. Angle commands respect, and with his wealth of experience, he should be able to get through to the current generation of wrestlers.

Possible Name for WWE Saudi Arabia Event

WWE reportedly may have a name in mind for its June 7 show set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

According to WrestleVotes, the company is considering calling the show "WWE Sands of Time."

WWE held two major events in Saudi Arabia last year. The first occurred in Jeddah and was called The Greatest Royal Rumble, while the second show in Riyadh was known as WWE Crown Jewel.

As part of the announcement for the June 7 event, WWE noted that The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar and Goldberg will be part of the show. Several part-time Superstars and legends wrestled in Saudi Arabia last year, including Taker, Lesnar, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena, Kane and Chris Jericho.

Elias is a potential opponent for The Undertaker since The Deadman interrupted him the night after WrestleMania 35. A match between Lesnar and Goldberg is also possible since Goldberg's last match was against Lesnar at WrestleMania 33 in April 2017.

Regardless of what WWE calls the Saudi Arabia show, it is clear that the company is pulling out all the stops by utilizing some of the biggest stars it has at its disposal.

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