Wrestling Roundup: November 2, 2019

The Wrestling Roundup is here to bring you all the news and rumors you need to know in one place.

NXT Invades SmackDown

WWE had a predicament on their hands when their plane from Saudi Arabia was delayed (more on that below). It left the main roster shorthanded for SmackDown live from Buffalo on Friday night. The lack of SmackDown superstars opened up the opportunity for an NXT invasion. 

The show started with Brock Lesnar and some shocking news: he was quitting SmackDown.

NXT head honcho Triple H and his lieutenant Shawn Michaels were present on SmackDown. Their Wednesday night superstars were all over the show. Keith Lee and Matt Riddle showed up to take out Sami Zayn. Shayna Baszler attacked Bayley after her match. Bianca Belair took out Dana Brooke and Carmella single-handedly. The full results from the show are:

• Bayley (c) def. Nikki Cross to retain the SmackDown Women’s Championship
• Tomasso Ciampa def. The Miz
• Rhea Ripley & Tegan Nox def. Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville
• Adam Cole (c) def. Daniel Bryan to retain the NXT Championship

The invasion angle of NXT ended with a promo from Triple H in the ring. He called back to his post-Wrestlemania 14 DX formation promo and talked about the army he has formed in NXT. The hype for Survivor Series hasn’t been this high since the Invasion angle in 2001. 

You heard it here first… @TripleH warns #Raw and #SmackDown because #WWENXT is coming for a BATTLE at #SurvivorSeries. pic.twitter.com/ZXDJNpbqOE

— WWE (@WWE) November 2, 2019

Also, let’s not skip over the fact that Adam Cole and Daniel Bryan had their first singles match ever. Cole beat Bryan clean in an amazing main event. What could have been one of the weirdest SmackDowns of all time ended up being one of the most memorable.

Wrestlers Delayed Leaving Saudi Arabia

So what were the travel delays coming back from Saudi Arabia? The issue that caused the delay was apparently a mechanical issue, according to a WWE press release. 175 superstars, production crew, and employees ended up staying in Saudi Arabia for an extra day. Atlas Air, the company that chartered WWE’s flight, also released a statement corroborating WWE’s story (h/t ProWrestlingSheet).

PWInsider confirmed around 7 pm on Friday that the stranded WWE employees and superstars would be flying home as of 9 pm.

Other notes about the delay include that Vince McMahon had already left the country before the mechanical problem occurred. 20 people, including 12 talent, made their way back on a separately chartered plane. Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Hulk Hogan made their way back on Lesnar’s private plane. A detailed account of updates can be found here from TWM News.

Some wrestlers tweeted about being stuck…

Bad day on Saudi Arabia, I hope to arrive before my birth…..

— “EL IDOLO” ANDRADE (@AndradeCienWWE) November 1, 2019

And others tweeted later about coming home:

JUST HOLD ON WE’RE GOING HOME.#StreetProfits pic.twitter.com/QhOHm3TtpE

— 𝕂𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕋𝕖𝕫 (@MontezFordWWE) November 1, 2019

Shanna Signs With AEW

On Dynamite this week, Shanna debuted in a losing effort against Hikaru Shida. It was a loss, but it was an impressive effort from Shanna. On Friday, EVP Cody confirmed that Shanna will be a part of the AEW Women’s roster going forward:

She was excellent. And she’s full-time! https://t.co/QLk8DJDZRc

— Cody (@CodyRhodes) November 1, 2019

Joey Mercury Comments On ROH Executive

On Thursday, it was reported that Joey Mercury and Ring of Honor had parted ways. Mercury went off on Twitter on Friday, railing against ROH General Manager Greg Gilleland. One of Mercury’s quotes:

“Unsafe environment for Talent in and out of the ring … No Security. No medical staff. No Women on creative, worst looking wrestling on or off tv. No job description. Nothing in terms of anything I’ve suggested. Total BREACH on YOUR end- and everyone involved that bulls–t, non punctuation using, grammatical pigf-ck of a contract.”

For a full breakdown of Mercury’s grievances, including listing talents that may not re-sign with ROH when their contract is up, read here from WrestlingInc.

Have a great Saturday. Imagine this future match or play it on 2K this weekend:

Shawn Michaels got me in this segment, not gonna lie. #Smackdown https://t.co/aUxQ14UHkQ

— Tony the Terrifying 👻🎃🙀 (@TonyOnSports) November 2, 2019